Weekly Hit Ground Ball: The Other Teams

At this time of the year it’s traditional to publish predictions of how the MLB season is going to pan out.

If you asked most fans which ten teams are going to make the playoffs right now, you’re likely to find a lot of similarities.

In the American League, Houston, Boston, New York and Cleveland all look strong favourites, with the LA Angels the trendy pick for the second Wild Card.

In the National League, LA Dodgers, Chicago and Washington are the probable division winners and you can then take your pick from a group of teams to meet in the Wild Card game.

So, rather than focus on the potential division winners, we’ll look at another team of interest in each division.

AL West

Let’s start in the division of the reigning World Series champions with the team that many are awarding the ‘won the off-season’ prize to.

What exactly should we expect from the LA Angels this year? Any team with Mike Trout in it has a chance and they’ve made some good additions, but have they made a big leap ahead or a more modest improvement?

Part of that will be determined by their headline acquisition, Japanese two-way talent Shohei Ohtani. Every team wanted him and it was a coup for the Angels to win his signature. An adjustment period is to be expected and that leads us to Ohtani’s Spring Training, which politely can be described as disappointing. Despite the ever-present caveat this time of year that ‘it’s only Spring Training’, were he not a highly touted player from Japan it’s possible the Angels would have considered sending him to Triple-A given how he has performed.

That’s not a viable option and so he’s going to need to develop his craft in the Majors. Ordinarily it would be fine for Ohtani to take some lumps here and there as he puts together an encouraging debut season to build on, and in isolation that remains the case. The problem with that for the Angels is the rest of their starting rotation comes with plenty of question marks. If Ohtani isn’t really good, will the additions of Ian Kinsler, Zack Cosart and renewing with Justin Upton alone make them more than a potential second Wild Card?

AL Central

The Minnesota Twins proved last year that you can’t always count a team out based on previous form. Few if any picked the Twins to make the play-offs, yet some good performances and other teams not meeting expectations for various reasons meant that the Twins could look around, see no one else was really making a claim for the second Wild Card and take it for themselves.

They did that with no expectations on their shoulders, other than the expectation from others that at some point someone else would overtake them. Now the expectations have changed. That’s not to say they are favourites, but they’ve got something to live up to.

Although they’ve not exactly become big spenders, you can’t accuse the Twins of standing still and failing to add to their roster.

They started with their bullpen, adding Addison Russell and Fernando Rodney, and then took advantage of the slow-moving free agent market by picking up Logan Morrison for their batting lineup and two good starting pitchers in Jake Odorizzi and Lance Lynn. On the negative side, Ervin Satana will miss at least the first month of the season due to a finger injury and shortstop Jorge Polanco will serve an 80-game drug suspension.

The Twins are no juggernaut, yet they are a good team and it shouldn’t be overlooked that they’ll play 57 games combined against the rebuilding Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals. Few seem to be picking them for a Wild Card, but I wouldn’t be so quick to count them out.

AL East

The 2018 AL East looks set to be a heavyweight fight between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. We’ve been there before a few times.

The other three teams have all taken turns at upsetting the order in recent years. I wouldn’t say any had a great chance at doing that this time around, yet if I had to pick a team that would be worth watching it would be the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Edwin Encarnacion-Jose Bautista Blue Jays have gone, with neither player now with the club and fellow star Josh Donaldson heading for free agency at the end of the 2018 season. Nothing lasts forever. Toronto had a really good team there for a few years but many of the leading players are now either gone, past their best or potentially heading towards an exit.

That makes the Blue Jays’ season all the more intriguing. Are they going to slip back again or do they have one last hurrah in them?

They haven’t made any impressive additions to their roster: tinkering with the bullpen, adding a couple of former Cardinals in Randall Grichuk and Aledmys Garcia, and signing veteran Curtis Granderson. They do still have good players on the roster though and will look even better if Aaron Sanchez’s blister issues can be a thing of the past. If not, June and July could be dominated by rumours of where Donaldson will be traded to.

NL East

Picking ‘another team’ from the NL East is a difficult task. The Washington Nationals were a country mile ahead of the rest of their division last year and that doesn’t look like changing in 2018.  The Miami Marlins finished second last year – yes, that surprised me too when I checked – but we all know what’s happened there over the off-season (fire sale number 4 or 5, it’s hard to keep count).

So, you’ve got the young talent of the Atlanta Braves, the young talent and two good free agent additions in the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets.  Let’s go with the latter.

The period from mid-2015 to mid-2016 was a lot of fun for the Mets. They went to a World Series in October 2015 and then saw the Yankees trading away players the following summer.  It looked like the city was the Mets’s.

Well that didn’t last very long, did it? The Yankees, in a way that only the Yankees could, rapidly turned a rebuild into a strong Major League roster and loaded farm system.  The Mets lost the 2016 NL Wild Card game and then fell apart in 2017.

Frustratingly for their fans, they haven’t responded aggressively to this turn of events.  Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier are solid, experienced players, but they’re not going to convince a fan base that a team that lost 92 games last year is going to explode back into life.

As ever with these Mets, it all comes down to the starting rotation. If Syndergaard, deGrom, Harvey and Matz can make 100+ starts, and more starts than not reflecting their talent, then they’ll be a Wild Card threat. Mets fans have seen enough to be excited whilst also not being willing to bet their own money on it happening.

NL Central

Just as the Twins sprang a surprise in the AL Central, the Milwaukee Brewers were more competitive than most predicted in the NL Central last season.

Just as the Twins, the Brewers now have some expectations to live up to and, just as the Twins, they’ve not sat back and let the pack pass them.  However, they haven’t made the depth of signings as others and that may be their undoing, especially with Jimmy Nelson working his way back from shoulder surgery.

Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich are an excellent pair of signings to add to the outfield and the top of their batting order. It’s still not completely clear how the roster will shake out from there, with the original plan for Ryan Braun to play some first base already looking like an experiment too far.

It’s far from the worst problem to have as the outfield recruits offer plenty of reason to be excited for the Brew Crew, yet you get the sense that having started to push chips into the middle of the table, Milwaukee might have been better off – if not quite going all in – at least reaching for another starting pitcher to add to the group.

Within their division, you could argue they haven’t given up much to the St Louis Cardinals as they’ve also added an outfielder from the Marlins (Marcell Ozuna) but little else. Whether that’s going to be enough to beat others to a Wild Card remains to be seen.

NL West

I started planning this column in the middle of the week and had already decided to pick the San Francisco Giants for this spot.

Little did I know that the last few days would add more uncertainty to the Giants’ season.

Looking at 2017 in isolation you could say that everything fell apart for San Francisco and that wouldn’t be far from the truth.  What that disguises somewhat is that things started going awry in the second half of 2016. There was no ‘even year’ World Series that time around, they lost 11 of 13 after the All-Star break, and went 30-42 in total, to go from a 6.5 game lead at the top of the West to finishing four games behind the Dodgers.

Over the current off-season there was a clear decision to give it one last go with the Posey-Bumgarner-Crawford team and so trades were made to bring in experienced campaigners Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen.  Reliever Tony Watson was also signed as a free agent to add a quality lefty to the mix, hopefully behind last year’s big recruit Mark Melcancon if he’s fully recovered from forearm surgery.

