Friday, March 9, 2012
Brian McCann
So, with the news that Brian McCann is more than likely going to NOT sign an extension with the Atlanta Braves, my wheels started turning on what might happen in regards to who would sign him in the AL.. I see the Sox as potential players due to a few reasons:
1. They don't have a truly established Catcher... Salty is gettin g there but he's no Brian McCann with a bat! lavarnway may not even become a catcher for the Sox in the long run..
2. Other power teams in the AL have good catchers locked up already (not seeing any AL dark Horses just yet)..
Teams not in play for McCann IMO:
--> The Yankees are working on a contract with Russell martin,
--> The Angels have Jeff Mathis who isn't a solid Offensive player but they just had a slew of signings which will probably hinder their 2013 spending in the Free Agent market (Albert Pujols or CJ Wilson anyone?).--> Detroit has V-Mart, Gerald laird and 3rd backup/3rd Baseman Brandon Inge... V-Mart will be back next season, healthy, along with megabucks contract winner Prince Fielder... I don't see another big Free Agent splash in 2013 for them..
--> Texas has Mike Napoli, Taylor Teagarden and Yorvit Torrealba at catcher... They look set to me as well unless they have designs on using McCann as a DH and trading Teagarden back Atlanta in a trade this season at the AS Break (or elsewhere)...
--> Chicago (AL) seems like they are going to eventually resign AJ Pierzinski at some point... Ramon Castro and Tyler Flowers are backups and this is a team in full rebuild mode anyway.. They could be classified as a Dark Horse if they want to make a splash but castro is suppose to be the franchise Catcher of the future for Chicago so they, to me, aren't players either..
Would McCann play for teams like Toronto, Kansas City, Baltimore or Oakland? Not sure... Oakland may be nice if they gain some momentum this year and look like a team to beat in the next few seasons and Toronto may be a fit but they probably won't have the money and they have a Franchise Catcher of the future with JP Arencebia... So they look to be out of the picture too... KC, Baltimore etc. are not good fits due to market and cash concerns..
Teams in play for McCann IMO:
--> What about the Mariners? They have a great Farm system, they've been a doormat for the AL West for awhile and that's the next best division next to the AL East in terms of quality teams and players... Miguel Olivo is their top Catcher and he only has an option for 2013... The M's reportendly will have money to spend in 2013 as well.. I'd guess that they are the front runners for McCann (in the AL) for 2013...--> Cleveland has Santana and Marson right now.. Both are young and it looks like Carlos Santana may be the cornerstone Catcher they've been looking for... But could McCann be their next V-Mart? A Guy who can catch and hit DH (Maybe even play 1st base at some point)? It also looks like Cleveland will have money to spend for 2013 as well...
--> Boston is where I'd love to see McCann end up.. He's only 27 now and looks like Varitek in stats (offense and Defense) circa 1999 through 2004... This would be a worthwhile signing if the Sox can find the money to spend in 2013 and that's where we may have an issue.... If they could work out a trade with extension there may be something we could do to cover the end of 2012 and all of 2013 and try to have a contract worked out for 2014 and beyond if money comes off the books to support this..
The NL is more wide open in respects to having opening and money for 2013 (IMO)... But the idea of being able to DH and catch may be the more appealing way to go for McCann and, lets face it, the real money is in the AL right now (especially in the East)...
M's the new Rays? Prodo & Jurrjens still available? Top 20 Prospects in MLB (No Sox)
The Mariners' wealth of minor league talent makes them "the next Tampa Bay Rays," writes ESPN's Jim Bowden (Insider subscription required), though the Mariners' higher payroll gives them a leg up on the Rays. Bowden is very high on Seattle's young pitching corps, comparing them to not just the Rays' current staff, but also to Oakland's Tim Hudson/Mark Mulder/Barry Zito trio of the early 2000's and the great Braves rotations of the 1990's.
