Holy Cow, Josh Hamilton Is Joining Trout & Pujols
In Anaheim!!

post from 30-Year Old Cardboard on 13 December 2012 03:15:22 PM. © 30-Year Old Cardboard

From MLB.com ANAHEIM — Josh Hamilton, believe it or not, is headed to the Angels. MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reported on Thursday that Hamilton has informed the Rangers he’s headed to Southern California, signing what Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com and MLB … Continue reading →

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Around the SaberSphere 12/13: Ichiro the power
hitter, Jeff Bagwell, Kevin Towers

post from Beyond the Box Score - All Posts on 13 December 2012 03:03:47 PM. © Beyond the Box Score - All Posts

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Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs makes a case for Ichiro being a power hitter in Yankee Stadium next season: Home of the Ichiro Power Swing | FanGraphs Baseball

Ichiro probably can’t just turn himself into a power hitter. In Yankee Stadium, though, he can get the closest, and while that means Ichiro just has to rely on Ichiro on the road, he might be in position to take unique advantage of the home environment. That’s a friendly porch, and now Ichiro knows it. There’s good sense behind this relationship. I don’t know how much Ichiro has left to give to some other ballclub. He might have plenty yet to give to the Yankees.

Jay Jaffe of Sports Illustrated discusses Jeff Bagwell's HoF candidacy: JAWS and the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot: Jeff Bagwell | Hit and Run - SI.com

Suffice it to say that Bagwell is a strong candidate who deserves election to the Hall of Fame, and it would be fitting if he joined Biggio on the Cooperstown dais next summer.

Dave Schoenfield of ESPN SweetSpot makes a case to defend Kevin Towers: Is Kevin Towers destroying the D-backs? - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN

OK, we get it: Towers isn't the most sabermetrically inclined of general managers. But the guy also made the playoffs four times as Padres GM and in 2011 as Diamondbacks GM. That's a fair track record of success.

The guys over at CBS Sports discuss HoF candidates and make a case against Jack Morris: CBS Sports Eye on Baseball HoF Rankings #20-16:

I also find it curious that some BBWAA members now talk about how if you "saw him pitch, you knew." That's interesting, because Morris never finished higher than third in Cy Young voting. He only received Cy Young votes in seven of his 18 seasons. He also only received 22.2 percent of the vote his first year on the ballot and dipped down to 19.6 percent the next year. Not only that, but he was only an All-Star five of 18 seasons. Where was the respect at the time from the managers around baseball?

Jason Wojciechowski of Baseball Prospectus goes into detail about one of my favorite topics, pitching wins: Baseball Prospectus | In A Pickle: Winners and Losers of Winning and Losing

'd like to sum up with a grand unifying theme, one that shakes the foundations of sabermetrics to its core: I've found pitchers that just know how to win and pitchers that aren't winners. Right? No, of course that's not what I've found at all. I've found hard-luck guys and small-sample guys and one guy who just happened to be literally unbeatable, which is another way of saying that I've found what you'd find every year if you went through an exercise like this.

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Los Angeles Angels sign Josh Hamilton to a
5-year, $125 million deal

post from Bronx Baseball Daily on 13 December 2012 03:03:32 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily

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Ramiro Pena signs with the Atlanta Braves

post from Bronx Baseball Daily on 13 December 2012 02:45:10 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily

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Fergie Jenkins And His 1971 Cy Young Award

post from 30-Year Old Cardboard on 13 December 2012 02:00:02 PM. © 30-Year Old Cardboard

Fergie Jenkins And His 1971 Cy Young Award In today’s game if a pitcher wins 20 games he is almost a shoe-in for the Cy Young award. But back in the 1970′s, that was not the case. While still a … Continue reading →

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Mariano Rivera: I will be ready for Opening Day

post from Bronx Baseball Daily on 13 December 2012 01:57:11 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily

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Joba Chamberlain called Kevin Youkilis to clear
the air

post from Bronx Baseball Daily on 13 December 2012 01:48:49 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily

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Curtis Granderson renovates schoolyard

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Fergie Jenkins And His Seven 20-Win Seasons

Fergie Jenkins And His Seven 20-Win Seasons When the name Ferguson Jenkins is mentioned, 1 of the very first things that someone will bring up is his incredible streak of six seasons in which he tallied 20 or more wins. … Continue reading →

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Miami Marlins Rule 5 Pick Braulio Lara and His
Killer Fastball

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The Miami Marlins were probably thrilled when they realized Braulio Lara was still available with the 36th overall pick in this year's Rule 5 Draft. Lara's fastball has amazing velocity, having reached 100 MPH in the Dominican Winter League, but he struggles mightily with control. Lara is not a pitcher that is even close to being ready for the majors, but the Marlins will have to keep him in the majors or offer him back to Tampa Bay.

Braulio Lara was born in Bani, Dominican Republic, the same town that produced Edwar Cabrera and Miguel Tejada, among others. At the age of nineteen, Lara played in his first professional minor league games in the United States. In sixty-six innings with the Rays rookie-ball team, Lara posted a 2.18 ERA and struck out 7.91 batters per nine innings. The next season, 2011, Lara was promoted to Bowling Green of the Midwest League. There, in 120 innings, Lara struggled with his control, posting a 4.11 BB/9.

Aside from his fastball, Lara throws a changeup, a curve, and a slider, none of which project to be above-average major league pitches. The fastball does not have amazing movement but sits in the mid to upper 90's. The curveball is pretty average and sits in the low 80's. His frame is not physically imposing, but he definitely looks like a talented pitcher. His offspeed pitchers are inconsistent and ineffective. If Lara cannot control and master at least one pitch other than his fastball, he is never going to have any business being in the majors.

In 2012, Braulio Lara threw 112 innings at High-A Charlotte in the Florida State League. He posted 5.71 ERA and had a career-high 61.6 LOB%. In one memorable game in late April, Lara's fastball provided a lot of trouble for the Marlins' affiliate High-A Jupiter, as he had five strikeouts, four of them via his fastball. However, in two matchups with the top hitting prospect in the Miami system, Christian Yelich, Yelich got the best of Lara, hitting a single and later a home run.

The optimal situation for Lara would be with a team that could let him develop his command in Double-A this season and help him improve his offspeed pitches. However, if the Marlins want to keep Lara, he will need to pitch in the major league bullpen. This makes the chances of Lara sticking with Miami highly unlikely. However, it is possible that the Marlins front office decides they want to keep Lara and sticks him in the bullpen with mop-up duty. Braulio Lara is going to make a tough decision for Marlins management. Lara is not ready for the majors, but it is never easy to let such a talented player just walk away.

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