Month: July 2012

Bias Bulletin

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5 Baseball Tidbits
-Condensed
-Schedule
-Yesterday.
-No
-Trades

Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
Knowing that the Milwaukee Brewers will likely trade Zack Greinke before Sunday’s game, you would have looked at the matchups for this weekend’s Nats/Brewers series and thought that last night was the most likely loss for the men from D.C. You also would have been wrong.
The Nationals needed just an Adam LaRoche HR and a Steve Lombardozzi 3-run triple in the second inning. Of course, they got much more, en route to an 8-2 victory. The win was the Nationals season-high 6thin a row. They are now tied with the New York Yankees for the best record in the Majors.
Ross Detwiler will look to continue his “No Defeat” streak (hasn’t lost a start since May 19) against the Brewers’ Michael Fiers. Game time is 8:10 p.m. on MASN 2. For the rest of the weekend:
Saturday: Jordan Zimmermann v. Randy Wolf (7:10 p.m./MASN2)
Sunday: Gio Gonzalez v. (for now) Zack Greinke (2:10 p.m./DC50 and TBS (nationally))
Games of the Weekend
The Summer Olympics “get under way” (they already started, which is stupid, but whatever) tonight with the Opening Ceremonies. They’ll air LIVE!!!!! (on Tape Delay) on NBC at 7:30 p.m.
A note about the Bulletin and the Olympics: I could care less about the Olympics, really.  Events like the Olympic games lose an enormous quantity of value when they’re aired on a tape delay and you already know the results. Really, this is NBC’s fault for focusing on primetime coverage. As Twitter gets more and more popular, more and more people are going to know the results of the games before they air in the States. I’ll watch some basketball and some track and field, but that’s about it. So if you’re looking for in depth, Bulletin coverage, you’re reading the wrong Bulletin. I’m going to focus on the baseball races and the Washington Nationals. And the Dwight Howard trade watch.
Baseball Series of the Weekend:
(not the Red Sox @ Yankees series)
Dodgers @ Giants. LA trails San Francisco by 3 games in the NL West entering tonight’s game.
Enjoy your weekends!

Bias Bulletin

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5 Baseball Tidbits (As Difficult As It May Be To Find Them)
-Ryan Dempster was still not traded to the Atlanta Braves yesterday, but he did find time to pitch well and then throw a hissy-fit in the Cubs dugout, slamming Gatorade coolers and generally being a Ryan Dempster. Dempster was upset about being pulled from the game after just 6 innings. I’m sure his temper tantrum had nothing to do with him not actually wanting to be traded. Nothing at all.
-Tommy Hanson did something very bizarre last night. He got his 11th win of the season, sure, but that’s not it. No, Hanson got his 11th win and allowed only 1 run, while walking 7 and allowing 7 successful stolen bases in 5 innings. The Braves beat the AAA Miami Marlins 7-1 in Taxpayer Subsidized Flying Dolphins Park.
-The Oakland Athletics won their 7th consecutive game and 9th out of their previous 10 in spectacular fashion last night, blowing out the Toronto Blue Jays 16-0. Oakland was led, offensively, by Coco Crisp who went 3-5 at the plate with 2 homers. Meanwhile, starter AJ Griffin was able to not surrender 16 runs to the Blue Jays. Oakland is now in a tie with the Angels for AL Wild Card #1.
-Ever the motivated baseball player, Hanley Ramirez flew to St. Louis to suit up for his new Dodger teammates yesterday and delivered 2 hits, including a triple in his first at-bat. Hanley Ramirez: Always Putting Team First.
-The Colorado Rockies have followed through on their proclamation that they’ll relax the 75-pitch counts for their starters. Last night, Jeff Francis pitched his best game in nearly 3 years, which for other starting pitchers is commonly known as a “quality start.” Sure, 6 innings, 2 runs, and 4 strikeouts isn’t exactly Cy Young-like, but for a Rockies team that will take good pitching any way they can get it, a start like this had to be very welcomes. The Rockies won 4-2.
Dwight Howard Trade Watch
Dwight Howard would like to remind you that he would still like to be traded.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
As the Washington Post’sAdam Kilgore pointed out on Twitter yesterday, the Nationals are now 5-1 since “the turning point loss that derailed their season.”
Stephen Strasburg was very Strasburg-y yesterday in Queens, as he struck out 11 Mets in 7 strong innings. Strasburg made just one mistake in the game (a flat fastball that Ike Davis lined over the right field wall). The Nats bullpen looked shaky in the 8th (or, more accurately, looked “real Henry Rodriguez-y”), but held on to give the Nats a sweep.
Washington will now travel to the land of fitness and coconut water (Milwaukee) to take on the Brewers in a four-game set. Tonight’s pitching matchup sees Edwin Jackson and Yovani Gallardo squaring off. Game time is 8:10 in the East. The game can be found on a MASN.
Game of the Day
A very condensed baseball schedule today, gives us few options. That said, let’s look to the Oakland A’s to see if they can keep their winning streak intact. Tommy Milone will take the hill for Oakland as they go for the sweep in Toronto. Milone will be opposed by Aaron Laffey (Taffy). Game time is 12:37 p.m. because Canada.

