Monthly Archives: March 2016

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Good Friday by name …

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WHGB11Good Friday loomed like a bad omen this week.

The schedule of MLB Spring Training games that day included starts for four pitchers on my recently-drafted fantasy baseball roster. Poor performances, or worse an injury or two, seemed a certainty.

Jon Lester was on the mound for the Cubs against the Brewers, Jose Quintana was pitching for the White Sox against the Mariners, and the Indians-Diamondbacks game featured Corey Kluber and Shelby Miller.

Consequently, the latter had to be my choice for the evening’s entertainment, forgoing an Oakland A’s appearance for pitching prospect Sean Manaea against the Angels in the process. Such was my enthusiasm that I grabbed a pencil and a blank scorecard and got stuck into some Spring Training score-keeping practice.

Shelby Miller was a bit sketchy to start with, including plunking Cleveland’s catcher Yan Gomes on the shoulder in the second inning, but his defence helped to keep runs off the board. Wellington Castillo negated a first-inning lead-off single by Tyler Naquin by foiling an attempted stolen base and Miller’s infielders turned a double-play in the second inning.

Miller settled down from there and produced the highlight of the game with a reflex catch on a come-backer between his legs to end the fourth inning. It’s not often that I would dish out a scorecard star for a Spring Training game, but this effort deserved one.

Cleveland’s Naquin did hit a homer off him to lead-off the sixth inning and to celebrate being told that he would make the Indians’ opening day roster earlier that day. He was their first-round draft pick in 2012 and should be a good stand-in whilst Michael Brantley continues his recovery from shoulder surgery.

As for Kluber, the 2014 AL Cy Young winner gave up 11 hits across his six innings of work, yet that was predominantly due to the way he was pounding the strike zone and that’s far from a negative in the pre-season period. He struck our four D-Backs around Jake Lamb‘s second-inning home run before things unravelled a bit in the sixth inning.

Yan Gomes showed off his excellent arm behind the plate by gunning down Socrates Brito twice and also pouncing on a swinging bunt by Castillo in the fourth inning to get the lead runner at second rather than taking the safe out at first. Gomes’s 2015 campaign was hampered by a knee injury, yet he appears healthy now and is one of many reasons why Cleveland shouldn’t be overlooked in the AL Central and Wild Card races this year.

Miller and Kluber’s outings left me breathing a sigh of relief, as did Lester’s strong start against the Brewers and Quintana’s seven K’s against the Mariners.

It wasn’t such a good day for the A’s, as Mike Trout smacked a first-inning homer and the Angels prevailed 11-3 whilst Oakland made four errors to go alongside the three they coughed up the day before.

Friday might not be the last time this season that I turn to my fantasy team players to offer some crumbs of comfort following a bad day at the office for my ‘real’ team.

The scorecard

Here’s a scan of my scorecard, completed up to the middle of the seventh inning when Shelby Miller came out of the game. The ‘fch’ reference at the start of Cleveland’s seventh inning stands for fielding changes. It’s standard practice in spring games for managers to make plenty of player changes in the later innings and – knowing that this was almost certainly going to be the last half-inning I was going to keep score of – I didn’t bother to make a note of them.

You can download and print off the scorecard I used here.

Other MLB notes

For all the grief that Arizona’s front office has received this off-season, their aggressive winter could pay-off especially if the Dodgers’ terrible luck with injuries continues. It was announced this week that Andre Ethier will be out for 10-14 weeks with a fractured tibia, whilst catcher Yasmani Grandal is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day due to an arm injury and Howie Kendrick battles with a leg injury.

The New York Yankees are another big spender who go into the final week of Spring Training with some significant question marks over their roster. Ivan Nova is in a battle with CC Sabathia for a spot in the rotation that appears to be coming down to which one doesn’t look quite as bad as the other. Nova didn’t do much to help his case on Friday by giving up three home runs against the Orioles. Sabathia is a far-from-ideal candidate to move to the bullpen so that may factor into the equation.

Things are very different for the other New York team. Earlier on Friday, Noah Syndergaard was in dominating form against the Cardinals, striking out nine over six innings.  Yankee fans will be sick of hearing about the stunning starting pitcher lineup of the Mets, yet in Syndergaard’s case that may be preferable to him competing against them with the Blue Jays. Toronto wanted to win in 2013 and so gave him up in the package to acquire the 2012 NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey in 2012/13 off-season, but it’s hard not to think about the 1-2 punch they could have had with Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman.

Finally, ESPN covered the Mets-Cardinals game on Friday and there was plenty of talk about the Redbirds’ rivalry with the Chicago Cubs. You get the sense that St. Louis are charged up by everyone hailing the Cubs as the best team in MLB heading into this season. Every one of the 19 games they will play against each other during the regular season will be an event.

Baseball Basics for Brits review: Volume 3

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BBfBThe third volume of our Baseball Basics for Brits series has now been reviewed and republished.

I always think that this is a particularly important for Brits to look at. It concerns player development and contracts and this is an area that is generally very different in MLB to what we have in most British sports.

The very fact that players normally can be shipped between teams with no say-so on their part is a complete contrast to the ‘player power’ landscape seen in football.

What goes along with this is that the contracts signed are for the player and carry across to whichever team they move to. That ensures they don’t lose out financially if they get traded from one of the giants of baseball to a minnow, but also means that a player at a smaller club can’t really force their way out to sign a more lucrative deal elsewhere.

A few of the key things to pick out are:

  1. One of the main updates in this version is taking into account the current ‘draft pool’ money that is given to each team. It’s been a goal of MLB owners to reduce money being spent on drafted players and – rightly or wrongly – the Players’ Union that represents MLB players has seemed more prepared to compromise on this area as it doesn’t directly affect current MLB players (although clearly affects future ones).
  2. Alongside this, the Players’ Union doesn’t actively represent players in the Minor Leagues (again, even though pretty much all MLB players come through the Minors). Minor League salaries are extremely low compared to MLB salaries and this is an ongoing issue that is becoming all the more noticeable whilst MLB trumpets the historic amounts of money that it generates.
  3. Finally, I’ve added in a case study of Jason Heyward to show how a player’s earning power changes as they move through the standard initial six-year MLB contract and then into free agency.

In reviewing the text, I was mindful that all of the contractual rules covered here – alongside everything else in MLB – come out of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between MLB (the 30 teams) and the Players’ Union. The current CBA expires at the end of this year and ideas around potential changes are already being thought about, so this is likely to be revised again in a year’s time.

MLB heads to Havana as live games return to BT Sport

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Live baseball returns to British TV screens this week with two games to watch.

ESPN in the States starts to cover a few Spring Training games once we get to the latter stages of the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues. On Monday, they are broadcasting a game between the Boston Red Sox and St Louis Cardinals and BT Sport/ESPN in the UK will be picking up the feed with coverage starting at 17.00.

The Red Sox are scheduled to send plenty of ‘name’ players to the game, including starting pitcher Clay Buchholz. He has been a frustrating figure for Red Sox fans in recent seasons by mixing occasional brilliance with more regular rubbish. Spring Training stats don’t count for much, so we shouldn’t put too much emphasis on him allowing 6 walks in 5.1 spring innings so far, but it would be encouraging to see him hitting his spots and generally starting to gain some sharpness as the regular season approaches.

Fine tuning is what spring training is all about and so you could consider the games as a whole to be relatively meaningless.

That will not be true for the live game on Tuesday. The Tampa Bay Rays’ trip to Havana to play the Cuban national team is absolutely packed full with meaning, much greater than a mere game of baseball.

