Astros WIN WIN WIN against Reds

post from The Unofficial Official Astros Blog on 20 March 2009 12:15:00 PM. © The Unofficial Official Astros Blog

ASTROS 4, REDS 2
at Kissimmee, Fla.
Friday, March 21

Reds at the plate: Laynce Nix logged two of the Reds' hits, singling in the fourth and again in the seventh. Wilkin Castillo doubled in the eighth, and Darnell McDonald doubled to lead off the ninth, when Jonny Gomes drove in two with a double off Bud Norris.

Astros at the plate: Humberto Quintero drove in the first run with a two-out base hit in the second, driving in Geoff Blum. Russ Ortiz followed with an RBI single, scoring Reggie Abercrombie. Darin Erstad led off the sixth with a double and scored on Lance Berkman's first homer this spring.

Reds on the mound: Johnny Cueto allowed two runs on six hits over five innings. Nick Masset threw three innings, allowing two runs on three hits with three walks and one strikeout.

Astros on the mound: Ortiz, the leading candidate to win one of the final spots in the rotation, turned in his strongest outing of the spring, allowing one hit over six innings with two strikeouts. Chris Sampson followed with two scoreless innings.

Grapefruit League records: Astros 2-16-3; Reds 9-12

Up next: The Astros head back out on the road Saturday to play the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla., at 1:05 p.m. ET. Jose Capellan, who is currently competing with Ortiz for the final spot in the rotation, will take the hill for Houston. Capellan threw five shutout innings in his last outing and has not yielded a run all spring.

Alyson Footer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Graph of the Day: Rice vs. Dawson

post from Beyond the Box Score on 20 March 2009 12:00:00 PM. © Beyond the Box Score

WAR data from Sean's historical WAR database. It's awesome. Each players' seasons sorted from best to worst, left to right.[...]

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Pudge Rodriguez passes physical, now officially
an Astro

post from The Crawfish Boxes on 20 March 2009 11:30:00 AM. © The Crawfish Boxes

Pudge Rodriguez passes physical, now officially an Astro

He'll be wearing number 14 until Sean Berry gives up 12. He wore number 7 for many years, but that number isn't available if I'm not mistaken...

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Making the most of the Atlanta Braves spring
training record

post from Talking Chop on 20 March 2009 11:07:00 AM. © Talking Chop

Scores like 6-to-2, 3-to-2, 5-to-1, 7-to-4, 5-to-2, these were scores the Atlanta Braves were losing by last season, but this spring, these are the scores they're turning into wins. I continue to be amazed and baffled by the Braves tremendous record this spring (15-and-3), and I wonder if it will have any bearing on the regular season.

Consider that our two best hitters have not been in the lineup but for a couple of games -- Chipper Jones and Brian McCann have been off at the WBC. Consider that our number-2 starter, Javier Vazquez, only just returned from the WBC, making a start last night.

While there have been some good performances from Matt Diaz, Brandon Jones, and Jordan Schafer, there hasn't been any hitter who is breaking records (remember Andruw Jones' 10-homerun spring several years ago). The satisfying part about this team's offensive production is that it is spread around to just about everyone in the lineup -- the whole team is hitting well, and hitting when it counts -- likewise with the pitching.

We'd need more than two hands to count the number of Braves pitchers who have not surrendered a run this spring, and we'd need another two hands to count the pitchers who have ERA's under 3.00, but we wouldn't need more than two hands to count the number of homeruns our staff has allowed.

No, spring numbers don't count during the season, but they count on the mental side of the game. Ballplayers want to believe they can win, and whether they're winning in exhibition or during the regular season their confidence is boosted the more success they have.

This team had a trying off-season, and the players felt the ups and downs the same as the fans. To be able to come to spring training and put all of these new pieces together and have them work so well should give the team a great indication that they can continue this success during the regular season.

Good pitching and timely hitting. This was the hallmark of the great Atlanta Braves teams during their 14-consecutive division titles, and now it has returned to the organization. Let's hope it makes the trip north to Turner Field.