Bias Bulletin

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We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled “5 Baseball Tidbits” for “The Miami Marlins: Worse Than Chicken Pox”
The Florida/Miami Marlins franchise has won 2 World Series titles since 1997. Only the Cardinals, Yankees, and Red Sox have won multiple titles in that 14 year span. No one would argue that the Red Sox, Yankees, and Cardinals are wildly successful franchises. Each team ranks consistently near the top of attendance percentage, regular season wins, and more recently, farm system strength. Each plays in their own little baseball palace, representative of their individual markets. Boston’s Fenway Park is old and historic, like Boston. New York’s Yankee Stadium is sprawling and audacious, like New York City. And St. Louis’ Busch Stadium is, well, Midwestern (okay, so the narrative falls a little flat here, but trust me, people say nice things about Busch Stadium). Much like how they say nice things about the Midwest.
The Miami Marlins are not the Cardinals, Red Sox, or Yankees. For years, they played in a ¾ empty football stadium that wasn’t quite in Miami, but wasn’t quite in Fort Lauderdale. Every year, the Marlins built up their farm system, their prospects succeeded, and were subsequently traded for newer, younger players. And the cycle continued. Some years (1997 and 2003) were very successful. Other years (the rest of them) were not.
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria complained consistently that the team couldn’t compete in the modern market because they didn’t have a beautiful, personalized baseball mecca. After years of wrangling, haranguing, and hand-wringing, Loria got his wish. That wish was a taxpayer-funded stadium in Miami proper.
The Florida Marlins became the Miami Marlins at the start of this season; new ballpark, new name, new uniforms, new mentality. That was, until Monday.
After a free agent shopping spree, the Marlins entered the season with elevated expectations. Visions of playoffs dancing in heads and whatnot. However, things don’t always work out that way. The Marlins entered Monday, July 23 trailing the first place Washington Nationals by double digits. Jeffrey Loria decided to throw in the towel.
In the past three days, the Marlins have traded away their best pitcher, their starting second baseman, their lefty setup man, and their most recognizable star. More is expected to come. Maybe their closer, Heath Bell. Maybe their oft-injured, but very talented pitcher, Josh Johnson.
It appears that everything must go in Miami. Perhaps the team should be next.
Other Transactions
-The Philadelphia Phillies have signed pitcher, and lover of the Old Skool, Cole Hamels to a 6 year contract extension. Hamels will make $144 million over the duration of that contract.
-Across I-76, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded three quality minor league prospects for Astros “ace” Wandy Rodriguez, who is under contract through 2014.
-The Boston Red Sox traded Brent Lillibridge (who they acquired in the Kevin Youkilis trade) to Cleveland for something.
-The Arizona Diamondbacks traded Ryan Roberts to the Tampa Bay Rays for something. Just not the same something that the Red Sox got from Cleveland.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
Gio Gonzalez bounced back spectacularly from a rough start against the Mets last week, as he led the Nationals to their 4thstraight victory. Gonzalez pitched 7 innings, allowing just 2 hits, while striking out 4. He threw just 87 pitches.
Offensively, the Nats were led, again, by Ryan Zimmerman, who is giving everyone a good reason to get a cortisone shot. Zimmerman was 3-for-5 at the plate and rock solid in the field again. The Nats won 5-2.
They’ll go for the sweep today, in what looks like an enormous mismatch. Stephen Strasburg will oppose Jeremy Hefner. Game time is an absurd 12:10 p.m. and you can find the game on the MASN.
Game of the Day
Padres @ Giants (3:45). Can the Freaky Franchise continue his 2nd half resurgence? Is Jason Marquis a mediocre pitcher, benefiting from pitching in the NL West? Find out today, LIVE, from San Francisco!!!!

Bias Bulletin

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5 Baseball Tidbits
-In the most relevant trade of the day yesterday, the Detroit Tigers shored up their pitching staff by acquiring Anibal Sanchez from the Miami Marlins, along with 2B Omar Infante, for top pitching prospect Jacob Turner and others. The move gives Detroit a starter who will contribute immediately, and serve as a really solid #2 starter behind Justin Verlander. This is clearly a move by Detroit to win and win now.
-In the most headline-grabbing trade of the day yesterday, the New York Yankees traded a couple of corn cobs for Ichiro Suzuki. And we didn’t have to wait long for Ichiro’s return to Seattle, as he simply walked from one end of Safeco Field to the other and made his Yankee debut against his old team. He got a hit and a stolen base in his first at-bat. The Yankees snapped their losing streak, thanks largely to another solid start from Hiroki Kuroda.
-In the most talked-about trade that didn’t actually happen yesterday, but was reported to have been finalized, the Atlanta Braves did not acquire Chicago Cubs starter Ryan Dempster in exchange for Braves prospect Randall Delgado. Expect this trade, or something like it, to actually be finalized today.
-In other Chicago Cubs news (and why not???), Jeff Samardzija pitched perhaps his best game as a Major League starter last night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Samardzija went 8 innings, allowing only one hit (to Andrew McCutchen) and striking out 5 while throwing only 99 pitches. It was an efficient and dominant start from a pitcher the Cubs would like to slot into their number 2 rotational spot for the next decade.
-In yesterday’s Game of the Day, the Miami Marlins shut down the Atlanta Braves thanks to a big start from Josh Johnson. Of course, the Marlins traded one of their best pitchers and their starting second baseman before the game, so maybe this win wasn’t so big after all.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
In the first inning of last night’s game against the Mets, the Nats got a single from Steve Lombardozzi and a home run from Bryce Harper to take a 2-0 lead. Jordan Zimmermann continued his streak of 6 IP in every start this season, allowing just 1 run (a David Wright homer).
Manager Davey Johnson decided to go to his bullpen in the 7th, giving the ball to Drew Storen to get Wright out. Storen did, but was then pulled for Michael Gonzalez. Gonzalez’s first pitch was deposited into the night by Ike Davis.
What’s missing from this story is that between that 2-run first inning and the 9th inning, the Nats had 0 hits. Then came the 10th inning.
Roger Bernadina base bit. Sandy Leon reaches on a botched fielder’s choice. Mark DeRosa bunts. Bernadina is thrown out at third. DeRosa is safe at 1st. Steve Lombardozzi singles to load the bases. Bryce Harper singles to drive home Leon from third. Ryan Zimmermann hits an opposite field double to the wall to clear the bases. Michael Morse hits a two-run home run.  Tom Gorzelanny walks.  Tom Gorzelanny closes out the bottom of the 10thto give the Nats their 56th win of the season.  Combined with Atlanta’s loss, the Nats are now 4.5 up on the Braves.
The Gio Gonzalez/RA Dickey rematch will take place tonight. Gio will look to stick around longer today than he did on Thursday. Game time is 7:10 p.m. on MASN.
Games of the Day
Team USA (basketball) will play their final Olympic tune-up game today in Barcelona against Spain. Game time is 4:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Today’s baseball game of the day takes us to St. Louis for the Dodgers and Cardinals. Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright face off at 8:05 p.m. on MLB Network.