President Obama’s visit to Cuba is gaining headlines across the world and it is fitting that a baseball game is part of the overall occasion. Whilst baseball may be referred to as ‘America’s National Pastime’, it has long been an engrained part of Cuban culture.

The political situation between the two countries has meant that Cuban players have had to defect from their homeland, often taking great risks in doing so such as in Orlando ‘El Duque’ Hernandez’s fabled boat trip, to play in the Major Leagues. Current Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman famously scarpered from a Rotterdam hotel in 2009 whilst his team was competing in the World Port Tournament, unfortunately for me just a couple of days before I got there to take in some games.

Most recently, at the start of February Yulieski Gourriel – long seen as the best position player in Cuba – and his younger brother Lourdes snuck away from a hotel in the Dominican Republic and are now pursuing opportunities to potentially sign with Major League teams.

There is hope that the thawing of relations between the two countries will result in a regulated and legal path for baseball players in the not-too-distant future, although quite how much freedom of movement (and freedom on the player market) that will result in is yet to be determined. Hopefully it will be a step in the right direction at least.

The Rays’ visit should be a momentous occasion and the game is live on BT Sport/ESPN from 17.30 on Tuesday.

With Baseball Tonight episodes returning to BT Sport channels on a regular basis this week, and Nat Coombs’ new All American Sports Show on talkSPORT2 beginning on Tuesday at 18.00, excitement for the season ahead is really starting to build.

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Living in a fantasy world

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WHGB11It’s two weeks from today that the 2016 MLB season will get underway and we’re starting to see managers using Spring Training games to get their opening series lineups set.

The same goes for many of us that play fantasy baseball.

Our BaseballGB league had its draft on Friday night, as recapped by Mark George. You always like to set a draft as close to Opening Day as possible so that there’s a bit more certainty on which players will be making teams. Having Easter fall on the weekend before the season starter makes that slightly trickier this year so, like many others, we’ll be keeping an eye on the MLB news over the next two weeks in the hope that key selections don’t have any last-minute accidents before the games get underway.

The BGB League is a 14-team, MLB-wide, Head-to-Head setup and Yahoo was quite kind to me in randomnly selecting me at #5 in the drafting sequence. Clayton Kershaw was there for me to select in the first round, but I’m always wary of going for a pitcher so early – even one of the class of Kershaw – and couldn’t look past the all-round package that Josh Donaldson provides at third base, so he was the first name on my team sheet.

My first dilemma came in the next round where the stolen base collector Dee Gordon was a tempting option, yet Buster Posey‘s consistency and ranking as the best catching option seemed too good to turn down.

There are always moments in a draft when you’re left watching 4 or 5 other people and hoping that they haven’t got designs on the player you want to take.

The first of these occasions came in the 9th round when I thought that Hanley Ramirez might fall into my lap. Now that the disastrous left-field experiment has been ended by Boston, I can see Ramirez having a bounceback year at the plate. He’s currently listed as an outfielder on Yahoo, yet I had designs on bagging him and then moving him to first base. Unfortuantely, no sooner had I double-checkd Yahoo’s rules on when a player obtains eligibilty at a different position than the Mighty Slugs proved none-too sluggish in nabbing in him three picks ahead of me. Brandon Belt wasn’t a bad second prize though.

The second occasion came in the 13th round and once again it was those dammned Slugs that foiled my plans. This one was especially painful because it concerned Addison Russell. As an A’s fan, it’s painful enough to see our former top prospect playing in a Cubs uniform, but at least I thought I could enjoy his first full season in the Majors with him picking up points as my fantasy second baseman. Alas, it seems destined that Russell will always be out of my reach.

I responded by taking a flyer on Dustin Pedroia regaining fitness and form. Apologies to Red Sox fans if I’ve jinxed him.

My one shaky selection came in the 12th round when I drafted Shelby Miller. It’s shaky because my hunch is that the D-Backs’ all-in gamble will backfire and, if it does, part of that is likely to be down to Miller failing to live up to his 2015 performance with the Braves. All things considered Miller looked like a good option at that point in the draft so I went against my hunch and added him. We’ll see how that one plays out.

The other starting pitcher conundrum came in the 17th round when I selected Andrew Cashner. I was very optimistic about Cashner’s prospects last year and drafted him in the 11th round, only for him and many other Padres to disappoint. One year on and I’ve decided to give him another chance. Whether it’s his impending fee agency at the end of this season that inspires him, or my show of faith, I’m hoping that he won’t let me down again.

All in all, I achieved my modest drafting objective of not completely stuffing myself up from the beginning. Looking at my roster, I’m aleady taken by the fact that there will be a whole host of teams that I’ll be keeping a keen eye on that I otherwise may not concentrate on so much. It doesn’t get in the way of my actual supporting interest in the A’s (Josh Reddick is my A’s fantasy pick this year, and I adhered to my ‘no Angels but Trout’ stance – top fantasy tip: don’t touch Jered Weaver with a smelly stick), but one of the great things about fantasy baseball is that it gives you a reason to care about games that have little meaning to your ‘real’ team.

Add it to the list of reasons to be excited about the coming season.

Other thoughts

There’s always a late injury before a fantasy draft to keep on top of and this year for the BGB league it was the Rays’ project closer Brad Boxberger, who faces at least eight weeks out following abdominal muscle surgery. Tampa Bay needs good health to compete against the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Yankees this year (I’m underwhelmed by the Orioles’ prospects) and this isn’t a great start for them.

The Adam LaRoche retirement fiasco over the past week has been completely bizarre and the way executive vice president Kenny Williams has handled it all has shown a surprisingly poor lack of judgement for such an experienced member of the Front Office. The general idea of limiting La Roche’s 14-year-old son’s time in the clubhouse seemed reasonable enough; however confronting the first baseman about it half-way through Spring Training has needlessly caused a significant amount of discontent and aggravation.

There were already some doubts about the White Sox’s competitiveness this season and manager Robin Ventura‘s job security as a result. Irrespective of what actual impact this issue has, if they start slowly over the first 6-8 weeks then Ventura, General Manager Rick Hahn and the players will all be pointing the finger in the same direction.

Finally, don’t forget that Nat Coombs’ new All American Sports Show begins on Tuesday at 18.00 on talkSport2, taking place at the same time that the Rays take on the Cuban national team in a historic game in Havana (broadcast live on BTSport/ESPN) . The show will also be available as a podcast if you can’t catch it live.

BaseballGB Fantasy League 2016: Draft Recap

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Friday, March 18, 2016. 8pm. 14 teams, 280 players, one bag of chocolate raisins. It’s the BaseballGB Fantasy League draft.

At 7.30pm I logged into the draft room to find out what order Yahoo had put our teams in and was very pleasantly surprised to find my team at the top of the queue.

This solved any first round dilemmas as I knew I was taking Mike Trout. Looking at my mock draft results, I turned to the one where I had picked second out of 12 teams to see how things went there and to try to plan ahead as best as I could. With such a long wait between picks, I knew I would have to make my early selections count. I didn’t want to paint myself into a corner by taking too many players in similar positions if I could help it.

After Trout, I hoped that in rounds two and three I could grab some combination of Madison Bumgarner, Starling Marte, George Springer and Joey Votto, but whether any of them would make it back to me was another matter. I had also found in the mocks I had done that filling the left side of the infield had been tricky. If I could get a decent 3B early that would be a bonus, plus I was really keen on Lindor as my shortstop. I may have to reach a bit to get him though.