But then it was announced that Jeff Samrdzija will miss several weeks with a strained pectoral injury and Madison Bumgarner took a line drive back on his left hand that fractured his little finger and could keep him out for the best part of two months.  Their Opening Day four-man rotation will consist of Johnny Cueto followed by Ty Blach, Chris Stratton and Derek Holland, which is a clear drop-off from what might have been.

The two starters shouldn’t have any lingering issues from their ailments so if the team can hold steady then they could build into the season and make a Wild Card run in the second half.  However, there’s an increased injury risk with a veteran team and their chances will depend on keeping their best players on the field, something that hasn’t started well.

The route to the 2020 Olympics is set out for European nations

Everyone’s focus is mainly on club baseball at this time of year, with Major League Baseball’s Opening Day soon to be upon us and British teams playing friendlies as the gear up for the start of the domestic season in early April.

However, some significant international baseball (and softball) news has just been announced. The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) has confirmed the qualification process for the 2020 Olympics.

Baseball and softball were last in the Olympics in 2008 and they’ve been given another chance by virtue of their popularity in the host nation, Japan.

The full details can be found in the news article on the WBSC website.  Our focus is of course on Great Britain and the potential route to an Olympic appearance for European teams.

The first challenge is to finish in the top 5 of the European Baseball Championships. Those teams will go on to an Africa/Europe qualifier alongside the winner of the African Baseball Championship/Qualifier 2019.  The winner of that six-team event will qualify for the Olympics.

The runner-up will go into a six-team Intercontinental Qualifier alongside the 2nd and 3rd Place finishers from the Americas Qualifier, the top two finishers from the Asian Championship 2019 (not including nations already qualified for Tokyo 2020) and the winner of Oceania Qualifier 2019.

So that’s the route the European teams will need to navigate to get to Tokyo 2020.  If we look at the standings from the last five European Championships we’ll see who the favourites to get through to the Africa/Euro Qualifier will be.

16P16T14P14T12P12T10P1007P07T
1Netherlands1Netherlands1Italy1Italy1 Netherlands
2Spain2Italy2Netherlands2Netherlands2 Great Britain
3Italy3Spain3Spain3Germany3 Spain
4Germany4Czech Republic4Germany4Greece4 Germany
5Czech Republic5Germany5Czech Republic5Sweden5 France
6Belgium6France6Sweden6France6 Sweden
7France7Belgium7Greece7Czech Republic7 Italy
8Sweden8Russia8France8Great Britain8 Croatia
9Great Britain9Great Britain9Belgium9Belgium9 Ukraine
10Croatia10Greece10Croatia9Spain10 Russia
11Greece11Sweden11Great Britain11Croatia11 Austria
12Russia12Croatia12Russia11Ukraine12 Czech Republic

The same five teams have been in the top five in the past three Euros: Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Germany and the Czech Republic.  Something disastrous would have to happen for the first two not to make it.  Spain had a blip in 2010, but you would expect them to at least be best of the rest and Germany haven’t been out of the top five during that period.  The Czech Republic have really raised their levels over the past 10-15 years and they’ve got three consecutive top five finishes against their name.

All of which shows the rest of the teams are going to have to go some to knock the existing top five out of Olympic contention.

Great Britain haven’t been too close to the top five in recent years so there is plenty of work to do, yet the outstanding silver medal from 2007 shows that it is possible for a team to have a great tournament and upset the odds.  Liam Carroll’s team will be aiming to do just that in Germany next year.

BGB Fantasy League 2018: Draft Recap

It started with a Yankee, ended with a Met and involved 238 other players in between. Here’s how the 2018 BaseballGB Fantasy League draft unfolded.

I had done three mock drafts in preparation for our live online draft, one picking second out of 12 teams, the others at seventh and 11th. I liked the team from seventh most of all, partly because picking regularly allowed you more chances to change strategies and focus between different positions without having to wait long times between picks.

So when I logged into the draft room I looked at the randomly drawn draft order and found my team picking third. Surely a case of hovering the mouse over Nolan Arenado’s name and waiting to click. But not so fast…

 

Round 1
1. Aaron Judge(NYY – OF) Richie’s RBI’s
2. Mike Trout(LAA – CF) The Bath Bom…
3. José Altuve(Hou – 2B) Orpington Is…
4. Nolan Arenado(Col – 3B) Beckenham A&…
5. Trea Turner(Was – SS) Newcastle Kn…
6. Giancarlo Stanton(NYY – OF) Mighty Slugs
7. Bryce Harper(Was – OF) Norwich No II
8. Clayton Kershaw(LAD – SP) Weston-Super…
9. Charlie Blackmon(Col – CF) Batteries Es…
10. J.D. Martinez(Bos – OF) Cheshunt Mal…
11. Mookie Betts(Bos – OF) Durham River…
12. Max Scherzer(Was – SP) The Cheddar …

 

The RBIs were first up, and Yankees fan Richie sprang a surprise by taking Aaron Judge first overall. I must admit at being surprised that Judge was ranked 17th by Yahoo as his enormous power would justify a much higher place in my opinion. I’m not sure I would have taken him first overall, but if he hits 50 homers who can argue. This left the Bombers with Trout second and suddenly I had an alternative to Arenado in Altuve.

Knowing there were plenty of decent 3B options in later rounds that I would be comfortable with, I opted for Altuve’s combination of power, average and speed. It’s not long before another Yankee goes, as Stanton is picked by the Slugs. Again, I thought Stanton’s Yahoo ranking was a touch low, and can understand why you would go for him over someone like Betts, who fell to 11th overall, one place behind JD Martinez. Scherzer joined Kershaw as the first two pitchers taken.

 

Round 2
1. Paul Goldschmidt(Ari – 1B) The Cheddar …
2. Corey Kluber(Cle – SP) Durham River…
3. Joey Votto(Cin – 1B) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Chris Sale(Bos – SP) Batteries Es…
5. Kris Bryant(ChC – 3B,OF) Weston-Super…
6. Freddie Freeman(Atl – 1B,3B) Norwich No II
7. Anthony Rizzo(ChC – 1B,2B) Mighty Slugs
8. Manny Machado(Bal – 3B) Newcastle Kn…
9. Carlos Correa(Hou – SS) Beckenham A&…
10. Francisco Lindor(Cle – SS) Orpington Is…
11. Gary Sánchez(NYY – C) The Bath Bom…
12. Luis Severino(NYY – SP) Richie’s RBI’s

There were a bunch of quality infielders available in round two and I’m sure the Chasers and Maltsters will be very happy to get Goldschmidt and Votto here as I thought they may well have gone in round one. An early rush on aces saw Kluber and Sale selected and as the snake made its way back to me there were a number of great shortstop options on the board.

I had hoped that one of Machado, Correa or Lindor would fall to me, and when the Knights and A&E Dept made their choices my mind was made up for me. No doubt frustrated at seeing Gary Sanchez drafted just before his turn, the Bombers took Severino, which was a little early but he is still a solid staff ace.