Bias Bulletin

/ Jason / 1 Comment

Let’s Just Get This Out of the Way (A Definite Editorial)
I dislike talking about Penn State. I think, for the dozens of victims of Jerry Sandusky’s child rape, seeing attention given to whether or not a bronze statue should remain outside of Beaver Stadium, has to be demeaning. The sheer notion that we should debate whether a statue, symbolizing a man who hid violence against children, should be presented for all to see, shows how misguided we are sometimes.
Yesterday, Penn State officials did what they should have done weeks ago, when they removed the statue of former coach Joe Paterno. Today, the NCAA, for all intents and purposes, dismantled Penn State’s football program. A 4 year bowl ban. A $60 million fine. The loss of 10 scholarships a season for the next four seasons. And the most powerful strike, the ability for any current player to transfer without penalty immediately.
It will be a long time before Penn State football is good again. Truthfully, that doesn’t matter in the least bit. And if it does, perhaps a moment of reflection on the priorities of life is due.
Adam, Meet Jean. Jean, Adam.
Jean Van de Velde’s name is synonymous with “epic collapse.” The French golfer had the 1999 British Open in his grasp, only to collapse epically. Van de Velde needed only to double bogey the 72nd hole of the tournament to win. That wasn’t enough for him. Van de Velde slung the ball around the course (into water, into the rough, into ditches, into canyons), eventually triple-bogeying the hole. He would go on to lose in a playoff.
Yesterday, Adam Scott “Van de Velded” his chance to win the British Open. Scott led by four strokes with four holes to play, but managed to bogey each hole. That, combined with Ernie Els’ birdie, gave the South African golfer his first major victory in a decade, at a time when no one even remembered that he was golfing.
Jean Van de Velde never won a major tournament. Time will certainly tell if Adam Scott awaits the same fate.
5 Baseball Tidbits
-Reds shortstop Barry Larkin and Cubs third baseman Ron Santo were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday. Santo’s induction was particularly uncomfortable for many because he was inducted after his death. His presence in the Hall of Fame is certainly a debatable issue. All of that aside, his wife delivered a really poignant speech in Cooperstown yesterday, in his place.
-The Oakland Athletics continued their bizarre and unexplainable surge by sweeping the New York Yankees in a four-game series this weekend, capped off by a Coco Crisp walk-off double yesterday. The A’s have won 11 games in walk-off fashion in July, which is, insane.
-The A’s, Orioles, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Tigers, Dodgers, Reds, and Diamondbacks all completed sweeps over the weekend. This means nothing. It’s just interesting, I guess.
-Perhaps the most important of the above sweeps (sorry D’backs fan!) is Detroit’s over the (previously) first-place Chicago White Sox. The Tigers have now moved into sole possession of first place in the AL Central, a spot many believed they would occupy for the entire season.
-From the files of “weird” we look at the St. Louis Cardinals seventh inning on Saturday against the Cubs. The Cardinals scored all 12 of their runs in that inning. That is certainly weird. How they did it is much weirder. The Cardinals hit 7 doubles in the 7th inning. Seven. That had happened only once before (the Boston Bees in 1936, of course).
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update (And Boy, Is It A Doozy)
The Nationals entered their weekend series with Atlanta holding a 3.5 game lead. They exited it with a 3.5 game lead. This is why looking at the standings doesn’t tell the whole story.
Friday night, the Nationals suffered the most crippling loss in franchise history. The Nats held a 9-0 lead, only to see the Braves rally for 10 unanswered runs. Atlanta sent baseball’s best closer, Craig Kimbrel, out for the 9th to pick up the save. Danny Espinosa had a different idea, though; one that involved an opposite field home run. It was for not, though, as Atlanta scored in the top of the 11th and held Washington scoreless in the bottom half of the inning.
Then came a doubleheader on Saturday. In a game the Nats needed to have, their offense disappeared. They were shutout in Game 1. Adding insult to injury, Bryce Harper fouled a ball off of his foot and had to leave the game.
The Nats entered the nightcap with Atlanta trailing them by just 1.5 games. On the hill was John Lannan. Lannan had spent the entire year in AAA after serving as the franchise’s “ace” for the previous three seasons. In his first start back, Lannan pitched the most important 7 innings of his career, keeping Washington in it before they piled on late to win 5-2.
Yesterday’s game was much easier. Thanks to two home runs by Ryan Zimmerman and a wonderful performance from Ross Detwiler, the Nats drew to a split in their weekend series.
Then came the bad news…
Shortstop Ian Desmond will miss a substantial amount of time due to an oblique tear. Danny Espinosa will move over to his natural position of shortstop and Steve Lombardozzi to his natural position of second base, but the Nats will miss Desmond’s bat. He’s been, for much of the season, a rock in the Nationals lineup.  The Nats will have to survive without him, as you can add Ian Desmond to the list of injuries this team has had to deal with.
The Nats begin a three-game series with the New York Mets in Queens tonight. Jordan Zimmermann will face Chris Young. Game time is 7:10 on one of the MASNs.
Game of the Day
Braves at Marlins. The Marlins need this game and this series, or else they risk putting themselves in a deep hole. With their ace on the mound, tonight would be the night to turn their season around. Mike Minor will take the hill for Atlanta. Josh Johnson for the Marlins. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Super Youth