Round 1
1. Mike Trout (LAA – CF) Orpington Is…
2. Bryce Harper (Was – CF) Mighty Slugs
3. Paul Goldschmidt (Ari – 1B) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Manny Machado (Bal – 3B,SS) Richie’s RBI’s
5. Josh Donaldson (Tor – 3B) The Cheddar …
6. Clayton Kershaw (LAD – SP) NorthEast Ri…
7. Miguel Cabrera (Det – 1B) Weston-Super…
8. Anthony Rizzo (ChC – 1B) Norwich No II
9. Nolan Arenado (Col – 3B) Newcastle Kn…
10. Giancarlo Stanton (Mia – OF) Jesmond Denn…
11. Andrew McCutchen (Pit – CF) Batteries Es…
12. Carlos Correa (Hou – SS) Iron Men
13. Chris Davis (Bal – 1B,OF) Becknam Loll…
14. Jos̩ Bautista (Tor РOF)
The Bath Bom…
After drafting Trout I sat back to see if there were any first round surprises. Harper went over Goldschmidt while Machado went fourth overall, bringing the bonus of SS and 3B eligibility. After Donaldson, the Riverkings nabbed Kershaw at 6th overall. If you are going to take a pitcher in the first round, he’s the guy. Rizzo went 8th overall, and will be hitting in the heart of a stacked lineup. Slight surprise to see McCutchen fall outside the top 10, while Becknam went for Davis a fair bit earlier than I had expected. Monster power, but a low average…
Round 2
1. Kris Bryant (ChC – 3B,OF) The Bath Bom…
2. José Altuve (Hou – 2B) Becknam Loll…
3. Max Scherzer (Was – SP) Iron Men
4. A.J. Pollock (Ari – CF) Batteries Es…
5. Joey Votto (Cin – 1B) Jesmond Denn…
6. Mookie Betts (Bos – CF) Newcastle Kn…
7. George Springer (Hou – CF) Norwich No II
8. Edwin Encarnación (Tor – 1B) Weston-Super…
9. José Abreu (CWS – 1B) NorthEast Ri…
10. Buster Posey (SF – C,1B) The Cheddar …
11. Jake Arrieta (ChC – SP) Richie’s RBI’s
12. Dee Gordon (Mia – 2B) Cheshunt Mal…
13. Madison Bumgarner (SF – SP) Mighty Slugs
14. Starling Marte (Pit – CF)
Orpington Is…
… which is why pairing Davis with Altuve is a very good idea. Bath complete a nice 1-2 punch of Bautista and Bryant while my hopes of Votto vanish soon after. Newcastle fill two tricky positions of 3B and CF with their first two picks, while Springer is soon nabbed. MadBum might make it back to me, but no, the Slugs nab him. At least Marte is still there, so I take him instead.
Round 3
1. Chris Sale(CWS – SP) Orpington Is…
2. Jacob deGrom(NYM – SP) Mighty Slugs
3. Charlie Blackmon(Col – CF) Cheshunt Mal…
4. J.D. Martínez(Det – OF) Richie’s RBI’s
5. Corey Kluber(Cle – SP) The Cheddar …
6. José Fernández(Mia – SP) NorthEast Ri…
7. Matt Harvey(NYM – SP) Weston-Super…
8. Ryan Braun(Mil – OF) Norwich No II
9. Stephen Strasburg(Was – SP) Newcastle Kn…
10. Justin Upton(Det – OF) Jesmond Denn…
11. Nelson Cruz(Sea – OF) Batteries Es…
12. Robinson Canó(Sea – 2B) Iron Men
13. Miguel Sano(Min – 3B) Becknam Loll…
14. Noah Syndergaard(NYM – SP)
The Bath Bom…
I feel pretty much compelled to take an ace here, as I fear the rest of my targets will vanish in the long wait between picks. I think about deGrom but am swayed by Sale’s strikeouts. The Slugs nab deGrom straight away as the SPs start to fly off the board. Sano, a possible target for my next pick is nabbed early. I start looking down the player list and fear that by taking two OF, I may have painted myself into a corner as the players ranked around my next two picks are predominantly OF and SP, positions I have already filled. I’m happy to wait for my third OF but I know I need to make a start on my infield. Matt Carpenter would be nice, Adrian Gonzalez or Frazier too, but surely they will go?
Round 4
1. Adam Jones (Bal – CF) The Bath Bom…
2. Zack Greinke (Ari – SP) Becknam Loll…
3. Troy Tulowitzki (Tor – SS) Iron Men
4. Yoenis Céspedes (NYM – CF) Batteries Es…
5. Gerrit Cole (Pit – SP) Jesmond Denn…
6. David Price (Bos – SP) Newcastle Kn…
7. Carlos Carrasco (Cle – SP) Norwich No II
8. Carlos González (Col – OF) Weston-Super…
9. Matt Carpenter (StL – 2B,3B) NorthEast Ri…
10. Lorenzo Cain (KC – CF) The Cheddar …
11. Gio González (Was – SP) Richie’s RBI’s
12. Prince Fielder (Tex – 1B) Cheshunt Mal…
13. Jason Kipnis (Cle – 2B) Mighty Slugs
14. Adrián González (LAD – 1B)
Orpington Is…
I think Adam Jones is a nice pick here for Bath, while Iron Men back Tulo to have a healthy year in a very hitter-friendly stadium. Interesting to see Cole picked above Price, while the Riverkings nab Carpenter. The RBIs raise some eyebrows with Gio Gonzalez (taken ahead of King Felix and Archer among others). I am massively relieved that Gonzalez makes it to me and gratefully draft a 1B. And there is more good news…
Round 5
1. Todd Frazier (CWS – 3B) Orpington Is…
2. Chris Archer (TB – SP) Mighty Slugs
3. Carlos Gómez (Hou – CF) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Mark Melancon (Pit – RP) Richie’s RBI’s
5. Xander Bogaerts (Bos – SS) The Cheddar …
6. Kyle Schwarber (ChC – C,OF) NorthEast Ri…
7. Dallas Keuchel (Hou – SP) Weston-Super…
8. Maikel Franco (Phi – 3B) Norwich No II
9. Yasiel Puig (LAD – OF) Newcastle Kn…
10. Jason Heyward (ChC – CF) Jesmond Denn…
11. Félix Hernández (Sea – SP) Batteries Es…
12. Jacoby Ellsbury (NYY – CF) Iron Men
13. Cole Hamels (Tex – SP) Becknam Loll…
14. Eric Hosmer (KC – 1B)
The Bath Bom…
Frazier is still there, so I waste little time in grabbing him to complete my corner infielders. A huge stroke of luck. If he hadn’t been there I’m not really sure what I would have done. Possibly a second starter. Maybe Maikel Franco. The RBIs go very early with a closer, and it’s not Kimbrel, Jansen or Chapman but Melancon. I’m happy to wait much longer for saves and start thinking ahead for my next two picks. Another SP would be nice and I’d like to fill that hole at SS too.
Round 6
1. Corey Seager (LAD – SS) The Bath Bom…
2. Ben Revere (Was – CF) Becknam Loll…
3. Albert Pujols (LAA – 1B) Iron Men
4. Johnny Cueto (SF – SP) Batteries Es…
5. Brian Dozier (Min – 2B) Jesmond Denn…
6. David Ortiz (Bos – 1B) Newcastle Kn…
7. Danny Salazar (Cle – SP) Norwich No II
8. Matt Kemp (SD – OF) Weston-Super…
9. Christian Yelich (Mia – CF) NorthEast Ri…
10. Jon Lester (ChC – SP) The Cheddar …
11. Álex Rodríguez (NYY – Util) Richie’s RBI’s
12. Sonny Gray (Oak – SP) Cheshunt Mal…
13. Adrián Béltre (Tex – 3B) Mighty Slugs
14. Adam Wainwright (StL – SP)
Orpington Is…
I’d thought about drafting Lindor soon or possibly Corey Seager so my heart sinks when Bath nab the Dodger rookie. Surely this means Lindor may not be too far behind? Becknam go for Revere, which is a touch early for my liking when more powerful options  were still around. The RBIs take A-Rod very early. Yes, he had a nice rebound year, but he is limited to UT and there are plenty of other power options I would have gone for. As a later-round option, OK, but not in the first dozen or so rounds. Any hopes of Gray, Salazar or Lester making it to me are dashed, but Wainwright is still available for my #2 starter.
Round 7
1. Francisco Lindor (Cle – SS) Orpington Is…
2. Freddie Freeman (Atl – 1B) Mighty Slugs
3. Wade Davis (KC – RP) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Kendrys Morales (KC – 1B) Richie’s RBI’s
5. Kenley Jansen (LAD – RP) The Cheddar …
6. Craig Kimbrel (Bos – RP) NorthEast Ri…
7. Kyle Seager (Sea – 3B) Weston-Super…