 

Round 3
1. Joey Gallo(Tex – 1B,3B,OF) Richie’s RBI’s
2. Noah Syndergaard(NYM – SP) The Bath Bom…
3. Stephen Strasburg(Was – SP) Orpington Is…
4. Madison Bumgarner(SF – SP) Beckenham A&…
5. José Ramírez(Cle – 2B,3B) Newcastle Kn…
6. Josh Donaldson(Tor – 3B) Mighty Slugs
7. George Springer(Hou – CF) Norwich No II
8. Cody Bellinger(LAD – 1B,OF) Weston-Super…
9. José Abreu(CWS – 1B) Batteries Es…
10. Nelson Cruz(Sea – OF) Cheshunt Mal…
11. Alex Bregman(Hou – 3B,SS) Durham River…
12. Brian Dozier(Min – 2B) The Cheddar …

The RBIs reached down the rankings a fair way with the choice of Gallo. He brings enormous power and positional flexibility but the low average is a concern and I’m sure he would have still be around towards the middle of the draft. I decide to take my first pitcher in Strasburg but was seriously tempted to grab Bellinger. With a long wait before my round four pick, I just couldn’t risk seeing Strasburg or my other ace options vanish, so I pick the Nat and hope to get a power bat next time round.

 

Round 4
1. Dee Gordon(Sea – 2B) The Cheddar …
2. Corey Seager(LAD – SS) Durham River…
3. Kenley Jansen(LAD – RP) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Justin Verlander(Hou – SP) Batteries Es…
5. Jacob deGrom(NYM – SP) Weston-Super…
6. Anthony Rendon(Was – 3B) Norwich No II
7. Rhys Hoskins(Phi – 1B,OF) Mighty Slugs
8. Edwin Encarnacion(Cle – 1B) Newcastle Kn…
9. Carlos Carrasco(Cle – SP) Beckenham A&…
10. Justin Upton(LAA – OF) Orpington Is…
11. Marcell Ozuna(StL – OF) The Bath Bom…
12. Yu Darvish(ChC – SP) Richie’s RBI’s

Seeing Verlander, deGrom and Carrasco fly off the board, I feel my decision to take Strasburg when I did is justified. I had hoped for Encarnacion’s power but the Knights beat me to him. It’s a coin flip between Upton, Ozuna and Yelich but I go for Upton’s track record and ability to chip in with steals. Other picks of note see the Chasers take Gordon’s speed and future CF eligibility, the Slugs opt for the Phillies slugger Hoskins and Jansen becomes the first closer to be drafted.

 

Round 5
1. Tyler Wade(NYY – 2B) Richie’s RBI’s
2. Robbie Ray(Ari – SP) The Bath Bom…
3. Christian Yelich(Mil – CF) Orpington Is…
4. Billy Hamilton(Cin – CF) Beckenham A&…
5. Carlos Martínez(StL – SP) Newcastle Kn…
6. Willson Contreras(ChC – C) Mighty Slugs
7. Khris Davis(Oak – OF) Norwich No II
8. Starling Marte(Pit – CF) Weston-Super…
9. Andrew Benintendi(Bos – CF) Batteries Es…
10. Craig Kimbrel(Bos – RP) Cheshunt Mal…
11. Chris Archer(TB – SP) Durham River…
12. Byron Buxton(Min – CF) The Cheddar …

The RBIs start round five with a huge surprise, taking Tyler Wade. Wade may get some playing time to start the season in New York but the presence of Drury, Walker and two good prospects in Andujar and Torres means he will have a fight on his hands to keep his job. Wade would still have been available at the tail end of the draft and there were still plenty of other 2B available with a much stronger track record.

Surprisingly, Yelich is still available when my turn arrives, and after also considering Benintendi, Buxton and Marte, I picked Yelich and crossed the CF position off my to-do list. I am aware that I had not started to fill in my infield corners yet but will hope to do so before too long. I think I need another SP first, though.This round saw five CFs drafted while the Maltsters follow the selection of Jansen with that of Kimbrel for a lethal 1-2 bullpen combination.

 

Round 6
1. Aaron Nola(Phi – SP) The Cheddar …
2. Aroldis Chapman(NYY – RP) Durham River…
3. Tommy Pham(StL – CF) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Robinson Canó(Sea – 2B) Batteries Es…
5. Justin Turner(LAD – 3B) Weston-Super…
6. Jonathan Schoop(Bal – 2B) Norwich No II
7. Miguel Cabrera(Det – 1B) Mighty Slugs
8. José Quintana(ChC – SP) Newcastle Kn…
9. Wil Myers(SD – 1B) Beckenham A&…
10. Zack Greinke(Ari – SP) Orpington Is…
11. Xander Bogaerts(Bos – SS) The Bath Bom…
12. Didi Gregorius(NYY – SS) Richie’s RBI’s

Looking at the corner infield options, I wonder what to do if Cabrera or the now injured Justin Turner are available when it is my turn, but the Sox (absent from the draft, along with Batteries Essential) and Slugs make things easier for me. Greinke as my second starter it is. Schoop’s been an underrated player for a few years now so nice to see him get his due with a round six pick by Norwich while Gregorius, again ranked slightly low in Yahoo for my liking, goes to the RBIs.

 

Round 7
1. Travis Shaw(Mil – 3B) Richie’s RBI’s
2. Corey Knebel(Mil – RP) The Bath Bom…
3. Yoenis Céspedes(NYM – OF) Orpington Is…
4. Andrew McCutchen(SF – CF) Beckenham A&…
5. A.J. Pollock(Ari – CF) Newcastle Kn…
6. Dallas Keuchel(Hou – SP) Mighty Slugs
7. Roberto Osuna(Tor – RP) Norwich No II
8. Elvis Andrus(Tex – SS) Weston-Super…
9. Daniel Murphy(Was – 2B) Batteries Es…
10. Andrew Miller(Cle – RP) Cheshunt Mal…
11. Whit Merrifield(KC – 2B,OF) Durham River…
12. Buster Posey(SF – C,1B) The Cheddar …

Here’s where things start to get a bit tricky for my team, as the gaps at 1B and 3B are still an issue. The next best 1B or 3B in the rankings is Posey and as good as he is at C he won’t provide the kind of HR pop I’d like from 1B. Hosmer is available, as is Sano, but I would have to ignore some decent OF options to get him. I decide to change my plans and take Cespedes to complete my OF, having also considered Domingo Santana. Three more closers are taken this round while Batteries Essential could get nice value from the Murphy autopick here provided he is not missing injured for too long.

 

Round 8
1. Lorenzo Cain(Mil – CF) The Cheddar …
2. James Paxton(Sea – SP) Durham River…
3. Eric Hosmer(SD – 1B) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Domingo Santana(Mil – OF) Batteries Es…
5. Gerrit Cole(Hou – SP) Weston-Super…
6. Masahiro Tanaka(NYY – SP) Norwich No II
7. José Berríos(Min – SP) Mighty Slugs
8. Ryan Braun(Mil – OF) Newcastle Kn…
9. Edwin Díaz(Sea – RP) Beckenham A&…
10. Yasiel Puig(LAD – OF) Orpington Is…
11. DJ LeMahieu(Col – 2B) The Bath Bom…
12. Chris Taylor(LAD – 2B,SS,CF) Richie’s RBI’s

It’s not long before Santana and Hosmer are snapped up and after three SPs go in a row I find myself torn between Sano and Puig. Sano gives 1B and 3B flexibility but I am a huge Puig fan. Even though I will still be left with a corner infield headache, I just can’t pass on Puig, and fill my UT spot. But I have to get a 1B or 3B next time, no matter what.