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The Red Report: Edwin Encarnacion

post from Red Reporter on 20 March 2009 11:05:00 AM. © Red Reporter

Edwin Encarnacion

#28 / Third Base / Cincinnati Reds

Height: 6-1

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jan 07, 1983

Fast Facts:

Edwin Elpidio Encarnacion was born January 7th (my birthday too!!), 1983 in La Romana, Dominican Republic. Other notable Major Leaguers born in La Romana are Antonio Alfonseca, Freddy Garcia, Ervin Santana, and fellow Reds infielder Danny Richar.
Though born in the DR, Edwin spent most of his childhood in Puerto Rico. He attended Manuel Toro High School and was drafted in the 9th round (274th overall) by the Texas Rangers in 2000.
He was traded a year later with Ruben Mateo to the Reds for pitcher Rob Bell.
He made a steady climb through the minor leagues, hitting well at every stop. He ranked #4 among Reds prospects in '03, #2 in '04, and #2 (#56 in MLB) in '05.

2005 was his best season, getting his first taste of AAA and finding it to his liking. He hit .314/.388/.548 in 78 games. He was promoted to the Majors on June 24th when he started at 3B and batted 9th. Red Reporter stalwarts Brian B and Paul Householder carried the thread, but apparently EdE did little to impress.
Encarnacion was brought up for good on July 23rd when the Reds shipped veteran 3B Joe Randa to the Padres. He finished the season hitting .232/.308/.436 with 9 HRs in 69 games. He was 22-years-old.
2006 saw Encarnacion handed the 3B job out of spring, with high hopes that he could solidify himself as a middle-of-the-order bat. He was really the best prospect the Reds had seen since Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns reached the majors in '01-'02, and consequently there was a ton of pent-up hopefulness surrounding him.
He started the year like a hurricane, hitting .314/.416/.593 through May 2nd. But May was not April, and he ended up hitting .242/.343/.396 for the month. Click the link to see EdE's monthly breakdown for '06. The dude defines 'streaky'.
He ended the year with a solid line of .276/.359/.473 with 15 HRs, but also committed 25 errors in only 111 games at 3B. He was 23-years-old.
2007 began with many hopeful that he could build on his solid offensive numbers and improve defensively. Unfortunately, April of '07 was quite possibly the worst year of EdE's career. He hit.221/.294/.260 (that is a .554 OPS for all you math wizards out there) and drew the ire of then-manager Jerry Narron. He was often benched in favor of Ryan Freel, who vacated his CF spot for Josh Hamilton. He was also infamously benched by Narron for not running out a pop-fly, when many Reds, including Ken Griffey Jr, had been known to do it from time to time. By May 10th the Reds had seen enough and they sent him down to Louisville to get his act together. chandrathan opined upon his demotion to AAA, "Fire (Narron) and get a real manager in there, and Edwin will be fine."
The demotion seemed to shake EdE out of his slumber, as he OPS'd 1100 in AAA and was brought back to Cincy after only 11 games. He would continue his streaky ways throughout the year, but would end with a line of .289/.356/.438 with 16 HRs. He also cut down on his errors, committing 16 and showing great improvement following his demotion. He was 24-years-old.
Many had hoped EdE would be able to improve upon his '07 numbers, but instead he regressed a tad. The start of '08 saw an increase in frustration over his lack of development, but some still hoped he could put it all together.
He started off the year on a very gratifying foot for many RRs, hitting a walk-off home run just seconds after Jeff Brantley said, "This guy is NOT a clutch hitter". With men on 1st and 2nd and down 2 runs, Encarnacion was ordered by new manager Dusty Baker to bunt to move the runners over. Fortunately, EdE failed to execute the bunt. This prompted Brantley to utter his famous last words, and discord ensued. BK said it best, but all were thrilled with the outcome. Especially after much EdE-bashing had to that point defined the thread. And to top it off, BobbyO had earlier predicted the outcome. (unfortunately, 2 hours of searching has not yielded video evidence of this event)
EdE's '08 season was marked by steady production once again, but little improvement. Though he set a career-high in home runs with 26, he finished with a batting line of .251/.340/.466. He also committed 23 frustrating errors in the field, and was again among the worst defensive 3B in the league. UZR has consistently rated him ~1 full win below average at the hot corner. Another year with no significant improvement left many clambering for change, but I made the case for patience. He was 25-years-old.
2009 looks to be a very important year for Encarnacion regarding his future with the Reds. They have two top 3B prospects (Todd Frazier and Juan Francisco) who look to begin the year in AA and could move up the ladder at a very brisk pace. Utility man and Dusty-favorite Jeff Keppinger could also supplant him if circumstances allow. Some have suggested moving him to LF or 1B to ease his defensive liability, but for now the Reds are sticking with him at 3B. He is definitely one of the most interesting players to follow this year.

