Cashman on Hughes: Hes a starter

post from Bronx Baseball Daily » Bronx Baseball Daily, a New York Yankees blog on 23 January 2012 11:38:34 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily » Bronx Baseball Daily, a New York Yankees blog

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Behind the scenes of the Michael Pineda-Jesus
Montero trade

post from Bronx Baseball Daily » Bronx Baseball Daily, a New York Yankees blog on 23 January 2012 11:15:45 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily » Bronx Baseball Daily, a New York Yankees blog

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Forgotten Royals: Jed Hansen

post from Royals Review on 23 January 2012 11:01:18 PM. © Royals Review

When I was performing the extensive research needed to complete last week's Carlos Febles post, I noticed the name of Jed Hansen. Hansen played for the Royals from 1997 to 1999 and I had absolutely no memory of him. Now, I'm no modern day Diedrich Knickerbocker, but when you've written loving profiles of Scott Pose and Joe Vitiello and their like, you expect some things of yourself. Had absolutely no recollection of Hansen however.

Hansen was our prodigal. Or, perhaps he was that on-again-off-again, flame. The Royals parted ways with him twice, only to bring him back. There was a spark of magic, some early years of promise, and a name spelled with an "e" instead of an "o." There were memories, I just never had them.

Hansen was a 2nd round pick out of Stanford in 1994. Only one Major Leaguer of any note was taken in that round, but he was a big one: Troy Glaus, who was taken 14 spots ahead of Hansen. In the first round the Royals took Matt Smith, one of the bigger busts the team selected in the 1990s. The Royals' best selection that year was Jose Rosado, who was taken in the 12th round. That is, unless Matt Treanor EXPLODES next season.
Hansen never really had a strong minor league season, though for a second baseman he wasn't bad in 1996, when he hit 12 homers and slugged .462. In 1998, when he couldn't earn a spot on the Royals as a 25 year old, he slugged .472 with a .347 OBP in Omaha, which also wasn't bad.
His moment of glory was his August-September debut in 1997. In 34 games (111 PAs) he hit .309/.394/.426. You'll notice the batting average and walks, along with some decent power (6 2Bs, 1 3B and 1 HR, off of Luis Andujar of Toronto). After 13 games Hansen was hitting .381/.449/.595. He didn't quite collapse after that, but it's plain enough that he was holding on. He rebounded with a strong final week of the season, pulling his batting average up from the .280s depths.

But it wasn't enough. If there was a Spring Training battle the next year, I similarly don't recall it (obviously). In 1998, the Royals stuck with Jose Offerman as the primary 2B, and carried a truly 1990s assortment of middle infielders and utility players instead of Hansen, who appeared in just 4 games. Shane Mack, Shane Halter, Terry Pendleton, Luis Rivera, Felix Martinez, and Jeremy Giambi all made appearnces on what was a truly weird roster. (Jeff King, Jeff Conine, Sal Fasano, Hal Morris... ) Hansen made the Opening Day roster, appeared in a handful of games in early April and then disappears from the Major League game log. The Royals sent him to Omaha in favor of Danny Rios, and there he would stay.

In 1999 Hansen was passed by Febles on the organizational depth chart. There's a June 27, 1999 story from the Star titled "Faith helps ROyals' Hansen maintain perspective in tough times" and I'm sure it did. Hansen appeared in 47 games (career high) but was mostly a sub, accumulating just 94 PAs. In this disparate role, he hit only .203/.289/.329. In October he was waived, setting off a long journeyman phase of his career, but he would never see the Majors again.

On September 22, 1999 Hansen replaced Joe Randa in the 7th inning of a 12-1 game. (Royals winning actually.) In the top of the 8th, he struck out swinging against S. Sinclair, who struck out the side (Pose, Sweeney, Hansen).

Hansen kept playing through the 2006 season, appearing in 1326 minor league games total. In a weird twist, he left and returned to the Royals twice. After stints in the Padres, Mets, and Reds organizations, he signed a minor league deal with the Royals in 2001. Then after touring with the Brewers and Cardinals in 2002-2003, he ended back up in the KC organization, where he stayed through 2004. In all his ups and downs and comings and goings, he spent nearly 6 full seasons in Omaha.