8. Rougned Odor (Tex – 2B) Norwich No II
9. Ian Kinsler (Det – 2B) Newcastle Kn…
10. Tyson Ross (SD – SP) Jesmond Denn…
11. Jeurys Familia (NYM – RP) Batteries Es…
12. Hunter Pence (SF – OF) Iron Men
13. Elvis Andrus (Tex – SS) Becknam Loll…
14. Gr̩gory Polanco (Pit РOF)
The Bath Bom…
Looking ahead, I feel there is no way Lindor will still be around for my next pick, so I have a decision to make: reach a bit for him now or change tack? I decide to go for it and nab him rather than filling UT with Morales. More closers fly off the board as Davis, Kimbrel, Jansen and Familia all go in the same round. At this rate I’ll have to think about getting my first closer in the next couple of rounds. I have a hole at 2B but Odor and Kinsler are nabbed. There’s still Rendon…
Round 8
1. Anthony Rendón (Was – 2B,3B) The Bath Bom…
2. Michael Wacha (StL – SP) Becknam Loll…
3. Kole Calhoun (LAA – OF) Iron Men
4. Garrett Richards (LAA – SP) Batteries Es…
5. Evan Longoria (TB – 3B) Jesmond Denn…
6. David Robertson (CWS – RP) Newcastle Kn…
7. Cody Allen (Cle – RP) Norwich No II
8. Michael Brantley (Cle – CF) Weston-Super…
9. Carlos Rodon (CWS – SP) NorthEast Ri…
10. Shin-soo Choo (Tex – OF) The Cheddar …
11. Starlin Castro (NYY – 2B,SS) Richie’s RBI’s
12. Adam Eaton (CWS – CF) Cheshunt Mal…
13. Trevor Rosenthal (StL – RP) Mighty Slugs
14. Zach Britton (Bal – RP)
Orpington Is…
… but not for much longer. I weigh up taking my third OF, but targets Calhoun and Choo are also grabbed. The RBIs show their Yankee bias by drafting Starlin Castro. I think he’ll benefit from a change of scenery and regular playing time, but it’s rather too early for my liking. Three more closers are drafted in Robertson, Allen and Rosenthal, just as I was thinking Trevor may make it to me. I go back and forth and decide I had better grab my first closer. Zach Britton will do nicely.
Round 9
1. Marcus Stroman (Tor – SP) Orpington Is…
2. Hanley Ramírez (Bos – OF) Mighty Slugs
3. Francisco Liriano (Pit – SP) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Michael Pineda (NYY – SP) Richie’s RBI’s
5. Brandon Belt (SF – 1B,OF) The Cheddar …
6. Ken Giles (Hou – RP) NorthEast Ri…
7. Aroldis Chapman (NYY – RP) Weston-Super…
8. Andrew Miller (NYY – RP) Norwich No II
9. Ian Desmond (Tex – SS) Newcastle Kn…
10. Carlos Martínez (StL – SP) Jesmond Denn…
11. Jonathan Lucroy (Mil – C,1B) Batteries Es…
12. Justin Verlander (Det – SP) Iron Men
13. Billy Hamilton (Cin – CF) Becknam Loll…
14. Salvador P̩rez (KC РC)
The Bath Bom…
This is where it starts to get tricky. I don’t want to grab another closer right now, but there aren’t many hitters here at positions I haven’t already filled. In the end I opt for a third starter and take Stroman, encouraged by his return from injury in the playoffs. The Slugs roll the die on Hanley Ramirez still hitting while learning a new position at 1B, while the Sox take Chapman, whose draft place falls after his 30-game suspension. Norwich go for Miller immediately afterwards, and although he should close in Chapman’s absence,he will be back as a set-up guy when Aroldis is available. Newcastle take a punt on Ian Desmond, who has SS eligibility but will add OF in the hitter-friendly Ballpark in Arlington. Becknam go for more speed in Billy Hamilton.
Round 10
1. Raisel Iglesias (Cin – SP) The Bath Bom…
2. James Shields (SD – SP) Becknam Loll…
3. Collin McHugh (Hou – SP) Iron Men
4. Masahiro Tanaka (NYY – SP) Batteries Es…
5. Steven Matz (NYM – SP) Jesmond Denn…
6. Héctor Rondón (ChC – RP) Newcastle Kn…
7. Taijuan Walker (Sea – SP) Norwich No II
8. Jordan Zimmermann (Det – SP) Weston-Super…
9. Yu Darvish (Tex – SP) NorthEast Ri…
10. Alex Gordon (KC – OF) The Cheddar …
11. Dexter Fowler (ChC – CF) Richie’s RBI’s
12. Russell Martin (Tor – C) Cheshunt Mal…
13. John Lackey (ChC – SP) Mighty Slugs
14. David Peralta (Ari – OF)
Orpington Is…
I’m glad I took Stroman when I did as nine SPs go this round, including eight in a span of nine picks. Jordan Zimmermann is a nice value pick for the Sox. The rush on pitchers means some nice hitting options are available when my turn comes around. I think about Grichuk or Pederson but go for the underrated David Peralta to round out my OF.
Round 11
1. Ben Zobrist (ChC – 2B,OF) Orpington Is…
2. Jake Odorizzi (TB – SP) Mighty Slugs
3. Jeff Samardzija (SF – SP) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Curtis Granderson (NYM – OF) Richie’s RBI’s
5. José Quintana (CWS – SP) The Cheddar …
6. Yordano Ventura (KC – SP) NorthEast Ri…
7. Jonathan Papelbon (Was – RP) Weston-Super…
8. Dellin Betances (NYY – RP) Norwich No II
9. Joc Pederson (LAD – CF) Newcastle Kn…
10. A.J. Ramos (Mia – RP) Jesmond Denn…
11. Huston Street (LAA – RP) Batteries Es…
12. Brian McCann (NYY – C,1B) Iron Men
13. Francisco Rodríguez (Det – RP) Becknam Loll…
14. Khris Davis (Oak – OF)
The Bath Bom…
Still conscious of that hole at 2B I decide now is a good time to fill it with Zobrist, although I did also consider Wong. I’m pleased to get my infield sorted out, so the only hitters I now need are a UT, a C and probably just one bench hitter. A power hitter at UT might not be a bad idea next. Or d’Arnaud at C would be very nice. Maybe McCann at C but Iron Men put paid to that. More relievers are going too, so a second closer sometime soon might be a wise move.
Round 12
1. Patrick Corbin (Ari – SP) The Bath Bom…
2. Gerardo Parra (Col – CF) Becknam Loll…
3. Hisashi Iwakuma (Sea – SP) Iron Men
4. Kolten Wong (StL – 2B) Batteries Es…
5. Corey Dickerson (TB – OF) Jesmond Denn…
6. Travis d’Arnaud (NYM – C) Newcastle Kn…
7. Randal Grichuk (StL – CF) Norwich No II
8. Lance McCullers (Hou – SP) Weston-Super…
9. Byron Buxton (Min – CF) NorthEast Ri…
10. Shelby Miller (Ari – SP) The Cheddar …
11. Stephen Vogt (Oak – C,1B) Richie’s RBI’s
12. Scott Kazmir (LAD – SP) Cheshunt Mal…
13. Brett Gardner (NYY – CF) Mighty Slugs
14. Mark Teixeira (NYY – 1B)
Orpington Is…
The Knights destroy any hopes of a d’Arnaud/Tex combo but at least my UT target is still there. The Riverkings hope Buxton can live up to his promise with a gutsy round 12 pick. Gardner had been atop the player list for a while, but injuries had put managers off. Here though the Slugs decide he’s worth a shot.
Round 13
1. Glen Perkins (Min – RP) Orpington Is…
2. Addison Russell (ChC – 2B,SS) Mighty Slugs
3. Daniel Murphy (Was – 1B,2B,3B) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Brandon Phillips (Cin – 2B) Richie’s RBI’s
5. Dustin Pedroia (Bos – 2B) The Cheddar …
6. Jay Bruce (Cin – OF) NorthEast Ri…
7. Matt Duffy (SF – 2B,3B) Weston-Super…
8. Shawn Tolleson (Tex – RP) Norwich No II
9. Jason Hammel (ChC – SP) Newcastle Kn…
10. Drew Smyly (TB – SP) Jesmond Denn…
11. Brandon Crawford (SF – SS) Batteries Es…
12. Drew Storen (Tor – RP) Iron Men
13. Billy Burns (Oak – CF) Becknam Loll…
14. Michael Conforto (NYM – OF)
The Bath Bom…