Also from Bowman's online chat with fans, he thinks "at least one of" Jair Jurrjens or Martin Prado will be traded before Opening Day 2013 and that Brian McCann won't sign an extension with the Braves this year now that Yadier Molina's new deal with the Cardinals has changed the market for catchers. Bowman isn't sure Atlanta will be able to afford a new deal for McCann, especially since AL teams can offer McCann the luxury of the DH spot in the latter years of a contract.
Baseball America's list of top 20 prospects in the game as of today - no Red Sox included:
TOP 20 ROOKIES
1. Matt Moore, lhp, Rays
2. Yu Darvish, rhp, Rangers
3. Jesus Montero, c/dh, Mariners
4. Mike Trout, of, Angels
5. Yoenis Cespedes, of, Athletics
6. Julio Teheran, rhp, Braves
7. Zack Cozart, ss, Reds
8. Devin Mesoraco, c, Reds
9. Jarrod Parker, rhp, Athletics
10. Bryce Harper, of, Nationals
11. Yonder Alonso, 1b, Padres
12. Brad Peacock, rhp, Athletics
13. Drew Pomeranz, lhp, Rockies
14. Addison Reed, rhp, White Sox
15. Brett Jackson, of, Cubs
16. Shelby Miller, rhp, Cardinals
17. Leonys Martin, of, Rangers
18. Trevor Bauer, rhp, Diamondbacks
19. Jacob Turner, rhp, Tigers
20. Arodys Vizcaino, rhp, Braves
Canseco still Juicin'
The Mexican Baseball League has announced that Jose Canseco will not play for Quintana Roo Tigers after the slugger allegedly took a banned substance and refused to take a drug test, reports ESPN's news news services. League president Plinio Escalante told ESPN Deportes that testosterone was the banned substance. Canseco has denied the charge on his Twitter account.
Nah, No Juice here! hahahaha
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Youth Movement on the New England Patriots Offensive Line
By on March 7, 2012
640 reads
The New England Patriots may have some questions marks this offseason regarding the offensive line, but it's nothing like it was last year.
Following the end of the 2010 season the fate of Stephen Neal was unknown as the veteran was debating whether he would return or retire. Matt Light was hitting free agency for the first time in his career and Logan Mankins had just held out for seven weeks during the season after being franchise tagged.
The only starters under contract were Sebastian Vollmer, Dan Koppen and the aforementioned Neal.
It all worked out in the end though. Not to toot my own horn, but I correctly predicted a two-year deal for Light and foresaw a free-agent addition at guard which eventually turned out to be Pro Bowler Brian Waters. Dan Connolly was a player I highlighted as likely to see increased snaps.
Waters deserves all the credit in the world for his seamless integration into the Patriots starting lineup. He did it at a new position and during a shortened offseason with immense success—certainly not an accomplishment to scoff at for a veteran of 12 NFLseasons.
The expedited development and deployment of rookies Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon turned out to be quite the surprise. Initially after their selection it was unknown whether either one of them would even see the field in 2011.
New England dealt with injuries to starters Koppen (injured reserve) and Vollmer (missed 10 games), and employed a rotating center for much of the season.
Who is your pick for Offensive Line MVP?
And yet this was a line that paved the way for 18 regular season rushing touchdowns, good enough to tie for third in the league. The Patriots ranked ninth in the league with 32 sacks allowed and ranked 12th in quarterback hits.
If not for their Super Bowl berth, Mankins (fourth Pro Bowl, third All-Pro) and Waters (sixth Pro Bowl) could've spent a week down in Hawaii.
A Pro Bowl argument could even be made for Matt Light who turned in one of his best seasons despite the fact that it was his 11th.
Solder ended up playing so often and so well it won't be a surprise to hear his name mentioned in the Pro Bowl circuits in the near future. Cannon has shown the promise and potential necessary to excite a lot of people as well.