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Wilson Betemit signs 1-year deal with the Orioles

post from Bronx Baseball Daily » Bronx Baseball Daily, a New York Yankees blog on 23 January 2012 10:40:51 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily » Bronx Baseball Daily, a New York Yankees blog

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Former Phillies broadcaster Musser dies (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 23 January 2012 10:10:32 PM. © MLB News Blog

Andy Musser, a sports announcer for 45 years and a Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster for a quarter-century, has died. He was 74. Musser’s son, Allan, of Roswell, Ga., said his father died Sunday evening at his home in Wynnewood in suburban Philadelphia. Musser retired in 2001 after 25 years with the Phillies, working throughout his tenure [...]

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New York Yankees: You Wont Want To Miss This
Event

post from Lady Loves Pinstripes on 23 January 2012 09:52:03 PM. © Lady Loves Pinstripes

Tomorrow New York Yankees fan will have to say goodbye to Jorge Posada, as according to MLB.com he will officially announce his retirement from baseball in a press conference at the Stadium. Personally, saying goodbye to another piece of the infamous[...]

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Hamilton feels good after hernia surgery (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 23 January 2012 09:11:30 PM. © MLB News Blog

Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton says he’s feeling good during offseason workouts following sports hernia surgery and expects to be right on schedule for the start of spring training next month. Hamilton, who had surgery in November, was hurt throughout the postseason for the AL champion Rangers. He had a torn abdominal muscle and torn adductor [...]

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Lincecum Says No to $100MM, 5-Year Deal

post from The Giants Baseball Blog- A San Francisco Giants Blog and Fan Website on 23 January 2012 09:01:08 PM. © The Giants Baseball Blog- A San Francisco Giants Blog and Fan Website

If the Giants were counting on Lincecum giving the team a hometown discount, they may want to think again, after reports surfaced Monday that the ace right-hander turned down a 5 year, $100 million contract.

Now, that deal would have only bought Lincecum out of 3 years of free agency, and would have freed him up when he turned 32. At that age, he'd easily be up for another long-term, big money deal as long as he keeps up his dominant ways, so it is a little bit concerning. However, I don't at all see this as a sign that he wants out of San Francisco like everyone in the media is trying to make it out to be. All this really tells me, is that Lincecum isn't going to give the team a hometown discount, and after the numbers he's put up, he's got the right to do so. He's arguably one of the most valuable pitchers in the game right now, based on the fact that he's not only a dominant ace with 2 Cy Youngs already at 27, but a fan favorite who will fill up a ballpark every single time he takes the mound. If he were a free agent in this 2011-12 class, after seeing the deals Jose Reyes and Albert Pujols each got, he could have easily gotten an 8 year/$200 Million deal, so why settle for 5 years and $100 million? At the same time, I think it was a perfectly legit offer from the Giants side, and I actually suggested the make that exact offer in our last post after the two exchanged arbitration numbers. They made the offer, and they couldn't get him to bite, and I'm not surprised by either of those happenings. It just tells me that unless he's blown away by an offer, Tim Lincecum wants to go into free agency. Doesn't mean he doesn't want to come back to San Francisco, in fact, I think he does want to remain here. Just means he's taking his agents advice in getting every potential dollar he can, and can you really blame him?

So no, I'm not ready to panic at all, and start thinking of scenarios in which you trade Lincecum just yet. However, if the Giants aren't able to come to terms with Timmy on a longer term contract by the time the 2013 season gets going, then you start thinking about the "what if's" and get into possible trading scenario's, but regardless, I just have a hard time seeing Lincecum in any other uniform any time soon, including the 2014 season. Whether it's 1-2 years, I still see the Giants buying Lincecum out of at least 1-2 of his free agent years. I wouldn't be surprised if they expanded on their offer of 5 years, and maybe added another $15 million or so onto the total. At the same time though, they need to keep in mind they have their other ace scheduled for free agency after this upcoming 2012 season, and they absolutely need to figure out a way to keep both. I mean, Brian Sabean has done next to nothing in free agency the last few years, outside of retaining Aubrey Huff, and the thinking was that they're tucking some money away to ensure they sign both Cain and Lincecum, and if they don't end up keeping both beyond 2013, I'd consider the approach Sabean's taken a complete bust. They could have spent $30 million or so and gotten themselves an all-star outfielder for another two years in keeping Beltran, but they decided to save that money for Lincecum and Cain. They could have went after Yeonis Cespedes or even Michael Cuddyer or Josh Willingham to get some more offense, but instead ruled out all impact free agents because they're plan to sign Cain and Lincecum.