Organizational History

Drafted/Signed: Selected by the Texas Rangers in the 9th round in 2000
Signed by: Sammy Melendez
Traded: to the Reds with OF Ruben Mateo for pitcher Rob Bell on June 15, 2001
GM when acquired by Reds: Jim Bowden

Contract Status

MLB service time: 3.085 years
Current contract status: signed 2-year, $7.6 mil deal on 2/17/09

Career Stats

(BBRef|FanGraphs|THT)

Batting

GABRH2B3BHRRBISBCSBBKAVGOBPSLG Edwin Encarnacion
4711625226433103366247184161326.266.346.455

Scouting Report

(via The Baseball Cube)

Power: 80
Speed: 56
Contact: 50
Patience:54

2009 Projections

BATTING

GABHRSBAVGOBPSLG CHONE
142499235.281.360.485ZiPS

308
244.272.354.481
Marcel
483195
.271.351.453Bill James
148539254.278.356.490

RR Projected Wins Above Replacement: 2.44

Graphs

Charts

Click any link below to view the graph above

Hot Zone GraphsSpray Charts

All Pitches
vs. RHP - all
vs. LHP - all

vs. RHP - Fastball
vs. RHP - Slider
vs. RHP - Curveball
vs. RHP - Change Up

vs. LHP - Fastball
vs. LHP - Slider
vs. LHP - Curveball
vs. LHP - Change Up

All Batted Balls

vs. RHP
vs. LHP

All Fly Balls
All Ground Balls

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2009 Topps Heritage Florida Marlins Team Set

post from 30-year old Cardboard on 20 March 2009 10:50:10 AM. © 30-year old Cardboard

I couldn’t resist this purchase. My biggest mistake is that I only bought one of these team sets. The cards look great, and being a vintage collector I cannot help but love the design. My problem is that these would also be great to use for possible autographs…I still have 2 Marlins Spring Training games [...]

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am-set/

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Much Ado About Spring Training Stats

Just when we all thought the center field job was being handed to Brett Gardner, ESPN’s Jason[...]

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The Fantasy National Pastime

Logo courtesy of NBC Sports and www.fantasybaseballchampionship.comI?m so pumped up about the next few weeks. The final roster spots for this years Yankees are to be determined. We?ll find out who will be the starting centerfielder, and which relievers will make the cut for the final few spots.When this time of year comes around it [...]

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AL Central Preview (Featuring Joe Posnanski)

Joe Posnanski is the best and most prolific sports writer in the country. Quality and quantity. Rate stats and counting stats. He's No. 1 in both. A long-time, award-winning columnist for the Kansas City Star, Poz has branched out and now also writes[...]

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'09 AL Central Preview

The AL Central, in my mind, is going to be one of the tougher divisions to pick this season. They're really isn't a clear-cut favorite, but here's my take:

1st Place, Minnesota Twins
Lineup-
CF Denard Span
2B Alexi Casilla
C Joe Mauer
1B Justin Morneau
RF Michael Cuddyer
DH Jason Kubel
3B Joe Crede
LF Delmon Young/Carlos Gomez
SS Nick Punto

Pitching-
RHP Scott Baker
LHP Francisco Liriano
RHP Kevin Slowey
LHP Glen Perkins
RHP Nick Blackburn
SU: Jesse Crain
CL: Joe Nathan

I think the Twins will stay the most consistent in this division because of their starting pitching. Scott Baker is vastly underrated and Francisco Liriano looks like he's fully healthy and ready to rock after finishing strong in '08. If he stays healthy all year, he should be amongst the AL Cy Young candidates. Their lineup is also young and has the potential to be very good. I think Joe Mauer and Justing Morneau are ready to take another step and become even better ballplayers than they've been. Both of those guys should be in the AL MVP discussion come September as well. The only question I have with the Twins is with their bullpen. It's still led by Joe Nathan and Jesse Crain, but it's not as strong as it's been in years passed as they have some unproven guys down there playing some big roles. Still though, their pitching should hold up and their offense should be good enough to score consistently, so I see the Twins coming out of a mediocre AL Central.