With most of my hitting lineup sorted, and it feeling too early to get a catcher if I can’t have d’Arnaud or McCann, I decide to switch my focus to my pitching staff. I don’t want to run the risk of being short on closer options next time around, so decide to take my second reliever in Perkins, although I also considered Tolleson. Five middle infielders go in quick succession. Becknam take another speedy CF in Burns, while I like Bath’s Conforto pick. If I hadn’t already filled OF and UT, I’d have been tempted to grab him.
Round 14
1. Sean Doolittle (Oak – RP) The Bath Bom…
2. Jake McGee (Col – RP) Becknam Loll…
3. Josh Harrison (Pit – 2B,3B,OF) Iron Men
4. David Wright (NYM – 3B) Batteries Es…
5. Kyle Hendricks (ChC – SP) Jesmond Denn…
6. Lucas Duda (NYM – 1B) Newcastle Kn…
7. Wei-Yin Chen (Mia – SP) Norwich No II
8. José Reyes (Col – SS) Weston-Super…
9. Jung Ho Kang (Pit – 3B,SS) NorthEast Ri…
10. Kevin Pillar (Tor – CF) The Cheddar …
11. Luis Severino (NYY – SP) Richie’s RBI’s
12. Brad Boxberger (TB – RP) Cheshunt Mal…
13. Justin Turner (LAD – 1B,3B) Mighty Slugs
14. Julio Teherán (Atl – SP)
Orpington Is…
I had hoped Josh Harrison may still be around later for some flexibility off my bench, but no such luck as Iron Men nab him. The Sox take a punt of Reyes, despite his court case. The Maltsers take Boxberger, who will miss a few months but should be Tampa’s closer on his return. Although Teheran is stuck on a poor Braves team, I still think he should put up decent enough numbers as my #4 starter.
Round 15
1. Santiago Casilla (SF – RP) Orpington Is…
2. Darren O’Day (Bal – RP) Mighty Slugs
3. Jean Segura (Ari – SS) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Chris Bassitt (Oak – SP,RP) Richie’s RBI’s
5. Josh Reddick (Oak – OF) The Cheddar …
6. Tony Watson (Pit – RP) NorthEast Ri…
7. Matt Wieters (Bal – C) Weston-Super…
8. Marcus Semien (Oak – SS) Norwich No II
9. Mike Fiers (Hou – SP) Newcastle Kn…
10. Joe Ross (Was – SP) Jesmond Denn…
11. Yan Gomes (Cle – C) Batteries Es…
12. Kevin Gausman (Bal – SP,RP) Iron Men
13. Yasmani Grandal (LAD – C) Becknam Loll…
14. Ender Inciarte (Atl – CF)
The Bath Bom…
Incredibly, I have the option to take a third closer. This isn’t something I normally do, but Casilla feels like excellent value in round 15. I had originally planned to back up Britton with O’Day or get a set-up reliever like Watson to rack up the holds, but a third closer it is. Could be useful trade bit too. That leaves me with five picks left. I still need a C, a bench hitter, two SPs and another RP for holds. I have Grandal lined up for my next pick, only for Becknams to beat me to him. Bother! And this after O’Day and Watson both go.
Round 16
1. Brad Ziegler (Ari – RP) The Bath Bom…
2. Ian Kennedy (KC – SP) Becknam Loll…
3. Delino DeShields (Tex – CF) Iron Men
4. Matt Holliday (StL – OF) Batteries Es…
5. Roberto Osuna (Tor – RP) Jesmond Denn…
6. Jaime García (StL – SP) Newcastle Kn…
7. Kenta Maeda (LAD – SP) Norwich No II
8. DJ LeMahieu (Col – 2B) Weston-Super…
9. Mike Moustakas (KC – 3B) NorthEast Ri…
10. Alcides Escobar (KC – SS) The Cheddar …
11. Wilmer Flores (NYM – 2B,SS) Richie’s RBI’s
12. Jorge Soler (ChC – OF) Cheshunt Mal…
13. Kelvin Herrera (KC – RP) Mighty Slugs
14. Mike Leake (StL – SP)
Orpington Is…
Some SPs I had on my wish list, Maeda and Kennedy, both go but at least Leake is still available so I take him as my fifth starter. But before I draft him, I use the draft clock to look at my catching options. Could take a punt on Mesoraco returning from injury. Derek Norris is still there. Montero too. Tough choice. I was burned by having Mesoraco last year – and the Reds not putting him on the DL for ages when he clearly couldn’t play – so decide not to risk falling into that trap again. After clicking to draft Leake I decide to opt for…
Round 17
1. Miguel Montero (ChC – C) Orpington Is…
2. Arodys Vizcaíno (Atl – RP) Mighty Slugs
3. Brett Lawrie (CWS – 2B,3B) Cheshunt Mal…
4. J.J. Hoover (Cin – RP) Richie’s RBI’s
5. Andrew Cashner (SD – SP) The Cheddar …
6. Stephen Piscotty (StL – 1B,OF) NorthEast Ri…
7. Neil Walker (NYM – 2B) Weston-Super…
8. Byung-ho Park (Min – 1B) Norwich No II
9. Kevin Siegrist (StL – RP) Newcastle Kn…
10. Carson Smith (Bos – RP) Jesmond Denn…
11. Evan Gattis (Hou – OF) Batteries Es…
12. Will Smith (Mil – RP) Iron Men
13. David Hernández (Phi – RP) Becknam Loll…
14. Clay Buchholz (Bos – SP)
The Bath Bom…
… Montero. There are some interesting picks this round as the Slugs and RBIs show you can still find closers in round 17 while the Riverkings opt for the promise of Piscotty and Norwich take a chance on Park’s power potential.
Round 18
1. Kevin Kiermaier (TB – CF) The Bath Bom…
2. Héctor Santiago (LAA – SP) Becknam Loll…
3. Anthony DeSclafani (Cin – SP) Iron Men
4. Carlos Santana (Cle – 1B) Batteries Es…
5. Ketel Marte (Sea – SS) Jesmond Denn…
6. Pedro Strop (ChC – RP) Newcastle Kn…
7. Welington Castillo (Ari – C) Norwich No II
8. Steven Souza Jr. (TB – OF) Weston-Super…
9. Keone Kela (Tex – RP) NorthEast Ri…
10. Joaquín Benoit (Sea – RP) The Cheddar …
11. Wilson Ramos (Was – C) Richie’s RBI’s
12. Marco Estrada (Tor – SP,RP) Cheshunt Mal…
13. Domingo Santana (Mil – CF) Mighty Slugs
14. Mark Trumbo (Bal – 1B,OF)
Orpington Is…
The late rounds see teams fill up their bullpens and take a late gamble on youngsters such as Ketel Marte. I’m intrigued to see what Domingo Santana can do over a full season too. I had originally planned to take a player who could fill in at a number of positions as my bench hitter, but seeing Trumbo there and considering Teixeira’s injury woes, it’s not a bad idea to have a power-hitting back-up. I think Trumbo should enjoy Camden yards and has 1B and OF flexibility too.
Round 19
1. Sergio Romo (SF – RP) Orpington Is…
2. Devin Mesoraco (Cin – C) Mighty Slugs
3. Tyler Clippard (Ari – RP) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Adam Lind (Sea – 1B) Richie’s RBI’s
5. Brett Cecil (Tor – RP) The Cheddar …
6. Jedd Gyorko (StL – 2B,SS) NorthEast Ri…
7. Víctor Martínez (Det – 1B) Weston-Super…
8. Pedro Álvarez (Bal – 1B) Norwich No II
9. Álex Colomé (TB – SP,RP) Newcastle Kn…
10. Aaron Nola (Phi – SP) Jesmond Denn…
11. Denard Span (SF – CF) Batteries Es…
12. Kevin Quackenbush (SD – RP) Iron Men
13. Jimmy Nelson (Mil – SP) Becknam Loll…
14. Howie Kendrick (LAD – 2B)
The Bath Bom…
Still needing a reliever for holds, I opt for Romo, who could also pick up saves if Casilla falters, so a decent insurance policy hopefully. The Slugs take a punt on Mesoraco, while Victor Martinez could be a steal here for the Sox if he can stay healthy. Alvarez is an intriguing power option at Camden Yards for Norwich while Kendrick is good value for Bath.
Round 20
1. Steve Cishek (Sea – RP) The Bath Bom…
2. Alex Wood (LAD – SP) Becknam Loll…
3. Tanner Roark (Was – SP,RP) Iron Men
4. Pablo Sandoval (Bos – 3B) Batteries Es…
5. Blake Swihart (Bos – C) Jesmond Denn…
6. Zack Wheeler (NYM – SP) Newcastle Kn…
7. Jonathan Schoop (Bal – 2B) Norwich No II
8. Marcell Ozuna (Mia – CF) Weston-Super…
9. Eduardo Rodríguez (Bos – SP) NorthEast Ri…
10. Sam Dyson (Tex – RP) The Cheddar …
11. Melky Cabrera (CWS – OF) Richie’s RBI’s
12. Hunter Strickland (SF – RP) Cheshunt Mal…
13. Brandon Finnegan (Cin – SP,RP) Mighty Slugs
14. Hyun-jin Ryu (LAD – SP)
Orpington Is…

