2010

post from Colorado Springs Fantasy Baseball Addict on 13 August 2010 01:07:10 PM. © Colorado Springs Fantasy Baseball Addict

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Rival executive says Guillen to #SFGiants is
"done."

post from Royals Review on 13 August 2010 12:02:33 PM. © Royals Review

Rival executive says Guillen to #SFGiants is "done."

From Ken Rosenthal's Twitter account

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http://www.royalsreview.com/2010/8/13/1621284/rival-executive-says-guillen-to

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The Day After

post from Talking Chop on 13 August 2010 12:02:29 PM. © Talking Chop

More photos » Kevin C. Cox - Getty Images

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If we have seen the last of Chipper Jones, then we've seen some pretty good years. With the help of Baseball Reference I have compiled some fun facts about Chipper.

Chipper Jones home run facts:

436 career HRs against 299 different pitchers
Most HRs against Steve Trachsel (7), second most (6) against Randy Johnson and Shane Reynolds
Most road HRs at, where else, Shea Stadium (19)
Most HRs against a team, actually the Phillies (45) followed closely by the Mets (44)
He has one 3-HR game, and 38 2-HR games
He hits more HRs in the first inning (77) than any other inning, hits the fewest HRs in the second inning (21)
His first career HR (a solo shot) came off of Josias Manzanillo of the ... wait for it ... New York Mets on May 9th, 1995 ... wait for it ... as the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth to win the game
He has six career grand slams
He has seven career walk-off HRs

All-time career ranks for Chipper:

30th in OPS (46th in OBP, 41st in SLG)
69th in runs scored
31st in runs created
94th in hits
57th in doubles
37th in home runs
3rd in home runs by a switch hitter
52nd in RBI
25th in walks
34th in intentional walks
112th in strikeouts
40th in extra base hits
51st in total bases

He is the only switch hitter in Major League baseball history to have a career .300 average and hit at least 300 home runs.

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http://www.talkingchop.com/2010/8/13/1621312/the-day-after

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Sizing Up The American League Rookie Of The Year
Race

post from The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on 13 August 2010 11:53:26 AM. © The Ghost of Moonlight Graham

Yesterday, I sized up the National League Rookie of the Year race, so it’s only fitting that today I take a look at the American League Rookie of the Year race. As you will see, the American League doesn’t even come close to the NL in rookie performances in 2010. Best of the Rest Reid [...]

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http://theghostofmoonlightgraham.com/2010/08/13/sizing-up-the-american-league-roo
kie-of-the-year-race/

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Did You Know

post from 30-Year Old Cardboard on 13 August 2010 11:41:48 AM. © 30-Year Old Cardboard

The only player since 1900 to go 7 for 7 at the plate in a 9-inning game is Rennie Stennett. Batting lead-off on September 16, 1975, the Pirates’ second baseman collected 4 singles, 2 doubles, and a triple in the Pirates 22-0 … Continue reading →

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http://bapple2286.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/did-you-know-151/

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Giants acquire Jose Guillen

post from 22gigantes on 13 August 2010 11:06:23 AM. © 22gigantes

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Friday Pebble Report: One Up, Five Down

post from Purple Row on 13 August 2010 11:04:16 AM. © Purple Row

In what has become an unfortunate trend of late, the minor league affiliates went 1-5 on the day.

AAA -- Colorado Springs (54-64, 7 GB) was off last night

AA -- Midland 7, Tulsa 4

The Drillers (25-21 2nd half, 4 GB) banged out 13 hits, including a solo shot by 2B Jason Van Kooten (15), but only scored four runs. Top PuRP Christian Friedrich got roughed up a bit in the game, giving up nine hits and four runs on the day, but it was Bruce Billings who got the loss (7-6). Billings gave up three runs on three hits in 1.2 IP.

High A -- Visalia 8, Modesto 2

The Nuts (20-26 2nd, 9 GB) got a 3-3 night from 1B Ben Paulsen, but that was about it in terms of good news. Rob Scahill (9-6) lasted only four innings, allowing four runs on seven hits.

Low A -- Asheville 7, Greenville 2

The Tourists (27-18 2nd, T-1st) not only kept the organization from having an all-losing day, they also beat first place Greenville to take a share of the division lead. SS Carlos Martinez led the way with a three run bomb (3) and my personal prospect mancrush Nolan Arenado went 3-4 to lead the offensive charge.

On the mound, Christian Balcom-Miller (4-6, 3.20) continued his strong season (though not in W-L record) with five innings in which he allowed two runs on three hits. CBM was a little wild, walking three men and tossing two wild pitches, but his GB/FB ratio was a healthy 6:2.