 

Round 9
1. Ken Giles(Hou – RP) Richie’s RBI’s
2. Lance McCullers Jr.(Hou – SP) The Bath Bom…
3. Miguel Sanó(Min – 1B,3B) Orpington Is…
4. Cody Allen(Cle – RP) Beckenham A&…
5. Jake Arrieta(Phi – SP) Newcastle Kn…
6. Sean Doolittle(Was – RP) Mighty Slugs
7. Felipe Rivero(Pit – RP) Norwich No II
8. Shohei Ohtani (Pitcher)(LAA – SP) Weston-Super…
9. Adrián Béltre(Tex – 3B) Batteries Es…
10. Rafael Devers(Bos – 3B) Cheshunt Mal…
11. Ender Inciarte(Atl – CF) Durham River…
12. Kyle Seager(Sea – 3B) The Cheddar …

Expecting to have to decide between Devers or Beltre, I quickly grab Sano when he is still available in round nine. I had considered Arrieta here but had to fill in my infield. It is just as well as three 3B are drafted afterwards. The Sox get Ohtani the pitcher with an autodraft. Four more closers are grabbed this round. Having been able to wait until round 11 in my mocks before taking my first reliever, I know I will need one soon. I could go for a third SP or with any luck Brad Hand might still be on the board…

 

Round 10
1. Javier Báez(ChC – 2B,SS) The Cheddar …
2. Raisel Iglesias(Cin – RP) Durham River…
3. Luis Castillo(Cin – SP) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Jean Segura(Sea – SS) Batteries Es…
5. Rougned Odor(Tex – 2B) Weston-Super…
6. Trevor Story(Col – SS) Norwich No II
7. Ronald Acuña Jr.(Atl – CF) Mighty Slugs
8. Brad Hand(SD – RP) Newcastle Kn…
9. Kyle Hendricks(ChC – SP) Beckenham A&…
10. Alex Wood(LAD – SP) Orpington Is…
11. Carlos Santana(Phi – 1B,OF) The Bath Bom…
12. Salvador Perez(KC – C) Richie’s RBI’s

… but the Knights scupper that plan. After Hendricks is drafted I opt for Wood, having also been tempted by Smoak and Moustakas and Lester. The Slugs pick Acuna Jr, the top prospect in the game who should not be in the minors for long. A closer is my next priority.

 

Round 11
1. David Price(Bos – SP,RP) Richie’s RBI’s
2. Mike Moustakas(KC – 3B) The Bath Bom…
3. Alex Colomé(TB – RP) Orpington Is…
4. Matt Carpenter(StL – 1B,2B,3B) Beckenham A&…
5. Matt Olson(Oak – 1B,OF) Newcastle Kn…
6. Jon Lester(ChC – SP) Mighty Slugs
7. Rich Hill(LAD – SP) Norwich No II
8. Adam Jones(Bal – CF) Weston-Super…
9. Zack Godley(Ari – SP) Batteries Es…
10. Ian Happ(ChC – 2B,CF) Cheshunt Mal…
11. Greg Bird(NYY – 1B) Durham River…
12. Luke Weaver(StL – SP) The Cheddar …

I reach down the rankings somewhat to get Colome but just could not afford to wait any longer for a closer. The RBIs drafted a Red Sox player in Price while the Maltsters take Happ, who looks in line for regular playing time with the Cubs at the top of their lineup.

 

Round 12
1. Sonny Gray(NYY – SP) The Cheddar …
2. Jay Bruce(NYM – 1B,OF) Durham River…
3. Marwin González(Hou – 1B,2B,3B,SS,OF) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Wade Davis(Col – RP) Batteries Es…
5. Gregory Polanco(Pit – OF) Weston-Super…
6. Nicholas Castellanos(Det – 3B,OF) Norwich No II
7. Garrett Richards(LAA – SP) Mighty Slugs
8. Brandon Morrow(ChC – RP) Newcastle Kn…
9. Kyle Schwarber(ChC – OF) Beckenham A&…
10. J.T. Realmuto(Mia – C,1B) Orpington Is…
11. Ian Desmond(Col – 1B,OF) The Bath Bom…
12. Nomar Mazara(Tex – OF) Richie’s RBI’s

My hopes of getting my second corner infielder reduce with Bruce and Castellano both being drafted in round 12 but it does mean that Realmuto is still there when my turn comes around. I don’t normally like taking a catcher this early but JT is an exception to my rule. Plus, with Zimmerman, Lamb and Smoak still available for my next pick soon afterwards, I would have to be really unlucky for all of them to be drafted.

 

Round 13
1. Dellin Betances(NYY – RP) Richie’s RBI’s
2. Héctor Neris(Phi – RP) The Bath Bom…
3. Ryan Zimmerman(Was – 1B) Orpington Is…
4. Justin Smoak(Tor – 1B) Beckenham A&…
5. Johnny Cueto(SF – SP) Newcastle Kn…
6. Paul DeJong(StL – 2B,SS) Mighty Slugs
7. Jeff Samardzija(SF – SP) Norwich No II
8. Arodys Vizcaíno(Atl – RP) Weston-Super…
9. Danny Duffy(KC – SP) Batteries Es…
10. Trevor Bauer(Cle – SP) Cheshunt Mal…
11. Anthony Swarzak(NYM – RP) Durham River…
12. Adam Duvall(Cin – OF) The Cheddar …

Finally my corner infield is filled as I hover between Smoak and Zimmerman before choosing the latter. Smoak goes the very next pick. I start thinking ahead for my second closer, which would prove to be a very tough call. Neris and Vizcaino are taken this round, so would my other options still be around?

 

Round 14
1. Jameson Taillon(Pit – SP) The Cheddar …
2. Yoán Moncada(CWS – 2B) Durham River…
3. Gio González(Was – SP) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Kelvin Herrera(KC – RP) Batteries Es…
5. Jeurys Familia(NYM – RP) Weston-Super…
6. Eddie Rosario(Min – CF) Norwich No II
7. Michael Conforto(NYM – CF) Mighty Slugs
8. Jon Gray(Col – SP) Newcastle Kn…
9. Marcus Stroman(Tor – SP) Beckenham A&…
10. Fernando Rodney(Min – RP) Orpington Is…
11. Manuel Margot(SD – CF) The Bath Bom…
12. Delino DeShields(Tex – CF) Richie’s RBI’s

In a word, no. Having hoped for Herrera or Familia, it is a real blow when they go in consecutive picks. I’m left with a choice between Rodney and Bradley, who has not yet been named the Arizona closer. Rodney’s ERA is high, his WHIP is OK, but can he be trusted to hold the job with the Twins?

I reluctantly take Rodney with the aim of backing him up with Addison Reed if I can later in the draft. But I still need to fill out my rotation before thinking about set-up relievers. Some interesting picks in this round which could really pay dividends are Riverkings going for Moncada, Norwich taking Rosario and the Slugs backing Conforto to recover from injury. If I hadn’t already filled my OF, I would have been very tempted to do the same given the chance.

 

Round 15
1. Mike Clevinger(Cle – SP,RP) Richie’s RBI’s
2. Cole Hamels(Tex – SP) The Bath Bom…
3. Kenta Maeda(LAD – SP) Orpington Is…
4. Archie Bradley(Ari – RP) Beckenham A&…
5. Kevin Kiermaier(TB – CF) Newcastle Kn…
6. Kevin Gausman(Bal – SP) Mighty Slugs
7. Chase Anderson(Mil – SP) Norwich No II
8. Evan Gattis(Hou – C) Weston-Super…
9. Wilson Ramos(TB – C) Batteries Es…
10. Mike Zunino(Sea – C) Cheshunt Mal…
11. Blake Snell(TB – SP) Durham River…
12. Blake Treinen(Oak – RP) The Cheddar …

With the Bombers taking Hamels, I opt for Maeda as my fourth starter with Bradley going the next pick. I really like the Kiermaier pick for the Knights here, a really underrated player with power and speed who just needs to avoid injury. Three catchers go in a row.