/ Jason / 2 Comments

(This post was written last week. Just got around to editing it. Any statistical information in here has changed, though only slightly.)

From time to time, I notice a bit of redundancy in my writing. I’m like the Aaron Sorkin of writing a blog that no one reads. So forgive me, but I know I’ve probably written this next sentence before…

We are currently entrenched in the most exciting time in my baseball life. The game is littered from Lake County, Ohio to Anaheim, CA with the best influx in young talent in decades.

Some of that talent is already in the Majors. Others are still in Low-A ball or even Short-Season. Regardless, we are blessed, as baseball fans. The game of baseball is in excellent hands for the next 15 years. At least.

So why not make a super team of the best players, right now, aged 25 and under (as of this posting) in all of organizational baseball?  What follows is a 25-man roster designed to win (and in the next 2 years). In some instances (and I’ll point them out) I could easily project a player to a starting position for convenience. I’m not going to do that for the starters. It seems unfair.

STARTING LINEUP
Catcher: Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants). He’s a great defensive catcher, who also happens to be able to hit really well to all fields. He’s kind of the perfect hitter for his park. The power is never going to be there at an elite level with Posey, but he could easily be a 20 HR/year guy (on pace for 19 this year). At a position of weakness for baseball, Posey is the clear front-runner.

First Base: Eric Hosmer (Kansas City Royals). Hosmer is having a less than exciting sophomore season right now. He’s hitting just .224 and getting on-base at a clip below 30%. That said, the talent pool at this position is horrid and Hosmer, who is just 22, certainly has the tools to be a very good, everyday 1B for the next 10-15 years. This year could just be his “Jason Heyward” year.

Second Base: Jason Kipnis (Cleveland Indians). Kipnis might not look like a middle infielder, but he’s actually been a solid defensive 2-bagger this season. He ranks 10th in the American League (among all players) in dWAR and if you prefer old-school baseball stats, he’s fielding at a .992 rate. At the plate, Kipnis won’t kill you. He’s not a particularly patient hitter, but you can do much worse (especially at this position) than 33 walks in 370 plate appearances. And there’s a little bit of pop in that bat.

Third Base: Brett Lawrie (Toronto Blue Jays). Quick, who has the highest WAR (Baseball-Reference) in all of the American League? Answer: Lawrie. Most of that is due to his stellar defense (he brings an absurd 3.6 dWAR number to the table). Offensively, you’re going to get speed on the bases (though he might want to consider becoming a more selective base-stealer as he’s been thrown out 8 times in 19 attempts) and a guy with some power potential.

Shortstop: Elvis Andrus (Texas Rangers). Great speed, a solid glove, and a two-time (deserving) All-Star. Andrus can do it all except hit for power. He’s becoming a more selective hitter as he ages (he’s only 23). This is the guy I want leading off for my team. Outside of Troy Tulowitzki, Andrus is the best SS in all of organizational baseball, right now. Of course, there’s someone right behind him. But more on him later.

Right Field: Justin Upton (Arizona Diamondbacks). He may not be a Diamondback for very long, but he’s certainly on this team. At just 24, Upton is miles beyond the development of other players his age. This is his 5th full Major League season. He’s been an All-Star twice and was a legitimate MVP candidate last year. This season, his offensive numbers have dipped and there’s talk that the team doesn’t like his attitude or that he might be injured. I’m not here to judge that. Upton is an undisputed five-tool player. That gives him the slight edge over the other obvious candidate here.

Center Field: Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels). There aren’t enough superlatives in the English language for Mike Trout. He does everything so well. He’s, of course, only 20. He’s near the pace for a 25 HR/60 SB season, while playing Gold Glove defense. And, again, he’s only 20. There’s another exceptional candidate for this position, but Trout’s enormous ceiling gives him the edge.