There are some really smart picks in the final round. Batteries Essential gamble on Sandoval, while I think Newcastle getting Wheeler is super smart. Schoop is underrated and has nice pop at 2B for Norwich, while Ozuna has 20+HR pop in CF in Miami let him play. Finnegan should start regularly for the Reds and Dyson is a nice holds option for the Chasers. I still want another starter to round out my staff and there are several options I’m happy with, some of whom went undrafted. I end the draft with Ryu, knowing he will miss the start of the season, but at least I can put him on the DL and add another arm from the free agent pool.

Overall, I’m happy with my team, feeling I’m reasonably strong across the board offensively. I fully appreciate how lucky I was to get Gonzalez and Frazier and am pleased I reached for Lindor. Starting pitching depth is pretty solid and happy to get three closers. Just need Teixeira, Sale and Wainwright to stay injury-free.

Reviewing the teams

Here are my thoughts on the other teams, in draft order:

Slugs – Harper appears to be only batter with a shot at 30HR/100RBI but rest of the lineup should contribute reasonably well. Maybe a lack of speed. Rotation really strong with MadBum, deGrom and Archer plus elite closer in Rosenthal and top holds options in O’Day and Herrera. Could pitch their way to another title.

Maltsters – Again, Goldschmidt may be only hitter to break 25HR/100RBI. Lots of speed. Have to hope rotation featuring Liriano, Kazmir and Estrada can stay healthy.

RBIs – SS could be a problem, unless Machado is moved there but no other 3B options at present. Pitching staff lacks rotation depth and a lot rests on Arrieta. Two closers but no holds options.

Chasers – That’s one strong infield. Outfield may lack a little pop but overall a nicely balanced offence. Good rotation, like the Kluber/Lester 1-2 punch. Saves could be an issue if Benoit doesn’t close.

Riverkings – Another strong infield with plenty of pop. OF may need another option if Buxton falters. Kershaw and Fernandez combo looks great and a very strong bullpen. When Darvish and Eduardo Rodriguez come back from injury, this team could really take off.

Sox – Some big bats in this lineup. Could be a tough team to out-hit if Miggy stays healthy and Weiters rebounds. SS an issue with Reyes plus a light pitching staff will have to deal with Chapman’s suspension and McCullers missing the start of the season. Well placed to use hitters as trade bait though.

Norwich – Decent spread of power throughout lineup, will hope Franco and Springer stay healthy and Grichuk, Park and Alvarez make the most of their opportunities. Very strong bullpen and banking on Salazar and Carrasco to build on impressive seasons.

Knights – Look a tough team to beat as offense is strong across the board and could be even better if Puig rebounds and Pederson can raise his average. Price and Strasburg as 1-2 punch plus a very strong bullpen,. A definite contender.

Jesmond – Looks a powerful lineup but SS a concern if Ketel Marte struggles. Loaded with promising young arms. Have to hope they build on last year’s win totals.

Batteries Essential – Outfield full of power, infield may struggle for pop. Quite a few nagging injury concerns. Only six pitchers but six good ones. Will need to consider using hitters as trade bait to fill out rotation and add set-up relievers.

Iron Men – Injury risk could make or break this team, as McCann, Pujols, Pence and Tulo are in the same lineup. If they stay healthy, look out. Saves could be lacking even if Storen closes.

Becknam – Speed. Lots of speed. Almost all the speed. Should protect the average from the likes of Davis and Hamilton but OF is lacking in power. Excellent rotation depth but just one closer. There could be plenty of trade bait here.

Bombers – Tough to draft at the back of the queue but did a nice job putting together a nice mix of power and speed. Rotation a bit of a concern as no starter won more than nine games last year, although Syndergaard will have a full year.

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Mejia claims and injury pains

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WHGB11It’s been a cheery week, dominated by drugs and injuries.

The big non-baseball story of the week was tennis player Maria Sharapova’s announcement that she had failed a drug test.

The latest twist in baseball’s drug story has been caused by ex-Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia, whose lawyer made various accusations on Friday about MLB’s conduct that led to the pitcher being given a life-time ban for a third doping violation. They included claims that MLB hacked into online accounts and threatened Mejia after his second positive test that if he didn’t name names of others then a third positive would follow.