 

Round 16
1. Brad Brach(Bal – RP) The Cheddar …
2. Carl Edwards Jr.(ChC – RP) Durham River…
3. Ryan Madson(Was – RP) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Brett Gardner(NYY – CF) Batteries Es…
5. Jake Lamb(Ari – 3B) Weston-Super…
6. Mark Melancon(SF – RP) Norwich No II
7. David Robertson(NYY – RP) Mighty Slugs
8. Cam Bedrosian(LAA – RP) Newcastle Kn…
9. Danny Salazar(Cle – SP) Beckenham A&…
10. Charlie Morton(Hou – SP) Orpington Is…
11. Bradley Zimmer(Cle – CF) The Bath Bom…
12. Tyler Chatwood(ChC – SP,RP) Richie’s RBI’s

Half of this round is dominated by relievers and as much as I am tempted to join the party and grab Reed here I decide that the rotation must come first with Morton. Zimmer is a nice pick for the Bombers as he was looking impressive before his injury last year.

 

Round 17
1. Aaron Sanchez(Tor – SP) Richie’s RBI’s
2. Addison Reed(Min – RP) The Bath Bom…
3. Taijuan Walker(Ari – SP) Orpington Is…
4. Dinelson Lamet(SD – SP) Beckenham A&…
5. Michael Wacha(StL – SP) Newcastle Kn…
6. Jake Faria(TB – SP) Mighty Slugs
7. Josh Hader(Mil – RP) Norwich No II
8. Ian Kinsler(LAA – 2B) Weston-Super…
9. Evan Longoria(SF – 3B) Batteries Es…
10. Michael Fulmer(Det – SP) Cheshunt Mal…
11. Trey Mancini(Bal – 1B,OF) Durham River…
12. Brad Ziegler(Mia – RP) The Cheddar …

A disastrous start to this round for my team as Sanchez, my next SP target, is nabbed by the RBIs and the Bombers take Reed next. After a series of curses, I consider Fulmer but opt for Walker. That leaves me with three picks left, and I need two set-up relievers and a bench bat.

 

Round 18
1. Jacob Barnes(Mil – RP) The Cheddar …
2. Lucas Giolito(CWS – SP) Durham River…
3. Dylan Bundy(Bal – SP) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Josh Bell(Pit – 1B) Batteries Es…
5. Chris Davis(Bal – 1B) Weston-Super…
6. Jordan Montgomery(NYY – SP) Norwich No II
7. Keone Kela(Tex – RP) Mighty Slugs
8. Eduardo Núñez(Bos – 2B,3B,SS,OF) Newcastle Kn…
9. Drew Pomeranz(Bos – SP) Beckenham A&…
10. Luke Gregerson(StL – RP) Orpington Is…
11. Ozzie Albies(Atl – 2B) The Bath Bom…
12. Scooter Gennett(Cin – 2B,3B,OF) Richie’s RBI’s

This round leaves me torn between taking a holds option or adding an extra closer. Not having much faith in Rodney, should I take Gregerson for extra saves (for the time being, at least) or is that just making things worse? I bite the bullet and take Gregerson, knowing that if he is replaced as Cardinals closer I will need to act quickly. I like the Bell autopick for Batteries Essential here, as he looks capable of improving his power numbers in the middle of the Pirates new-look lineup.

 

Round 19
1. Adam Eaton(Was – CF) Richie’s RBI’s
2. Blake Parker(LAA – RP) The Bath Bom…
3. Chris Devenski(Hou – RP) Orpington Is…
4. Rick Porcello(Bos – SP) Beckenham A&…
5. Kyle Barraclough(Mia – RP) Newcastle Kn…
6. Jedd Gyorko(StL – 1B,2B,3B) Mighty Slugs
7. Welington Castillo(CWS – C) Norwich No II
8. Justin Bour(Mia – 1B) Weston-Super…
9. Steven Souza Jr.(Ari – OF) Batteries Es…
10. Brad Peacock(Hou – SP,RP) Cheshunt Mal…
11. Yadier Molina(StL – C) Durham River…
12. Scott Schebler(Cin – CF) The Cheddar …

With my penultimate pick, I opt for Devenski to give me some holds and strikeouts. There are still some other pitchers I have in my queue for my final pick, but I will need a bench bat of some description. I add Gyorko to my queue only for the Slugs to draft him almost instantly. Batteries Essential get some nice late-round power and speed from Souza.

 

Round 20
1. Lance Lynn(Min – SP) The Cheddar …
2. Sean Manaea(Oak – SP) Durham River…
3. Burch Smith(KC – SP,RP) Cheshunt Mal…
4. Odúbel Herrera(Phi – CF) Batteries Es…
5. Dexter Fowler(StL – CF) Weston-Super…
6. A.J. Minter(Atl – RP) Norwich No II
7. Alex Cobb(Bal – SP) Mighty Slugs
8. Yasmani Grandal(LAD – C) Newcastle Kn…
9. Brian McCann(Hou – C) Beckenham A&…
10. Eugenio Suárez(Cin – 3B) Orpington Is…
11. Carlos González(Col – OF) The Bath Bom…
12. Asdrúbal Cabrera(NYM – 2B,3B,SS) Richie’s RBI’s

It’s hard to know what to do with my last pick. Do you go for flexibility with someone you can plug into multiple positions or do you go for the best player available? In the end, I go for Suarez’s power at 3B, which could be handy if Sano is suspended after assault allegations. I like the Lynn pick here for the Chasers as I believe he will thrive being a year removed from his injury, pitching in a spacious stadium and with a very athletic defense behind him.

Getting Cobb this late is nice work by the Slugs while the Knights and A&E Dept prove you really can leave taking a catcher to the end and get a decent option. As the RBIs take Cabrera, the draft is done in a little over 90 minutes.

Team summaries

RBIs: Lots of power, decent speed but average may be an issue. Top three in rotation are good. Just one closer and one set-up reliever. May need to reduce number of bench hitters.

Bombers: Good power, decent offense across the board. Like the starters and bullpen but may need an extra arm or two.

Isotopes: Very happy with the offense and the rotation’s pretty strong. Bullpen after Colome is a concern though.

A&E Dept: Power and speed shouldn’t be a problem but a few low average hitters. Very good pitching depth, quality rotation and two good closers.

Knights: Lots of speed and power. If Machado’s average rebounds and Pollock stays fit, look out. Very solid pitching staff with good rotation depth.

Slugs: Takes full advantage of Rizzo’s 2B eligibility. Lacking a .300 hitter unless Cabrera rebounds. Plenty of power but not much speed. Rotation decent but only one closer.

Norwich: Stacked with power but could use Story and Davis lifting their averages. Not much speed. Two good closers but rotation lacking genuine ace.

Sox: Considering it was an autodraft, not too bad. Surplus of bench hitters could be used as trade bait. Powerful infield and just enough speed. Pitching staff high on quality with great 1-2 punch in Kershaw and deGrom plus two closers. Need extra arms though.

Batteries Essential: Another autodraft. Should hit well for average plus nice power/speed combo in the outfield. Pitching staff has good quality SP and two closers. Needs set-up relievers and extra SPs though. Surplus hitters as trade bait?