Left Field: Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals). He’s a man without a true OF position. He’s started at least 6 games at each position this season, so we’ll place him in LF for now. Harper doesn’t have Trout’s glove or speed (outside of Billy Hamilton and Peter Bourjos, who does?), but at 19 he possesses almost unparalleled power potential. His swing is violent, but he has proven himself to not be a hacker. He strikes out a bit, but he makes solid adjustments when he’s down in counts. At just 19, he’s not afraid of slapping a two-strike pitch into left for a double. If I have Trout in CF, I want Harper flanking him. It just seems right.

Designated Hitter: Giancarlo Stanton (Miami Marlins). I don’t believe that pitchers should hit. I used to. I don’t any more. It hurts the game. Pitchers don’t get enough reps at the plate. And so, we’re playing in the American League. Stanton was the “other obvious choice” at RF, but I’ll take Upton in the field. Stanton is here for his absurd power. He’s going to strike out a lot, but I’m okay with that. He’s only 22 and may have a 50 HR season in his future.

Batting Order:
SS Andrus
CF Trout
RF Upton
DH Stanton
LF Harper
C Posey
1B Hosmer
3B Lawrie
2B Kipnis

Bench players:
Catcher: Travis d’Arnaud (Toronto Blue Jays)
Infielders: Jurickson Profar (Texas Rangers) and Starlin Castro (Chicago Cubs)
Outfielder: Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh Pirates) and Jason Heyward (Atlanta Braves)

Offensive Overview:
I thought heavily about having light-hitting Atlanta Braves prospect Christian Bethancourt as a third catcher on this roster. My thinking is that Posey would get some time at 1B, to spell Hosmer and with Travis d’Arnaud’s injury history, I’m willing to take an offensive loss behind the plate in exchange for what some scouts say is the best defensive catcher they’ve ever seen. I’m no scout. But I’ve seen Bethancourt in the minors. His arm is real. And it is spectacular.

That said, Bethancourt misses the cut because he’s an atrocious hitter. d’Arnaud has the tools to put him in competition with Posey if not for the fact that he’s hurt, again. Had he not torn his PCL, d’Arnaud would likely be starting for the Blue Jays right now.

Profar is a name that some might not be familiar with, but they should be. He’s the most impressive prospect in the game and, perhaps, already one of the best 5 shortstops in all of baseball.. As a young 19 year old, he shows the sort of plate discipline that most 30 year olds would envy. He’s got surprising power for a guy who probably hasn’t finished growing. He fields the position so well that his arrival in the big leagues (probably next spring) will move Elvis Andrus elsewhere. And Andrus is no slouch. Profar is the kind of guy I want on a team like this. Someone who can help now and will lead the team in his early 20s.

Starlin Castro is not the kind of player that I want on this team. However, I have a hard time denying that he should be here. He’s also not enough of a shortstop that I would feel bad having two shortstops. He’d move around a little in my infield and bat low in the order when he was in there. I know that doesn’t sound exciting, but frankly, I’m not that excited about having Castro here. He’s the 25th man on the roster. Present only for potential and because I could plug him in elsewhere.

The idea of having Andrew McCutchen on my bench seems a little ridiculous, but I’m unwilling to move Bryce Harper out of the starting lineup. It’s part homerism, certainly, but also the fact that I would rather have Harper for the remainder of his career than McCutchen. That is certainly not to slight Cutch. He’s one of the best players in baseball and a possible MVP candidate this season. We’ve seen McCutchen’s ceiling, I think. In fact, I think we’re seeing it right now. And it’s a very nice ceiling. But Harper’s could be the Sistine Chapel.

The biggest red flag here is that I have six outfield players (including the DH Stanton). I have a problem with that. Trust me. The argument for the six outfielders is this: Hey, look at the first base talent pool. You’ve got a few unproven commodities (Mike Olt, namely) who could move over to the position from elsewhere. You’ve got some middle-of-the-road possibilities (Freddie Freeman, Ike Davis). And you’ve got Paul Goldschmidt, who I just don’t believe is a .360+ OBP hitter.

And, again, you’ve got Posey who can play 1B.

Heyward is the next best bat, for me. And accordingly, he finds himself here.

PITCHING ROTATION
Starting Pitcher: Stephen Strasburg (Washington Nationals). He’s the game’s best young pitcher. No one possesses the arsenal of pitches that Strasburg does. Electric fastball. Nasty hook. And maybe the game’s best change-up.  He’s the total package at 23.

Starting Pitcher: Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers). Kershaw does everything that you want a pitcher to do and from the left side. He too has a great fastball, but also brings a devastating slider that he uses to strike hitters out. And it works. He’s your reigning NL Cy Young Award winner for good reason.

Starting Pitcher: Madison Bumgarner (San Francisco Giants). A lefty with a really good fastball and a decreased walk rate. Bumgarner might be a product of his home park (nearly twice as many homers on the road versus at home), but that’s fine by me. He’s showing an increased ability to miss bats. And the velocity issues he was having prior to 2010 seem to be a thing of the past.

Starting Pitcher: Yu Darvish (Texas Rangers). As long as he doesn’t have to face the Seattle Mariners, I want Yu on my team. His walk rate will need to decrease, but really, you could do much worse for a number 4 starter.