2nd Place, Detroit Tigers
Lineup-
CF Curtis Granderson
2B Placido Polanco
RF Magglio Ordonez
1B Miguel Cabrera
LF Carlos Guillen
DH Gary Sheffield
C Gerald Laird
3B Brandon Inge
SS Adam Everett

Pitching-
RHP Justin Verlander
RHP Jeremy Bonderman
RHP Armando Galarraga
RHP Edwin Jackson
LHP Nate Robertson/Rick Porcello
SU: Fernando Rodney
CL: Brandon Lyon

I like the Tigers finishing towards the top of this division if they can keep their pitching staff somewhat healthy. Both the bullpen and starting rotation have been nailed by injury over the last few seasons in Detroit, and it's caused the team to underachieve. They certainly do have talent in their starting rotation, but Bonderman is a huge question mark after starting only 4 games in '08, and their fifth spot is still undetermined at this point. Their bullpen also has question marks as they've got some injury issues there as well and a new, sometimes-shakey closer in Bradon Lyon. I do like their lineup again, as they should have no problem scoring runs, especially with those top 5 hitters. The Tigers will probably have a handful of players in the all-star game come July, but unfortunately for them, that doesn't mean they will be playing October baseball.

3rd Place, Cleveland Indians
Lineup-
CF Grady Sizemore
3B Mark DeRosa
C Victor Martinez
DH Travis Hafner
SS Jonny Peralta
LF Shin-Soo Choo
1B Ryan Garko
LF Ben Francisco
2B Asdrubal Cabrera

Pitching-
LHP Cliff Lee
RHP Fausto Carmona
RHP Carl Pavano
RHP Anthony Reyes
LHP Aaron Laffey
SU: Rafael Betancourt
CL: Kerry Wood

It's tough not to appreciate the way Cleveland's gone about business, producing a solid, homegrown team that is getting better and better. I really liked the add of Mark DeRosa, and Grady Sizemore is a stud and a perenial MVP candidate, but Vic Martinez and Travis Hafner need to rebound in a big way for the Tribes' offense to be at full-strenght. They have some major questions in their rotation after Lee and Carmona, and things could get really messy there once the season starts. They are counting on two guys (Carl Pavano and Anthony Reyes) who combined for only 72 big league innings last season. Their bullpen should be nails, as Betancourt should rebound from a tough '08 season and Kerry Wood should provide plenty of stability to the back end. If only they had another arm or two that they could count on a little more than they are with their 3-5 starters, they would probably division favorites, but as they stand now, I don't think they could hit with Detroit or be able to pitch with the Twinkies.

4th Place, Kansas City Royals
Lineup-
CF Coco Crisp
SS Mike Aviles
LF David DeJesus
RF Jose Guillen
1B Mike Jacobs
3B Alex Gordon
DH Billy Butler
C Miguel Olivo
2B Alberto Callaspo

Pitching-
RHP Gil Meche
RHP Zack Greinke
RHP Kyle Davies
RHP Brian Bannister
LHP Horacio Ramirez
SU: Juan Cruz
CL: Joakim Soria

The Royals have the potential to field their best team this decade if they all stay healthy and break camp together. They have a nice mix of youth and veterans in their everyday lineup and a lot of those players aren't as good as they're going to be yet. I also really like their bullpen and think it can be the best in the AL Central. Soria and Cruz are supported by Kyle Farnsworth and Ron Mahay and shouldn't have a problem shutting the doors on teams when they have the lead. Their starting rotation is still a work in progress. Meche and Greinke are legit leaders, but then things get a little less stable. This division isn't a great one though, and a lucky break here or there could catapolt the Royals into relevance. I look at them a lot like I looked at Tampa Bay last season. The Royals aren't as good as last season's Rays, but they have similar squads and the Royals have a much easier division to play in.

5th Place, Chicago White Sox
Lineup-
CF Jerry Owens
SS Alexei Ramirez
LF Carlos Quentin
DH Jim Thome
RF Jermaine Dye
1B Paul Konerko
C A.J. Pierzynski
3B Josh Fields
2B Brent Lillibridge

Pitching-
LHP Mark Buehrle
RHP Gavin Floyd
RHP Jon Danks
RHP Bartolo Colon
RHP Jeff Marquez
SU: Octavio Dotel
CL: Bobby Jenks

A lot of people are predicting the demise of the ChiSox this season, but not many have them finishing last in the division. Their top three starters alone could have them avoid finishing fifth, but I just don't see '09 being a good year for Ozzie Guillen and Co. Their lineup is getting very old and so is their bullpen. Carlos Quentin and Alexei Ramirez are both rising stars, but I don't know how much Dye, Thome and Konernko have left in the tank. They still hit home runs, but they don't get one base and are nowhere near the threats they were just a couple of seasons ago when they won the World Series. I've been wrong with predictions before, and I'm going to be wrong again, but something is telling me that this team is really going to be a mess.

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