Maltsters: Five .300+ hitters in a well-balanced offense. May have the best bullpen in the league but rotation is lacking a genuine ace.

Riverkings: Youthful team banking could be boosted further with good years from Bird and Moncada. Just one .300 hitter and one 30+ HR hitter. Young back of rotation could go either way.

Chasers: Powerful infield and could be tough to beat in steals. Rotation is decent. Not many big names in the bullpen but could still be effective.

The week one matchups, running from March 29 to Apr 8 are:

Isotopes v Batteries Essential

A&E Dept v Chasers

Maltsters v Bombers

Riverkings v RBIs

Slugs v Norwich

Knights v Sox

Red Sox and Yankees heading to London in 2019?

As you likely would have already seen, Bloomberg and other US news outlets reported late on Monday that plans are close to being agreed for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees to play two games at the London Olympic Stadium next year.

The news isn’t really a surprise. Back in December 2016 it was being reported that the Red Sox and Yankees were two of teams that were most involved in plans to come across to London, with senior figures being quoted about this potentially leading to the two teams bringing their rivalry to the UK.

At the time it looked more likely that the two teams would come across separately – with London games on the provisional list for 2020 too – and that they would face a team such as the Tampa Bay Rays for whom losing a couple of home games would be less of a high profile issue.

Instead, it does now look like the Red Sox and Yankees will face each other after all if the logistics can be figured out and games are staged here next year.

That would be great news for us to have two of the marquee teams coming across and is a statement of intent from MLB that they are serious in getting as much publicity out of the games as possible. So from our perspective – other than a bit of disappointment if you support one of the other 28 teams – that’s exciting.

General reaction among U.S. Red Sox and Yankee fans has not been as kind to the news though and that’s a good reminder that for this to really work, it has to be something that works on both sides of the Atlantic.

Ten years ago the Premier League floated the idea of taking games to foreign shores by introducing a 39th game, knowing that the prospect of taking away one of a team’s existing 19 home games would have been strongly opposed. Even that concession was not enough to prevent a torrent of criticism that resulted in the plans being shelved.

Fans in the States have no great reason to care about expanding MLB into Europe, much as it makes such a difference to us. If it effects their enjoyment of watching their team then they’re not going to like the idea regardless of the wider benefits to baseball.

MLB teams play 162 games in a season so you could argue staging a couple in another country shouldn’t make much difference, but taking away two of the 19 contests between the Red Sox and Yankees is bound to create negativity among some of their fans. You’d imagine it would involve both teams giving up a home game (some reports are now claiming that actually they will both be Boston home games) and so fans at Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium would have to accept they’ll get eight home games against their bitter rival rather than nine.

The bigger issue is how it could affect the teams when it comes to fitting the games into their schedule and any fall-out from this (or assumed fall-out) on their regular season campaigns.  A follow-up from NY Post’s Joel Sherman made the point that there are still plenty of logistical matters to be worked out.

The problem is that playing games at the end of Spring Training, as MLB has done with series in Japan and Australia, isn’t a great option thanks to the likelihood that British weather won’t be baseball weather at the end of March.

The obvious solution is to play a series at one side of the All-Star break in July as that would make it easier to build in the travel to the schedule; however that doesn’t appear to be an option that would fit in with other plans for the Olympic Stadium.  June is the provisional month on the cards and it’s going to be interesting to see how they make that work.

Thinking it through, the least amount of off-days needed probably would be two: a day-game in the States on Thursday, arrive into the UK on Friday morning for a day off, play games on Saturday and Sunday then a travel day on Monday to head back to play their next game on Tuesday night. Even that would be a tight turnaround with the time difference factored in, so you’d maybe need a doubleheader in there too (the Wednesday before so they arrive into the UK on Thursday, or the Wednesday after so they don’t have to play on the Tuesday night when they return).

For players who like to stick to their routines, and fans used to watching their team playing pretty much every day, that’s going to be a major talking point and one that MLB will need to be mindful of, communicating the plan on how to make it work and the benefits of the trip.

The New York Mets are the other team who have been most closely linked with playing in the UK, not least when London Mayor Sadiq Khan threw at the ceremonial first pitch at Citi Field last year. If the 2019 games do go ahead and work well, the smart money would be on Mets vs Nationals or Phillies for 2020 (I’d guess giving up homes games at newish publicly-funded ballparks would be an issue for the Braves and Marlins, although you can never count anything out with Miami).

We’re getting ahead of ourselves there though. It hasn’t officially been confirmed that games will be played in London in 2019, let alone 2020, but all signs are pointing to the Red Sox and Yankees taking to a diamond in London next June.

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Real-life injuries being a fantasy nightmare

At this time of year, most baseball fans are thinking about their fantasy team rosters as much as the General Managers of real-life MLB teams are thinking about theirs.

Whether it’s a dynasty competition, you’ve already completed a draft already or have one or more to come, there’s lots to consider and Spring Training has a habit of adding a large dollop of confusion into the mix.

My main fantasy competition, the BGB Fantasy League, has its draft this coming week.  I’ve done some mock drafts in preparation and have a good idea of players that I think offer value – and just as importantly ones who I don’t – yet if there’s one thing that you can never fully be on top of it’s this: injuries.

Injuries are a constant source of concern because nobody can truly tell if somebody is about to be out of action. There may be signs in some cases – a loss of velocity by a pitcher, perhaps – but one throw, one swing, one stride can turn a seemingly perfectly healthy player into a Disabled List statistic.

And Spring Training makes that process even more difficult. Everything is geared towards the regular season, so teams understandably are very cautious about any signs of trouble. A slight hamstring tweak that wouldn’t be acknowledged at all when real games are at stake may become a news item and a precursor for a few days’ rest in spring.  What should we brush aside as inconsequential, or start fretting about as an issue that may linger?

Often, none of us can be completely sure.

Certainty can often be seen as a good thing; however in fantasy baseball terms that depends on your competition and draft date.

Just yesterday a potential injury was confirmed as it was announced that Oakland A’s pitcher Jharel Cotton will undergo Tommy John elbow surgery. In fantasy terms, Cotton wouldn’t have figured too highly on draft lists outside of deeper AL-only leagues and I’m using this example more with my A’s hat on (the fact that I wasn’t sure quite what performance he would bring this season doesn’t alter me being gutted that ‘Squeaky’ faces over a year out).  Even so, fantasy owners know he’s out of the equation and can plan around that.=, provided they haven’t used a draft pick on the player already.

With other players, you’re not quite so sure.

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Zack Greinke made an early exit from his start on Wednesday due to tightness in his right groin.  A leg injury is much less of a concern for a pitcher than an elbow or shoulder problem, and most things point to this being a minor issue, yet Greinke had expressed self-doubts on how he was feeling prior to that start. Maybe it will prove to be more of a problem than first thought?

The same could be said for the Washington Nationals’ Daniel Murphy. He underwent knee surgery in October and at that point no one really thought much of it. He we are on 18 March and whilst he has been taking batting practice and doing some light fielding work, he still hasn’t played a Spring Training game and doesn’t look likely to anytime soon.

Although the Nationals haven’t completely ruled him out for Opening Day, it now has to be a long shot that he’ll be ready in time.

Context is key here and that’s something that can be easily ignored at fantasy draft time. Washington are looking at October and competing for a World Series and whilst they would like to see Murphy out there on Opening Day, it doesn’t really matter if he’s not. Whether it’s a few days or a few weeks, they have enough options to cover the infield early in the season to allow Murphy to take his time with his recovery. The very last thing the Nationals want to happen is to rush Murphy back and then see him break down again.