Starting Pitcher: Chris Sale (Chicago White Sox). His arm is going to fall off.Look at this picture. Still, better to burn out than fade away? I guess? Sale is Genghis Khan on lefties. He attacks the zone and strikes hitters out with electric stuff. He might be better suited, long-term, for the bullpen, but you cannot overlook what he’s done in 2012 as a starter.

Missing the cut:
Trevor Bauer (Arizona Diamondbacks)- It’s never a good thing to be demoted to the minor leagues once you’ve been promoted to the minors. Bauer was in the rotation originally. However, he’s shown no control over his offspeed pitches so far. If he gets the walk rate down, he can find himself in the rotation once Sale’s arm melts.


Dylan Bundy (Balitmore Orioles)- At this time next year, he might be in the rotation. But until a guy throws a pitch in the Majors, or even AA, I have trouble projecting him as a Major Leaguer.


Matt Moore (Tampa Bay Rays)- He’s giving up nearly a hit an inning. The stuff is certainly there, but he’s had a hard time putting it together this season, after a great September in 2011.


Gerrit Cole (Pittsburgh Pirates)- See: Bundy, Dylan. Also, he’s never called his own game. Ever. That’s an issue until he does.

Barely too old:
Felix Hernandez
David Price

BULLPEN
Craig Kimbrel (Atlanta Braves). Smoke.
Aroldis Chapman (Cincinnati Reds). Fire.
Kenley Jansen (Los Angeles Dodgers). Precision. That .80 WHIP is astounding.
Neftali Feliz (Texas Rangers). I don’t think he’s a starter, long term. And he’s definitely a good reliever.
Drew Storen (Washington Nationals). Really good 2-seam fastball.
Wade Miley (Arizona Diamondbacks). A two pitch pitcher (he throws his curve and slider each less than 10% of the time). He could be a valuable long-relief guy, despite his minor successes as a starter this year.


There you have it. Think I made a mistake? I probably did. So let me know that I missed someone obvious and make me look foolish on the interweb. Think you have a better team? Send it my way.

Bias Bulletin

/ Jason / Leave a comment

5 Baseball Tidbits
–Down 4 runs, in a game the Blue Jays would go on to lose 6-0, Toronto 3B Brett Lawrie dove into the deep camera well at Yankee Stadium trying to catch a Mark Teixiera foul ball. Lawrie didn’t come up with the ball. He did, however, fall a good 8 feet, smash his leg on a railing, and terrify everyone in his organization (and Teixiera who looked visibly spooked by Lawrie’s fall). MRIs revealed that the young 3B just suffered a bruise, but for a team that keeps losing key players, like Toronto, it had to be a frightening moment.
-Miguel Batista is a journeyman relief pitcher. He is currently employed by the New York Mets. He has, more than likely, been previously employed by your favorite team. There’s usually not much reason to pay attention to Batista. Last night, he decided to call some attention to himself by declaring that baseball’s best team is the New York Mets. That’s really all I have to say about Miguel Batista.
-I’ve written in this space before about Diamondbacks pitching prospect Trevor Bauer. He was the third overall pick in last year’s draft out of UCLA. Arizona promoted him to the big leagues about a month ago. That did not go very well. Bauer appeared to regress in each of his starts, culminating in a disastrous start in Cincinnati on Tuesday where he allowed just 1 hit in 3 innings of work (that’s the good part), but accompanied that with 4 runs, 5 walks, and 2 wild pitches, including one ball that was thrown directly to the backstop. Yesterday, Arizona threw Bauer directly back to AAA Reno to work on his command. This morning, Bauer tweeted the lyrics to a song that he’s going to write about adversity. Once that is done, perhaps he’ll work on the release point for his curveball.
-Doug Fister really likes the summertime. Now, I haven’t sat down with the lanky right-hander to discuss this, but if the previous two season are any indication, Fister becomes rejuvenated during the All-Star break and returns as a rotational Ace. Last night, Fister continued this trend by pitching 8 innings against the red-hot Angels, with just one run surrendered (an Albert Pujols HR in the 1st) and 10 strikeouts. Expect a rush of Doug Fister trades in your fantasy leagues next June.
-The time has come for me (and we?) to stop ignoring the Oakland Athletics. Sure, I’m not convinced that Billy Beane can name the entire 25-man roster right now, but the A’s are surging and find themselves just a ½ game out of the 2nd Wild Card spot in the AL. Yesterday, the A’s walked off against the Texas Rangers thanks to a HR by Guy You’ve Never Heard Of. And they’re doing this without their best pitcher, Brandon McCarthy, who is on the DL with a shoulder injury. And the news keeps getting better for the A’s who announced yesterday that pitcher Brett Anderson will begin a rehab assignment in Stockton this weekend as he tries to return from elbow surgery.  Add a healthy Anderson and a healthy McCarthy to a pitching staff without a single 4.00+ ERA and you’ve got a formula for success down the stretch. Even with that lineup.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
17 games over .500. 4.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves. A remarkable season keeps heading towards a remarkable conclusion for the Washington Nationals.
It’s not always pretty (like last night when closer Tyler Clippard allowed two 9th inning HRs), but the Nats are playing better baseball than anyone in the NL and have been doing so for nearly the entire season.
Actual closer Drew Storen is slated to return from the DL today after missing all of this season with an elbow injury. Word also came yesterday that Jayson Werth would begin his rehab from a broken wrist tomorrow.
The Nats will seek a sweep of the Mets today down at the Navy Yard, but it won’t be easy. New York will send R.A. Dickey to the hill to oppose Gio Gonzalez. The last time the Nats faced Dickey, they managed just 4 hits in 7.1 innings against the knuckleballer. Game time is 12:35 p.m. on MASN.
Game of the Day
Team USA (basketball) will play another exhibition today, this time against Great Britain, who will send out a starting 5 of Andy Murray, Pippa Middleton, Sir Paul McCartney, David Beckham, and Ricky Gervais to take on LeBron, Kobe, Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler, and Carmelo Anthony. I expect this game to have a result similar to that of the Revolutionary War. Game time is 2:00 on ESPN2.
Our baseball game of the day is the Nats and Mets. By far the best pitching matchup of the day, unless May 2010 Ubaldo Jimenez shows up in Tampa today.