The last time somebody started throwing around such similar claims was Alex Rodriguez, who – after a ridiculous campaign of protesting his innocence – finally admitted that he had been guilty of using banned substances.

Sad as this is, there are too many examples of professional sports men and women who have consistently lied through their teeth and made false allegations about others to give anyone in this situation the benefit of the doubt. Mejia has the right to defend himself through the legal channels available, but recent history of other such cases do not cast him in a sympathetic light.

In the Rodriguez case – the Biogenesis ‘scandal’ – MLB did appear to act in a questionable way in respect of getting the ring leader, Anthony Bosch, to cooperate, as well as allegedly paying other employees for information. MLB isn’t a law enforcement agency so if they feel it’s necessary to play these people at their own game in bringing them down then it could be argued that the ends justify the means, but it does leave them open to questioning and, most pertinently, accusations from others who are trying to defend themselves in future.

In the case of Sharapova, she took the clever step of announcing the positive test herself and trying to control the story. Whether that was through a genuine attempt of accepting an innocent mistake or a cynical PR damage limitation ploy is in the eye of the beholder.

What we’ve found in baseball is that if a player actually comes clean – so to speak – then most people will accept it and let them get on with their careers. Nelson Cruz and Jhonny Peralta have both signed multi-million pound contracts after serving a ban for their Biogenesis links and Alex Rodriguez’s transformation last year from a pariah to a model repentant player was quite astonishing.

Of course, above all else it’s money and performance that counts. Rodriguez was owed so much money by the Yankees that there was little else they could do but bring him back for the start of the 2015 season. Once there, his good performances at the plate allowed him to be accepted back into the fold. Had he hit .200 through the middle of May, good will would have been in short supply.

In any case, it is a fact of life that there will always be a minority that will cheat to gain an advantage and, with the financial awards and prestige that come with it, sport will always have its fair share of them. Whilst the standard media line is to denounce a sport when someone – especially someone high profile like Rodriguez or Sharapova – is caught, in reality the sports that aren’t catching people (or are covering it up when they do) deserve just as much attention.

The idea that a strong drugs-testing programme and anti-drugs culture will stop everyone doing it is simply not true. The hallmark of a strong drug-testing programme is that it catches people. Baseball, and tennis, shouldn’t be scared of some knee-jerk bad PR in its fight against weeding out and punishing those who break the rules.

Jhonny B Broken

The St Louis Cardinals did receive some flak for signing Jhonny Peralta to a four-year contract in the 2013/14 off-season after serving his drug suspension; however he has repaid the faith they showed in him with two good seasons since.

The start to his 2016 season will be delayed though after he suffered a thumb injury that will keep him out of action for 10-12 weeks. Whilst the initial talk was of the Cardinals looking to bring in some cover, traditionally that has not been their way and instead they look for options in their minor league system. We saw this approach work to good effect in 2015 with Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty and don’t be surprised if they go that way again until Peralta is ready to return.

Carter Capps

The Miami Marlins’ reliever Carter Capps won’t be quite so lucky as he has suffered an elbow injury that will require Tommy John surgery and over a year out.

Health is always a key factor for any team, but for the Marlins it will be particularly telling in 2016. They have two outstanding talents in Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez, yet both have missed a significant number of games over the past two seasons and they haven’t both been healthy and on the field at the same time since 9 May 2014.

If that can turn around and they get good seasons from other capable players then the Marlins could pull themselves into the NL Wild Card race. That scenario hasn’t started well as Stanton has sat out of Spring Training games for over a week now due to knee soreness.

Parker pain

Capps can take some solace from the fact that many pitchers now recover from Tommy John surgery and have a successful career. Elbow injuries are always an obvious concern and nobody knows that better than the Oakland A’s Jarrod Parker.

Parker has undergone two Tommy John surgeries and had his 2015 comeback derailed by a gruesome injury in May when he fractured a part of the same elbow. After months of rehab, Parker entered Spring Training camp with hopes of finally getting his career back on track, potentially taking a spot in the bullpen or being the first cab off the rank from Triple-A if a new starting pitcher was needed.

Instead, he suffered yet another fracture to his elbow this week. Parker is now considering his options and it’s possible he may have thrown his last pitch. It’s a sobering reminder that a playing career can be a fragile thing.

Baltimore Blues

Saturday was a good news, bad news day for the Orioles. The good news was that they finally won a Spring Training game, breaking an 0-10 start (much as Spring Training games don’t count, you’d prefer to win a few than not). The bad news was that catcher Matt Wieters left the game early due to experiencing soreness in his right elbow; the elbow that he had Tommy John surgery on – yes, that again – in 2014.

Hopefully for the Orioles it proves to be a minor issue rather than something that leaves them without a key everyday player for a significant period of time.

Baseball Basics for Brits review: Volume 2

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BBfBVolume 2 of the Baseball Basics for Brits series concentrates on how MLB rosters are put together, or ‘squads’ as we would generally refer to them.

There wasn’t a need to change much in the text this time around as the rules around rosters have largely stayed the same in recent years, as has the general habits of how they are used.

The main change in fact has been the introduction of the 7-day concussion list, allowing players to take a rest following a blow to the head without having to go on the full 15-day Disabled List, and the introduction of the paternity list to allow players a few days to attend the birth of a child.

Although we haven’t seen changes to the roster rules, there has been some talk of potentially increasing them from 25 to 26 to give a bit more flexibility in terms of resting players over the long MLB season. This idea may be one of many discussed as part of the upcoming Collective Bargaining process over the year ahead.

What we have seen over the past couple of years is the growing influence of the bullpen. The success of the Kansas City Royals has put the spotlight on this, but it’s a long-running trend now that the amount of innings that are pitched by the designated starting pitchers is decreasing.

When we look at the Royals, the obvious player to focus on is the man who pitched the final outs to secure their 2015 World Series. Wade Davis has had several attempts at becoming a starting pitcher, including when the Royals acquired him in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, but he has blossomed as a relief pitcher.

What we’re seeing is an acknowledgement that an average starting pitcher can become a real weapon if he can come out firing – rather than pacing himself through six or seven innings – and not need to rely on his secondary pitches so much as he’s not going to face the same hitters more than once in a given game.

That doesn’t mean you can pick up any old pitcher and turn him into a star by sticking him in the bullpen, but the weaknesses of one with good raw talent (‘stuff’ as it’s known) can be concealed in a relief role.

When we add this to the ever-present risk of arm injuries to pitchers that make managing innings-pitched all the more important, could we potentially see a day when starting pitchers as a distinct category become a thing of the past?  It would be such a major change to the way the game has always been played that it seems unlikely; however, in 10-15 years’ time, perhaps a roster will include a 4 starting pitcher/8 reliever split, with the starters expected to pitch two times through the order (4 innings say, sometimes 5 if dominant and efficient with the pitch count).

The core elements of the game have stayed the same for decades, but the rapid rise of the infield shift in the past 5 years are a good example of how innovation can soon become the norm.

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Spring again

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WHGB11As Spring Training has got underway, so my regular Sunday catch-up begins again for another year.

Dreaded injuries #1

There is a morbid side to this time of year in which whenever you log onto MLB.com, your first thought is: I wonder if anyone picked up a bad injury overnight?

Amid the stories of uneventful Spring Training debuts for pitchers ‘just getting their work in’ and position battles for the 25th spot on a team’s Opening Day roster, it is news of injuries that take centre stage when they occur.