To sum it up in a few short sentences I'd just say this to Sabean and the Giants' brass: You've shyed away from being active in the free agent market, really ever since the Zito and Rowand debacles, and you guys kept saying the long-term goal was to retain your pitching. And since you've passed on free agent, everyday players who can help your team now (when you know you have Lincecum and Cain) in order to ensure you have money freed up for guys like Lincecum and Cain when their time came, you better make darn you figure out a way to keep both long-term. If you don't, that plan blows up in your face and you end up blowing your window of opportunity with Timmy and Matty. That's why I hate the strategy of putting, essentially, all your eggs in one basket, which is the approach the Giants are openly taking.

I also wanted to give you guys a heads up that I'll be doing joining Phil Naessens live on Thursday night at 7 PM for his podcast at The Baseball Page, talking Giants baseball and the upcoming 2012 season. Be sure to check that out, we'll also be posting up a reminder Thursday afternoon as well as on our Twitter and Facebook pages so follow us if you aren't already!

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Should The Astros Name Stay In The National
League

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane announces fan initiatives for the 2012 baseball season, at Minute Maid Park on Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, in Houston. Crane is also considering changing the name of the franchise as well as its uniforms. Crane said Monday the team will conduct a study to decide whether or not to switch the name. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Mayra Beltran) MANDATORY CREDIT

Tell me I should take Jim Crane's mention of evaluating the Astros nickname with a grain of salt. Tell me it was one bad note in an otherwise very positive press conference on the upcoming fan-friendly changes.

Tell me that I shouldn't be upset at the very notion of possibly changing the name.

I'm really not. But, I am.

See, the whole reason I suggested a uniform change last summer when Crane was hired was that I wanted them to get back to traditional Astros colors and away from the more corporate, marketing-friendly but surprisingly sanitized color scheme they currently feature.

Changing the name flies in the face of all that and would prove fairly unprecedented. I mean, the franchise has already done it once, but that was because of a pending lawsuit. The only other case I can think of where a professional team drastically changed its nickname is the Washington Bullets switching to the Washington Wizards.

Every other change has accompanied a move to another city. I don't think Crane, a Houston businessman, is thinking of moving the Astros to Las Vegas or Portland, so let's rule that out. What else could be the impetus?

If the Astros name has such a negative connotation that it rivals the Washington Generals or St. Louis Browns for futility. That just doesn't seem to be the case. Houston's Astros are uniquely situated as a name that reflects the region they come from.

I guess the question is: Do you still think of Houston as Space City?

That'd be the only reason to change from the Astros. Otherwise, the move just looks like an attempt to sell new merchandise to a fan base that's not exactly thrilled with the state of the franchise to begin with. And, couldn't they accomplish the same thing with just changing the uniform in the first place?

I like that Crane is evaluating everything and shaking up a system that had grown stale under Drayton McLane. However, I'm sure they will find in the end that the damage a nickname switch will do is not nearly enough to justify the few new fans they might scare up or make excited by a new nickname.

I hope. I don't have it in me to root for the Bayou Gators or whatever nonsense they may come up with...

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http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2012/1/23/2728754/should-the-astros-name-stay-in-the
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Blue Jays agree to deal with INF Vizquel (AP)

Omar Vizquel and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to terms on a one-year contract Monday. Vizquel’s agent, Adam Katz, declined to provide further details, such as whether Vizquel would be on a major league or minor league deal. ESPN first reported the sides had agreed to a contract. Vizquel tweeted: “I’ll be with the Toronto [...]

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