Bias Bulletin

/ Jason / Leave a comment

The Linston Linkets
Man, that never gets old, does it?
Yesterday, it became official that the New York Knicks are bigoted towards mediocre point guards who perform well above their ceiling because they’re playing in the perfect system for their rather limited skill set.
Jeremy Lin, who you’ll remember as the star of the 2011-12 season, was officially signed yesterday by the Houston Rockets, as the New York Knicks declined to overspend on a marketing star, but limited on-court player. Lin goes to a team, in Houston, with experience in the Chinese market thanks to Yao Ming. I fully expect Lin to be voted as an NBA All-Star. Perhaps even Tracy McGrady too.
5 Baseball Tidbits
–During this past offseason, the Kansas City Royals traded Melky Cabrera to the San Francisco Giants for pitchers Jonathan Sanchez and Ryan Verdugo. At the time, many (myself included) regarded this as a win for the Royals. They were acquiring a young lefty with really good stuff and a no-hitter under his belt.  Fast forward to July 18 and that trade looks lopsided, but not in the way anyone expected. Cabrera leads the Majors in hits and has put himself in a position to receive an enormous free agent contract after this season. Meanwhile, Sanchez was designated for assignment yesterday. And in a cruel twist for Royals fans, he was DFA’d so that they could promote Verdugo to make his MLB debut. Which he did. 1.2 IP, 6 ER.
–Boyz II Men sang about the “End of the Road” back in the early 90s. Little did we know that they were foreshadowing the 2012 Baltimore Orioles. For the first 3 months of the season, the Orioles were the darlings of the mainstream baseball writing world. Now? The Orioles are the second worst team in the American League in run differential. They’ve lost their “best” pitcher (Jason Hammel). They’ve lost 7 of their last 10 games. And they’ve surrendered 25 runs in the previous two games against the Twins.
–CC Sabathia and Roy Halladay are two of the best pitchers in baseball. I don’t know how long the list is, but they’re on it. Last night, they both returned from DL stints and did so with the results you’d expect from each.  Sabathia pitched 6 shutout innings. Hallday gave up 2 runs in his 5 innings, but struck out 6 while walking none. The Yankees and Phillies both won.
–The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim California Angels put up a football score on the Detroit Tigers last night, thanks largely to home runs by nearly the entire roster, Mike Scioscia, , Tim Salmon, Miranda Kerr, and Danny Glover. 13-0. The Angels are very good, not that one 13-run night was needed to show that.
–Barry Zito continued his 2012 comeback/regression tour last night on the comeback leg. The former Cy Young winner pitched a relatively efficient 7 innings of shutout baseball last night, allowing only 4 baserunners. Zito has bounced between great starts and clunkers (six walks against the Reds on June 30, for one). Overall, his numbers aren’t all that bad. But Giants fans need to be a little nervous about the prospect of Zito down the stretch. Although, I now have a new nickname for Zito: Box o’ Chocolates.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
The biggest story from last night came out of the nation’s capital, as the Washington Nationals, twice, managed to comeback with the game on the line, as they beat the New York Mets 5-4 in 10 innings.
The Nats entered the top of the 9th with a 2-0 lead. A three-run HR by Jordanny Valdespin gave the Mets a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the 9th, Danny Espinosa singled up the middle to score Ian Desmond (pinch running for Michael Morse). Game tied 3-3.
The Mets regrouped and put a run on the board in the top of the 10th. The Nats would not die.
Bryce Harper delivered a game-tying triple, scoring Jhonatan Solano. Game tied 4-4. After a force out at home plate, the game appeared to be heading to the 11th, when Mets reliever, Guy You’ve Never Heard Of, threw a wild pitch practically into the Infield Gallery to score Ryan Zimmerman from 3rd. 5-4. Game over. Nats win.
The National will try to win in less dramatic fashion tonight when Jordan Zimmermann and Chris Young face off at 7:05 on the MASN.
Game of the Day
Phillies at Dodgers, 3:00 p.m. Cliff Lee v. Clayton Kershaw. (MLB Network)