One of the first MLB.TV streamed game of Spring Training featured the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers and we immediately witnessed the sort of moment that every manager dreads:

It was a 95-mph fastball from the Yankees’ pitcher Luis Severino that hit Cameron Maybin‘s wrist and the result was a fracture and 4-6 weeks on the sidelines. It could happen to any hitter, especially this time of year when pitchers are trying out new pitches.

Harsh as it sounds, the Tigers would prefer the injury to happen to Maybin rather than Miguel Cabrera or Victor Martinez, but it still takes away from their outfield depth and creates an early headache for a team more dependent than most on good health this season.

Dreaded injuries #2

If that wasn’t bad enough, managers even have to be wary about their players when they’re not playing games.

The LA Dodgers’ great strength for this year seemed to be the depth of their resources, but that is being tested already with pitcher Brett Anderson suffering a recurrence of a back injury that will put him out of action for 3-5 months.

It’s the latest blow for a pitcher who has had an injury-plagued career. 2015 was kind to Anderson and he re-signed with the Dodgers over the off-season after they extended him a qualifying offer (the MLB-defined 1 year, $15.8m contract) to dissuade him from becoming a free agent.

The Dodgers now have three main starting pitchers, and plenty of money, unavailable to them. Anderson and his $15.8m are joined on the sidelines by Hyun-Jin Ryu (being paid $7m this season and potentially back on the field in May) and Brandon McCarthy ($11m this year and potentially back sometime in July).

It’s credit to the Dodgers, and their financial resources, that their season is far from sunk despite these key losses.

Desmond left to learn a new position

A change is as good as a rest, they say. Ian Desmond will be getting little in the way of rest this Spring following his move to the Texas Rangers that requires him to change his fielding position from shortstop to left field. Desmond made his debut in the #7 position on Friday and was glad that only one ball came his way, yet he will be putting in plenty of work to try to get accustomed to his new role over the next few weeks.

It was a strange decision by the Rangers to sign Desmond and move him to left field and the player’s agreement to it is largely due to simply wanting a job somewhere. We often highlight ‘walk years’ when a player excels in the season before he becomes a free agent, but Desmond’s 2015 was the exact opposite to that and once he turned down the Nationals’ qualifying offer, the draft pick a team had to give up to sign him made finding an opportunity difficult.

I’ll be looking at contract offers as part of revising the Baseball Basics for Brits Volume 3 about players and contracts. Desmond’s gamble on turning down the Nationals’ 7-year, $107m contract extension a year ago is likely to feature in the ‘when player’s wish they could turn back the clock’ section.

Maybe too soon for Manaea-mania?

We all know that you shouldn’t put too much stock in Spring Training performances, especially in these early weeks, and so A’s fans like myself won’t be touting pitching prospect Sean Manaea for a Cy Young Award on the back of his promising two-inning debut on Friday against the Rockies. However, there’s no harm in enjoying a youngster doing well, particularly ahead of a season where a .500 record would be a return to some form.

talkSPORT takes up MLB rights

British baseball fans should be retuning their DAB radios as part of talkSPORT’s plans to launch talkSPORT2 on 15 March.

Ex-MLB on 5 Live Sports Extra host (among many other shows) Nat Coombs will be presenting a new All American Sport Show on talkSPORT from Tues 22 March, 18.00-20.00, that will be well worth a listen.

And talkSPORT have the rights to broadcast MLB games too, with familar faces/voices Josh Chetwynd and David Lengel apparently lined up to be part of it. Further details on stations (talkSPORT, talkSPORT2 or a bit of both) and games covered will be announced in due course, but it’s fantasic news that a dedicated British-focused presentation of baseball will be available once again.

Checking in on London

And finally, as for MLB-related matters in Britain …

It was good to see MLB’s Murray Cook visiting the Olympic Stadium in London again, with talks continuing around MLB bringing games to London in 2017 or beyond.

Baseball Basics for Brits review: Volume 1

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BBfBThis Spring Training is a good time to review and update the Baseball Basics for Brits series, both from a visual point of view (adding in the current site logo and colour scheme) and the content itself.

The first volume is about the MLB structure in respect of how the competition is set up into leagues and divisions and how the schedule is constructed.

The 162-game schedule is a good thing to stop and think about because it is a fairly complicated set-up for anyone new to the sport. The sheer number of games takes many newcomers by surprise for a start and then you have to get your head around the fact that the schedule doesn’t conform to the usual logic that a British sports fan would expect.

Two teams competing against each other for a division title, never mind a play-off spot, don’t play the exact same schedule as each other because the desired character of the schedule (playing your division teams most frequently, in part to reduce travel, and then also factoring in 20 games against teams from the other league) don’t make that possible.

MLB increased the regular season from 154 games per team to 162 in 1962.  The number of teams and league/division structure has changed multiple times since then, but instead of working out a logical (perhaps ‘fair’ is the best word to use) schedule and then arriving at a total number of games, 162 has held steady and a schedule is concocted as best as possible from there.

Making the schedule so that you play against teams in your own division most frequently (19 times each currently) makes sense; however, you can’t do that and then fit in games against the other 10 teams in your league, plus interleague games, and make it all add up by all playing each other an equal number of times.

If we do get to the point when the National League adopts the Designated Hitter role then the logical step would be to do away with the two league structure and that would give you some further options on how to reconfigure the schedule. Whilst the DH argument is live and could result in a change in the not-too-distant future, scrapping the two leagues publicly hasn’t been on anyone’s agenda and that’s likely a long way off if it happens at all.

So we’re left with the current situation, which isn’t perfect but does make some sort of sense so long as you accept the inevitable impact of two teams competing for a play-off spot without facing the same teams the same number of times. Some times a team will benefit from playing a slightly weaker schedule than a rival and in MLB the managers just have to get on with it and win the games they need with the schedule they’ve been dealt.

Try explaining that to Arsene Wenger and Manuel Pellegrini next time they start moaning about the football fixture list.

2016 MLB Spring Training starts today

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MlbHlSqThe day has finally arrived when winter is officially over and the baseball season starts coming into view.

Spring Training games are just like football friendlies in that the first teamers get taken out partway through, the results don’t matter and they are played in a casual atmosphere. So, as with their football equivalent, they’re not normally a thrilling spectacle, but it’s great for a while at least to watch some baseball after four months without it.

They give you an early chance to see new recruits in their new uniforms, catch a glimpse of some highly-rated prospects, and occasionally to see a mammoth home run or spectacular piece of fielding that you can enjoy regardless of the games not counting for anything.

They are a good way to keep up with the latest roster news as the commentators have time to fill and normally do so by discussing news around the leagues, such as who may be in pole position to win a roster spot and progress on a player’s rehab from an injury.

More than anything, just as the players use Spring Training to get back into the daily baseball groove, so can we as fans start getting back into the swing of it. First pitch for the vast majority of games during March comes at around midday local time, so they are convenient for us to follow live during the British evening.

Not all Spring Training games are covered on TV in the States and so there’s a reduced MLB.TV schedule to watch via an online subscription. You will also find that some of the ‘connected device’ options aren’t available during March. Additionally there are normally only a few games – if any – that will be on BT Sport this month.

However, there’s pretty much always radio commentary to listen to via MLB At Bat and that makes for a relaxing evening soundtrack to whisk you away to a contented ballpark in Arizona or Florida for an hour or so.

It all gets going at 18.05 on Tuesday evening with a perfect Spring Training game example. Toronto face Philadelphia and there will not be too many regulars on show for much beyond the fourth inning, indeed several of the Blue Jays’ big names won’t be involved at all, but it’s a chance to watch Marcus Stroman pitching an inning and after four months without baseball, who wouldn’t want to watch that?