Yankees and Nick Johnson are wrapping up a
1yr/$5.5M deal

post from Zell's Pinstripe Blog on 17 December 2009 07:24:00 PM. © Zell's Pinstripe Blog

According to Ken Davidoff, the Yankees and Nick Johnson are wrapping up a one-year deal for about $5.5 million. Pending a physical.It’s nice to have him back. It’s always nice to have a player with one of the highest OBP (.426) in all of Major League Baseball. Only Joe Mauer (.444) and Albert Pujols (.443) rank ahead of [...]

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-a-1yr5-5m-deal/

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Nick Johnson to Sign

post from Bronx Baseball Daily on 17 December 2009 07:19:42 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily

Well that was quick. Kevin Davidoff is now reporting that the Yankees and Nick Johnson have[...]

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Nick Johnson Deal Almost Done

post from Bronx Baseball Daily on 17 December 2009 07:07:38 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily

George A. King III of the NY Post is reporting that the Yankees and Nick Johnson are “moving[...]

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New York Mets Look To The Far East, Sign Reliever
From Japan

post from The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on 17 December 2009 06:38:31 PM. © The Ghost of Moonlight Graham

The New York Mets have looked to Japan for talent nine times in their history. And nine times the results have not been what the Mets were looking for.The Mets are hoping the results from their latest import from Japan are more favorable than in years past.Today, the Mets have signed 30-year-old RHP Ryota Igarashi [...]

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he-far-east-sign-reliever-from-japan/

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DMB World Series-Baseball Card Reminiscing

post from DMB Historic World Series Replay on 17 December 2009 05:54:20 PM. © DMB Historic World Series Replay

The 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings were the 1st openly professional baseball team. There were plenty of paid players playing in the ?Amateur? National Association but they were paid in a more discreet manner. Their 81 game winning streak is the stuff of legend.This team photo card was distributed by Peck and Snyder?s, a Manhattan sporting [...]

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rd-reminiscing-2/

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Nick Johnson Coming Back To NYY

post from A Die Hard Yankees Fan on 17 December 2009 05:41:00 PM. © A Die Hard Yankees Fan

this interesting link. Peter King says that the Yankees are moving forward to a one year deal with Johnson and that it may be announced tomorrow morning.

Ken Rosenthal tells that the two parties have been having some serious discussions, though Johnson has yet to take a physical.

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ack-to-nyy.html

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Just askin'

post from The Ghost of Babe Ruth on 17 December 2009 05:24:00 PM. © The Ghost of Babe Ruth

I've got a question for all you right-wing religious types who are praying against healthcare reform: If God didn't do anything about Hitler, why the f--- would He get involved with the U.S. Congress?

Until you can answer that question logically, please STFU.

---
Read more at www.theghostofbaberuth.com

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Braves Re-sign Wes Timmons, Add Mitch Jones

post from Talking Chop on 17 December 2009 05:02:00 PM. © Talking Chop

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Mitch Jones broke a few bats this year, but he also hit 35 home runs in AAA.

Browse more photos »

The Braves have retained another one of their Minor League free agents, bringing third baseman Wes Timmons back into the fold. Timmons has been with the organization since he was drafted in the 12th round in 2002 and this is the second year in a row he has been re-signed after becoming a free agent. He's spent his last four full seasons at AAA for the Braves, collecting a .267 average and .746 OPS in over 1400 AAA plate appearances, good numbers for a utility player who has seen time at every infield position in his career. 2009 was Timmons' best season of his career, as the 30 year old hit .283 for Gwinnett with a .782 OPS, including a .416 OBP, and was named an International League All-Star, as well as being named the league's best defensive third baseman for the third consecutive season. His June was particularly impressive as he managed a .394 average and 1.018 OPS in 71 at bats.

Gondeee reported it last week, way before anyone else, and now it's official, the Braves have also added Minor League free agent outfielder/first baseman Mitch Jones. Jones made his Major League debut with the Dodgers this June, collecting a .308 average and .785 OPS in 15 plate appearances, including going 2 for 5 as a pinch hitter. He had an outstanding year for the Dodgers' AAA Albuquerque affiliate, hitting .297 with a 1.015 OPS, 26 doubles, 35 home runs, and 103 RBI in just 434 plate appearances. It's surprising however that he had never been called up to the Majors since an average AAA season for him works out to about 483 plate appearances, a .270 average, a .905 OPS, 28 doubles, 29 homers, 91 RBI, and 134 strike outs, a very respectable number considering his offensive production.

At worst, Jones will provide a powerful, veteran presence to the middle of Gwinnett's lineup, but it seems likely that he'll be given a shot to earn a spot on Atlanta's team, likely as a right handed hitter with power off the bench who can adequately play first base as well as left and right field. As a 32 year old with very little Major League experience, he may not be the ideal answer to some of Atlanta's offensive woes, but he could very well provide infuse some much needed power to the Braves in 2010.

I'm not sure it's been reported on Talking Chop, because I certainly missed it,because I erroneously had him as part of my Rule 5 preview, but the Braves have released outfielder Brian Barton. Barton was acquired from the Cardinals in exchange for Blaine Boyer and appeared in just one game for Atlanta, spending the remainder of his year with Gwinnett, where he hit .266 with a .744 OPS, 17 doubles, 7 home runs, and 17 stolen bases in 426 plate appearances.

C.B. Wilkins is the author of the baseball novel Four-A. The story follows a relief pitcher over the course of a year as he bounces between AAA and the Majors, attempting to balance his dreams and his reality. It can be purchased here: https://www.createspace.com/3407939

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FanGraphs analyzes Astros' drafts from 2006-2009

Pretty even handed assessment, in my opinion.

Author of the article Marc Hulet believes that our 2008 haul is especialy promising, with 6/10 of our top 10 prospects were selected last year.

A terrible 2007 draft was preceded by a 2006 version which yielded a potential "solid utility/platoon" player in Chris Johnson and our number three starter, Bud Norris.

Out of these drafts, I would expect Johnson, Norris, and anywhere from 6-8 of the guys from the 2008 and 2009 classes to be on the major league roster by 2012. Considering how 2007 was a black-hole, the Astros did fairly well in selecting young talent via the draft.

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http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2009/12/17/1206348/fangraphs-analyzes-astros-drafts

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Some Yankees News and Notes

Here are some news and notes from Yankees land today as the day turns to night. If there is anything else that comes out, we’ll update this post.Granderson will wear No. 14 instead of his old number, 28, because Girardi will likely take that number next season. Girardi wore No. 27 as the Yankees sought and [...]

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http://zellspinstripeblog.com/2009/12/17/some-yankees-news-and-notes/