Looking forward to 2012 and beyond it's easy to see the strength of the youth movement on the line. Solder, Mankins and Cannon are all under contract through at least 2014. Vollmer, Waters, and Light have agreements in place taking them through 2012, while Connolly is a free agent.
The 30-year-old Connolly is expected to be a priority signing for New England and Light may have finally pulled the short straw at age 33.
I'd personally love to see Light in a Patriots uniform until he retires, but he's been a starter since 2001 and I doubt he'd like to start warming the bench now. New England has too many fresh legs behind Light to make him a worthy investment, as hard as that is to say.
At this early stage I think it would be an upset if a rookie or free-agent addition cracks the starting lineup over Solder, Mankins, Connolly, Cannon and/or Vollmer. The team is likely to take a look at guard and center in the draft, but I don't expect a top pick to be used.
So it appears the Patriots will experience some continuity on the offensive line heading forward, and that's never a bad thing.
Interested in reading more by this featured columnist? Check out more of Aaron Dodge's work on Bleacher Report.
Michael Pineda’s Reduced Velocity
Michael Pineda made his Yankee debut yesterday – at least, Yankee-debut-in-games-that-don’t-count anyway. He threw two innings, gave up just one hit, didn’t walk anyone, and struck out two batters. The results were pretty successful. However, as Ken Rosenthal reports, the process was slightly less impressive:
A pitcher who sat in the mid-90s and regularly touched the upper-90s now throwing 88-91 could be cause for real concern. And, Keith Law even noted that at this time last year, Pineda was throwing much harder:
So, time to panic?
No, not really. As the 2011 season wore on, Pineda decided that it wasn’t in his best interests to come out firing at full velocity from the first pitch. He wanted to be more efficient early in games, so rather than coming out and throwing 97 and striking everyone out, he decided to ease off the fastball in the first inning or two and try to get some quick outs on the ground.
For instance, here are the first 10 pitches from his Pitch F/x log during his August 21ststart against Tampa Bay from last year.
Fastball: 89.2
Fastball: 90.2
Fastball: 90.3
Fastball: 91.0
Change-Up: 85.5
Fastball: 93.9
Fastball: 91.8
Slider: 83.8
Slider: 83.6
Fastball: 93.7
Fastball: 90.2
Fastball: 90.3
Fastball: 91.0
Change-Up: 85.5
Fastball: 93.9
Fastball: 91.8
Slider: 83.8
Slider: 83.6
Fastball: 93.7
He didn’t crack 94, and the average velocity was just over 91. The results were still fine, as he retired the side in order in the first inning, including getting two strikeouts, but the velocity wasn’t what he had shown earlier in the year. Later in the game, however, he was sitting 94-95 with regularity, and he finished the day with six innings pitched, allowing just six hits, no walks, and five strikeouts. It took him 94 pitches to throw those six innings.
Essentially, this development just isn’t new. Pineda spent a good part of the second half of 2011 experimenting with pitching at reduced velocities early in games, and then he cranked up the volume when he needed to as the game wore on. Now, I think an argument could be made that it’s a little disconcerting that Pineda feels it’s necessary to start games with diminished velocity, suggesting that perhaps he doesn’t feel he can throw in the mid-90s for 100 pitches per start over a full season. However, his performances from 2011 suggest that he’s choosing to throw at lower velocities early in starts, and you’d certainly rather have velocity loss be due to something that the pitcher can change when he wants to, rather than simply being unable to throw as hard as he used to.
Bottom line – this just isn’t really something to be overly concerned with. He only threw two innings in an exhibition game, and did so after being strongly encouraged to work on his change-up during Spring Training. For Pineda, there was no incentive to come out throwing 95, and he’s already shown that he prefers to work at lower velocities early in games.
If it’s mid-April and he’s trying to keep the Yankees in a regular season game and can’t get his fastball over 92, then it’s cause for alarm. Now, though, it’s just not really something that anyone should spend much time worrying about.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)