Short A -- Boise 6, Tri-City 3

Catcher Dustin Garneau provided a bright spot for Tri-City (5-10 2nd, 4 GB), smacking a solo shot (2) in the second inning. 2010 13th round pick Josh Mueller took the loss (2-1, 2.90), lasting only three innings and giving up six runs (three earned) on seven hits. Josh Hungerman was great in relief, allowing just one hit in three innings and striking out five men.

Rookie -- Idaho Falls 7, Casper 5

The Ghosts (6-5 2nd, 1.5 GB) took a 5-4 lead into the eighth, but the bullpen couldn't hold it, allowing a walk-off two run shot to Idaho Falls. 2010 10th rounder 3B Brett Tanos led Casper with a 3-4 night and CF Rafael Ortega continued his hot season, going 2-5 to push his average to .364. Tyler Gagnon went six innings on the start, giving up four runs on seven hits, but also striking out seven men.

DSL -- DSL Orioles 7, DSL Rockies 3

The Rockies' DSL affiliate (32-30, 13.5) continued their late season collapse -- they've lost 10 of 11 to fall out of playoff contention.

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http://www.purplerow.com/2010/8/13/1621172/friday-pebble-report-one-up-five

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Astros Hitter Profile: Brett Wallace

post from The Crawfish Boxes on 13 August 2010 11:04:10 AM. © The Crawfish Boxes

More photos » David J. Phillip - AP

This man of mystery is the Astros young first baseman. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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I stepped on a nail Wednesday at work. It was a short, rusty nail that punctured the sole of my shoe, but it didn’t draw blood or go very deep. Nevertheless, I went to a doctor's office and got my tetanus shot. Why do I bring this up? Brad Mills stepped on his own rusty nail Wednesday in the ninth inning when he pinch hit Pedro Feliz for Brett Wallace. In the short term, this probably doesn’t hurt the team, but if this strategy continues, you may begin to experience spasms.

I first saw that Brad Mills had pinch hit for Wallace while, heading to my car, keeping tabs on the game via Gameday through the MLB At Bat app. I stopped in my tracks and my jaw hit the floor. I felt the rage building inside me as Feliz popped out to second base. I stewed over the move on my ride home, listening to the game as it played out in extra innings. I realized, driving home, we had not done a profile Wallace yet and felt now would be a good time to do a profile on our newest first baseman. Hopefully shedding some light on why pinch-hitting for the left-handed hitting Wallace with a left-handed pitcher on the mound is a bad idea.

Since being called up to man first base, Wallace has posted a .333 batting average, a .438 on-base percentage (OBP) and a on-base plus slugging percentage adjusted for Minute MaidPark (OPS+) of 130. Those are some nice numbers but in only 32 plate appearances, that’s a small sample size. To get a better idea of what we can expect of Wallace, let's focus on what he's been able to do in the Minor Leagues.

First, here's a little background. He was select 13th overall in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft by the St. Louis Cardinals as a third baseman out of Arizona State University, just three picks after Jason Castro. A year later, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics in the Matt Holliday deal. That offseason, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league outfielder Michael Taylor. The Blue Jays, interesting enough, had drafted Wallace in the 42nd round of the 2005 draft, but he decided against signing and instead attended Arizona State.Wallace was then traded to the Astros for minor league outfielder Anthony Gose, who had been acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies for Roy Oswalt.

Wallace has got to have some frequent flier miles built up.

During these transactions, it was determined that Wallace's future position lay at first base. The transition from third base to first began some time in 2009, although a majority of his time was still spent at third base. He eventually made the full transition to first base in Toronto's minor league system last year.

On the offensive side, Wallace looks solid. His career line in the minors is .304/.375/.487 with 46 home runs, 93 walks and 238 strike outs in 287 minor league games. He doesn't walk as much as I'd like and looks to strike out quite a bit, but his bat looks solid and should keep his average above .300.

Wallace signed with the Cardinals on July 1, 2008 and was shipped to Class A ball. He immediately posted a .908 in 41 games there. The Cardinals promoted him to AA, skipping a level, which is common for advanced college hitters. In 13 games at AA, he posted an OPS of 1.109, combined with his numbers at A ball that is an OPS of .957, not bad for his first professional season of pro ball. His numbers dropped a bit in 2009 at AA as he posted an .841 OPS in 32 games. The Cardinals promoted him to AAA anyway, where in 62 games he posted a .769 OPS before being traded to Oakland. In 44 games with Oakland's AAA team, he bounced back a bit and posted an .870 OPS. For 2009 in 138 games, he finished with 20 home runs, 47 walks, 116 strike outs and a .293/.367/.455 slash line in 600 plate appearances.