Bias Bulletin

/ Jason / Leave a comment

4 Baseball Tidbits (Now With More Owies)
–Joey Votto has a better approach at the plate than any other player in baseball. For the next month though, the only plate he’ll approach is one at Tim Hortons. Votto had minor knee surgery yesterday on a meniscus injury and will miss up to 4 weeks. He is the NL’s leader in OBP and seemingly the only really competent hitter in Cincinnati’s lineup.
-Late in the Blue Jays game against the New York Yankees, Jose Bautista took a hard cut at a pitch that landed in foul territory deep in left field. Then Bautista left the game. It appeared as though he may have tweaked his wrist while sliding into home earlier in the game and this hard swing clearly didn’t help the situation. Jays manager John Farrell said that Bautista, the AL’s #2 HR hitter, felt something pop. Generally, you don’t want things popping in your wrist.
-David Ortiz tweaked his achilles while running the bases on an Adrian Gonzalez HR. You read that correctly. Bobby Valentine expects Ortiz to miss “a few games.”
-Also in Boston-land, Kevin Youkilis returned to Fenway Park last night and delivered a 3-hit performance for the White Sox, albeit in a loss. Youkilis got a standing “Youk” from the Boston crowd prior to his first at-bat. The great irony of the game, though, is that Boston designated Brent Lillibridge for assignment prior to the start. If that name is unfamiliar to you, I don’t blame you. Lillibridge, though, is one of the players Boston got for Kevin Youkilis. How’s that Zach Stewart for Kevin Youkilis trade looking to Boston now?
Team USA Isn’t Very Good Right Now
Our men’s Olympic team had a bit of trouble with the Brazilians last night, winning sloppily by 11 points over a team whose best NBA player is Nene. The Americans were led by LeBron James’ 30 points. No other American player scored more than Kevin Durant’s 11. The team was awful from deep and didn’t appear to have much in the way of ball movement. Lots of work to do before the Olympics.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
The Nats managed to hit into 65 double plays (a slight exaggeration) last night as they fell to the Miami Marlins 5-3. Edwin Jackson continued his streak of terrible starts (now at 3!). The bright spots for Washington were Danny Espinosa and Ryan Zimmerman, each of whom had 3 hits in the loss. The Nats and Marlins split their four-game series.
The Nationals will return home tonight to begin a 3-game series with the New York Mets. Ross Detwiler and Jon Niese will square off at 7:05 on MASN.
Game of the Day
Today’s baseball game of the day takes us to Los Angeles, where Roy Halladay will return for the Philadelphia Phillies to face the Dodger’s young starter TBD. This will be Halladay’s first start since May 27, when he left with a lat strain. The Phillies are 3-1 since the All-Star Break and just got Ryan Howard and Chase Utley back. Game time is 10:10 p.m.

Bias Bulletin

/ Jason / Leave a comment

5 Baseball Tidbits
-The return of Big Time Timmy Jim? Maybe not. But Tim Lincecum offered the Giants a look at what they’ve been missing all year on Saturday. Lincecum pitched 8 shutout innings, striking out 11 Houston Astros. Bear in mind, the Astros had a perfect game thrown against them earlier this year by the Giants’ Matt Cain. Regardless, Lincecum had been the worst pitcher in baseball for the first 3 ½ months this season. A performance like that, against any team, is big. He’ll face the Phillies on Friday.
-The last time Ben Sheets started a Major League Game, Richard Nixon was in the White House. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. However, it had been 2 years since the former star had toed the rubber in a Major League game. Sheets, now an Atlanta Brave, went out yesterday and pitched 6 shutout innings. Gone was the electric fastball and 12-6 curve that made him a star in Milwaukee, but Sheets still managed to pitch well in 100+ degree heat.
-The Cincinnati Reds had perhaps the best start to the second half of any ML club, as they swept their hated division rival, the St. Louis Cardinals. Last night’s game was the most exciting of the series, with Scott Rolen delivering a two-run double in the bottom of the 8th and Aroldis Chapman touching 100 MPH in the 9th to pick up the save. The Reds now hold a 1 game lead on Pittsburgh in the NL Central.
-Jacoby Ellsbury and Matt Kemp returned to the Red Sox and Dodgers, respectively, on Friday and did so with a bang. Ellsbury went 6-14 in his three games, while Kemp went 5-9 in his 2 games (the Dodgers gave him yesterday’s game off).
-This could go in the daily Nats update, but deserves mention here: Yesterday, Marlins manager and noted Buddhist Ozzie Guillen complained about the amount of pine tar on Bryce Harper’s bat in the 19 year old’s second at-bat. Harper offered his bat to Ozzie, which led to the Zen Master spewing off a number of pixilated words in Harper’s direction. After the game, Guillen called Harper disrespectful, probably because he didn’t swear back at Guillen. Harper called Ozzie great.
Your Daily Washington Nationals Update
The Nats took 2 of the 3 games this weekend against the Marlins and will wrap up their 4 game set tonight.
Yesterday saw Stephen Strasburg pitch 6 shutout innings, followed by a near implosion by Tyler Clippard in the 9th. Regardless, Clippard escaped unscathed, despite loading the bases with 0 outs.
Edwin Jackson and Carlos Zambrano will face each other in the finale tonight. Get your pine tar ready. Game time is 7:10 on MASN.
Games of the Day
The US Mens National team (basketball) will take on Brazil in an exhibition game at Verizon Center tonight. Game time is 8 p.m. on ESPN 2.
Your baseball matchup of the day sees the Diamondback and Reds facing off in Cincinnati at 7:10. Wade Miley and Bronson Arroyo will take the mound. The Reds will look to continue their hot start to the second half.