Any fantasy baseball player from 2017 will know that a cautious approach by MLB teams is now much more likely given the rule change to reduce the minimum Disabled List period down from 15 to 10. The LA Dodgers were one of the more creative users of this last year (other people may find others words to describe it) to give players – pitchers in particular – a bit of rest here and there over the course of the season. I know some fantasy league ‘commissioners’ have changed their Disabled List settings this year as a result where previously there were small limits on how many players you could DL.

One of the many nuggets you will find in the Ron Shandler 2018 Baseball Forecaster is that 58 per cent of the Top 300 drafted players were either disabled, demoted or designated for assignment at some point in the 2017 season. As Shandler puts it:

“Little did you know last March that nearly six out of every 10 players you drafted would be disabled, demoted or DFA’d by year’s end”.

It’s not a case of if injuries or other issues will hit your roster, either real-life or fantasy, but when.  As we scour the Spring Training news for injury updates we all do so knowing that the best we can do is take the latest information then make our educated guesses as to who we may be able to count on and plan for what we may do if a key player goes down.

The only thing we can do is make sure we’ve got the latest injury info to hand when we’re drafting. Injuries are always bad luck for a fantasy owner except for when you make a draft decision not realising that there was a concern about their fitness.

I’m a casual fantasy baseball player so generally don’t feel in a position to offer too much advice to others, but if there’s one bit I can give you it’s to find your favourite fantasy injury news sections, even just the MLB.com one, and make sure it’s accessible when you’re drafting. I’ve made my share of mistakes in the virtual draft room over the years, but this is one I haven’t made and don’t ever intend to.

Spring arrives in Herts (spring weather not guaranteed)

We’re all used to the haphazard nature of the ‘Great’ British weather.  Two weekends ago many of us were battling with snow, last weekend was relatively mild for most, and the forecast for this coming weekend for some parts of the country is to revert back to freezing temperatures.

Such conditions rarely blunt the enthusiasm of those in British baseball and this will be put on show this weekend as the Herts Spring League gets underway.

Grovehill ballpark in Hemel Hempstead has been the home of the HSL since 2008, providing an opportunity for teams to get some game practice under their belts before their league campaigns begin in April.

This year’s edition includes 19 teams from different league levels and age groups. Foremost among them will be the Birmingham Bandits who are stepping up into the top-tier of British baseball: the National Baseball League.  As with MLB Spring Training, we should not draw any conclusions from the stats and game results at this time of year, but it will still be interesting to see the Bandits going up against some of their NBL competitors.

One big question has been raised on Twitter in the lead up to this year’s event: what should the league be called? Florida’s league is represented by a grapefruit and Arizona’s by a cactus, so the search is on to find a suitable Herts-related item to name the league after. The Watercress League, Chalk League and Cereal League are among those that have already been thrown into the virtual hat. Send suggestions Herts’ way via Twitter.

There are 41 games scheduled over the next three weekends, so there will be plenty of opportunities for those in the local area to catch some baseball action. Check the weather forecast to see if you need woolly hat, scarf and gloves or a jacket and some suntan lotion.

Thank You For the A’s: Ode to Lucroy

It appeared that the Oakland A’s had made all of their moves this offseason, but the addition of catcher Jonathan Lucroy has given the team a mid-Spring Training boost.

This time last year we had Stephen Vogt as the main catcher with Bruce Maxwell and Josh Phegley competing for the back-up role.

After Vogt was DFA’d in June, neither Maxwell nor Phegley stepped up to claim the starting position, yet it looked like the A’s would go again with that duo to see if one or both could take a step forward at the second time of asking.

Lucroy’s disappointing 2017 campaign came at the worst time for him as he headed into the off-season as a free agent who, just 2 years before, was seen by many as one of the best all-round catchers in the Majors. Add that to the strange free agent market this winter and it meant that rather than signing a lucrative multi-year deal, Lucroy was left waiting to sign whatever decent offer he could get.

That’s worked out well for the A’s. Although both Lucroy’s offensive and defensive numbers went backwards last year, it would be a surprise if that’s a conclusive sign of terminal decline. There’s still plenty of talent there and, given that it’s just a one-year, $6.5m deal, well worth the A’s taking the risk that he will bounce back.

If he does then we shouldn’t be too surprised if he’s playing for another team come August. As with the Rich Hill deal a couple of seasons ago, the second-best plan (after the A’s mounting a surprising challenge at the top of the AL West) would be for Lucroy to give us three good months or so and then be traded away to add another prospect or two into the system.

The initial suggestion is that Maxwell may be the odd man out. Maybe the idea is they want him to get more work in and that will be easier done in Triple-A rather than occasional starts in the Majors, but it would leave the A’s with two right-handed catchers and Phegley may find his chances to start against lefties take a hit, so we’ll have to wait and see how that pans out.

I’ve written an A’s season preview for Bush League Ramble, which should be published later this week, and within that I note that it’s a shame there wasn’t a decent starting pitcher option on the market this winter to add a veteran presence to the A’s rotation. Signing a good catcher is the next best thing.

The advanced stats, such as pitch framing, showed Lucroy took a big backward step last year after previously having a very positive reputation behind the dish. To fall off so dramatically seems odd, making me think there is more to the story, possibly an undisclosed injury, which would provide an explanation.

If Lucroy can get his catching back on track then that should be a big help to the starting rotation that as a group – so far this spring – has not pitched as well as they would have liked.

I backed Lucroy last year by adding him to my main fantasy team. Hopefully this year he’ll show that my confidence was well-founded, if one year too early (or late, depending how you want to look at it)

Patience (AKA calm the Puk down)

The pitcher who has impressed the most this off-season is top prospect A.J. Puk. His three appearancse so far have shown the rich talent he possesses and it’s making some A’s fans impatient to see him on the Big League team.

His potential importance to the A’s future means that I wouldn’t want to see him rushed up. His 2017 season had much to admire about it, yet it also showed there were some rough edges to smooth off, not least improving his command and getting his walks down.

Eight Spring Training innings don’t change that picture. Let him work on his craft for a few months in Nashville, managing his innings pitched along the way, to give him the best chance of staying up when he’s finally brought up.

Chapman clout

Matt Chapman’s had a slightly disrupted Spring, so it was enjoyable to listen to him make his first hit a home run at Hohokam on Sunday against the Cubs.

One of the reasons I still like listening to ball games is the couple of seconds of suspense when you know the ball’s flying, but can’t judge just how far until the crowd and commentator tell you. Donny Baarns has done an excellent job once again providing additional radio coverage on MLB.com for select A’s games this spring and he called that one perfectly, even if the crowd reaction was mixed with so many Cubs fans on hand at their old Spring Training home.

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: MLB UK plans offer hope

After the success of MLB Battlegrounds in Hyde Park last year and long-running rumours of MLB games taking place in London, many fans in the UK have been waiting for updates on what MLB UK’s plans are for the next couple of years.

Batflips and Nerds got the chance to speak to MLB UK Head Charlie Hill and it’s well worth a listen if you haven’t checked it out as yet.

London Games

The news we all are waiting for wasn’t provided, but in some ways that was as positive a message as we could get.

Ever since the current MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement was finalised in December 2016, the years of talk finally seemed to be coming to fruition with London being one of the locations on the international play plan for the five years that the CBA covers.