In 95 games with Toronto’s AAA team the next year, Wallace hit 18 home runs, walked 27 times and struck out 83 times with a .301/.359/.509 line in 423 plate appearances. That’s an .868 OPS, which matches up with his minor league career of .863. Over the course of a Major League season, Wallace would be expected to hit 20-25 home runs, 50-60 walks, 100+ strikeouts with something around a mid .800 OPS. At least that's what I keep hearing.

I’m not so sure that the constant moving hasn’t had some effect on his numbers. His drop from a .957 OPS in A and AA ball to an .822 OPS the next year in AA and AAA seems a bit drastic. This year in AAA he improved his OPS to .868 but I think it’s possible he could improve even more and flirt with being a .900 OPS guy. I know a lot of experts have said his range is mid .800 OPS-wise but he hasn't been in the minors long enough to definitively make that assumption. He’s been in a very unique situation having been in four different organizations already.

For funsies, his itinerary between 2009 and 2010 was; Springfield, MO; Memphis, TN; Sacramento, CA; Las Vegas, NV; and Houston, TX. That’s a pretty crappy deal, and I wouldn’t doubt if that had some kind of effect on his performance. Oh, and he switched from third base to first base during all this.

It also may have had no effect on him at all.

In 2009, Wallace’s OPS dropped from .841 in AA to .756 when he was promoted to AAA. That could be something you expect as a hitter gets acclimated to his new level. After his trade to Oakland, his OPS jumps to .870 at their AAA level in 203 plate appearances. In 423 plate appearances with Toronto's AAA team, he posted an .868 OPS. From the looks of it, moving around may not have had any effect on him at all. The question then becomes could he have improved with a more stable environment?

For reference, the three-year park factors* for Springfield is 1.1 in runs, 1.01 in hits, 1.32 in home runs. The PF for Memphis is .99 in runs, .97 in hits and .99 in home runs. The PF for Sacramento is .96 in runs, .95 in hits and .88 in home runs. Finally, the PF for Las Vegas is 1.11 for runs, 1.07 for hits and 1.05 for home runs. That means his performance at Sacramento, for the Oakland A's organization, is probably the most impressive of the bunch.

*Above 1 is an advantage for hitters, and below 1 is an advantage for pitchers.

That’s not even the most interesting thing about Wallace.

His splits of right handed pitcher verse left handed pitcher are ridiculous and the reason for my rant at the beginning of this article. Are you ready for this? (Remember he’s a left handed hitter).

In 808 at-bats versus right-handed minor league pitching, he had an OPS of .831. Not bad, but his career OPS in the minors is .863. Baseball common wisdom is that as a left-handed batter you should post a higher OPS against right handed pitching. Nope. In 329 at bats against lefties, he had a .940 OPS. That my friends is absolutely ridiculous!

The most interesting man in the world would say that is amazing.

If you break his OPS down, he has a .438 OBP against lefties as opposed to a .348 against righties. It appears he sees left-handed pitching better than right-handed pitching. The split in slugging percentage isn’t so drastic. Against lefties, it’s .502 and it’s .483 against right-handers. That trend has continued in the majors, albeit in a very small sample size. In 48 plate appearances, Wallace has a .707 OPS against right-handed pitching and a 1.181 OPS against lefties.

What I like about these splits is not that he hits left-handed pitching so well, but the fact that he can hit both types of pitching well. If he can improve his numbers against right-handers, he'll be a very special hitter.

Overall, I’m taking a more optimistic approach to Wallace than most people are. The performance drop from his first professional year to the second seems a little too drastic to me. Another year in the minors could tell us a little more about his expected level, but Brett Wallace is ready for the Major Leagues now. He'll have to settle the difference in our opinions playing at Minute Maid Park. I certainly don’t think he’ll post a mid .900 OPS like he did in Low A ball, but I do think he can be a high .800 to low .900 OPS guy. I think his talent has carried him through the unique situation of having to travel through four different organization in such a short time period. Given time and stability, I think he'll improve and surprise a lot of people.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2010/8/13/1618835/astros-hitter-profile-brett-wallac
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My interview with Hank Greenwald

Former San Francisco Giants announcer Hank Greenwald left a comment on this site Thursday. The 75-year-old Greenwald, who broadcast Giants games from 1979 to 1986 and again from 1989 to 1996, read my review of Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story and commented that greats like Sandy Koufax and Hank Greenberg were beloved for [...]

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http://baseballpastandpresent.com/2010/08/13/my-interview-with-hank-greenwald/

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LA xd

The Phils capped their 20-game run with a fantastic win last night, scoring eight times in the last two frames to top the Dodgers 10-9. The Phils got five hits and a walk in the bottom of the eighth to cut the LA lead to 9-6. In the ninth they loaded the bases [...]

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http://www.philliesflow.com/2010/08/13/la-xd/

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