Until an exact date and team line-up is in place and ready to be announced, there isn’t much more Hill can say.  We all know the CBA has potential games in London marked in for 2019 and 2020 and so long as he’s playing coy and doing nothing to temper our enthusiasm, we can be optimistic about what’s to come and there being an announcement in the not too distant future, even if the immense practicalities still need to be worked through.

Wider work

Hill also acknowledged something that has long been said about potential games on British soil: they’ll be great for existing fans but only have a limited short-term publicity boost without them being part of a much larger plan to increase and foster awareness of MLB in the UK.

Outside of supporting fan events – potentially with ex-player Q&A’s as we’ve seen with NFL UK events – there isn’t a huge amount of detail on what this may entail, but that’s down to Hill being clear on MLB UK taking a considered approach and listening to fans as they develop new ideas.

It was interesting to hear Hill talk of the success of MLB Battlegrounds and that part of this was the involvement of ex-Major Leaguers Carlos Pena, Cliff Floyd and Shawn Green and how they – and possibly others in future – could be advocates for MLB UK among the current and ex-playing community.

It seems to me precisely the right way to go in building things progressively, making every step – the MLB pop-up shop, MLB Battlegrounds etc – a success and a point from which to build on to the next one.

Licencing rights

It was expected that work would be going on to gain as much exposure for potential London games as possible, but Hill’s comments suggest that this is being looked at more broadly in respect of finding ways to increase coverage of the sport.

For existing fans already engaging with MLB on social media and the like, it’s easy to underestimate how important mainstream coverage (TV, radio, newspapers etc) still is to get a sport – or any entertainment for that matter – in front of new people.  That’s especially the case in a country where, in significant terms, there isn’t a culture of the sport being part of people’s consciousness.

Online content certainly can play a part in this and it’s interesting to read the announcement on Friday that Facebook are partnering with MLB to show a free game every week during the regular season, with the four games in April all being day-games and therefore convenient evening viewing for us.  There is a caveat in the announcement that it will be available globally “excluding select international markets”, so fingers crossed that doesn’t affect the UK.

Where we’ve come from

The mention of broadcasting rights made me think of where we are with MLB in the UK today.

When it was reported recently that the Oakland A’s and Seattle Mariners would be playing a series in Japan next year, I remembered the A’s-Red Sox series of 2012. Not only were the games featured on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra, but Simon Brotherton and Josh Chetwynd actually went out to the Tokyo Dome to provide BBC radio commentary.

Six years on and such UK-dedicated coverage has been conspicuous by its absence since that time.  Prior to this we had a couple of years of coverage of the MLB season on Five Live Sports Extra and before that the halcyon days of Baseball on 5 when we had MLB on terrestrial TV.

There were three aspects to that coverage: 1) a way for baseball fans to follow the sport if online or TV packages were out of reach or not available, 2) a way for people to stumble across the sport who otherwise may have never given it a chance, and 3) creating a centre for the MLB fan community in this country.

Lots of additional things came out of that coverage, from large numbers participating in the Fantasy Baseball UK competition (still going today – sign up here) to the type of fan get-togethers that are now being picked up again by the likes of MLB UK Committee and active forums such as the UK MLB Supporters Forum.

Social media and online content can help to fill that gap to an extent nowadays, but then again that does always have the risk of fooling us involved in how widespread that support is.  Was the active UK MLB fan community larger ten years ago today than it is today?  I suspect it was and that’s the impact that losing TV and radio coverage can have, yet that’s not to be despondent about what the future may bring.

What we can build together

The MLB fanbase may not be as big as others in the UK, yet for years there have been fan parties, fanzines, forums, blogs, podcasts that have brought those fans together.

MLB UK isn’t having to start from Day Zero, nor are they having to take a punt on hoping there is a community out there to support and be part of their efforts. There are plenty of people across the country who are passionate about the sport, have some great ideas and plenty of talent to make things come to life. The increasing number of UK Twitter accounts, blogs, podcasts and fan-led events show that there are plenty of people willing to be part of it.

If MLB UK can provide a hub to support ideas and to launch new events and plans to then marshal the UK MLB fan troops around them then together we can all really make a difference in spreading the game throughout the country to those will give it a chance.

Other thoughts

Promoting British baseball clubs

It’s good to hear Hill talking about creating a legacy from MLB games.  I know baseball and softball clubs will be keen to be part of future plans and finding ways in which MLB events can help push interest towards the clubs in the UK.  There isn’t always a direct link between playing and watching a sport, but MLB has the power to grab people’s attention and I’m sure everyone involved in baseball here has had numerous examples of neighbours or work colleagues expressing surprise on finding that there is any baseball in this country.  Getting that message out there among the MLB publicity could be a real positive for British clubs.

MLB UK Twitter

The MLB UK Twitter account has been the subject of some comment, mainly in regard to its relative dormant state for several months.  It seems the initial social media presence was there to help build around MLB Battlegrounds and hopefully it will build up as the MLB UK team increases in size. Hill’s comments about having local offices in key areas around the world that know the local culture plays into this, as simply repackaging US content would seem a waste (for example, is it worth retweeting MLB account tweets when surely most following the MLB UK account would already be following the MLB one anyway?).   The value would come in building something that was distinctively a UK focused account that adds something different and unique to what we can find elsewhere.

An example of this would be from the play-offs last year when the MLB UK account started posting #Represent videos from fans. I thought it was a great idea when I saw it, only to be disappointed to find it was actually American fan videos with a MLB UK logo at the end. On an MLB UK account, I want to hear the passion of a Cubs fan from Cardiff rather than Chicago, who then inspires an Astros fan from Hull rather than Houston to post their video too.  All of that takes work to organise and encourage, which understandably is why that wasn’t the approach last year, but that’s the sort of thing that would help build the community even more.

The big (non-Brexit) European question

Whilst London games were the obvious elephant in the room in the podcast, there is another one that is perhaps a touchy subject for a UK fan to go near. On a few occasions Hill spoke of Europe and then focused in on London, which is great for us but may further irritate some in Europe who already feel hard done by. It wasn’t too long ago – 2010/2011 – that Italian and Netherlands authorities were being encouraged to bid for MLB games. Different people have different versions of that process, there were seemingly no firm guarantees from MLB, but ultimately over 12m Euros were invested in an impressive facility near Hoofdorp only for MLB to look to London instead.

We all know why London is such an attractive proposition for MLB – especially as they are notably lagging behind their fellow major North American sports by building a presence here – yet we can also understand that the Netherlands and Italy have made significant contributions to baseball in Europe.

MLB UK rightly should be focusing its efforts on making potential London games a success and not spreading itself too thin, yet in the longer term it would be good to know how they may support the wider European market.  In particular, I would love to see the MLB European Elite Camp be part of a “festival of baseball”, as Hill put it, perhaps playing an exhibition game or putting on a skills competition (home run derby, throwing accuracy, maybe even a Korean All-Star style bunt competition – although I think that may be going too far for a British audience!).

Thank You For The A’s: Money and Snow

People always like to talk about money, especially when it’s not their own.

Even tales of snow woes this week have often included the cost of accidents, insurance claims, loss of trade and the like.

Money has been an especially hot topic over the past couple of months in MLB, namely how teams are not spending it.

That came to a head this week with the MLB Players Association filing a grievance against the Miami Marlins, Oakland A’s, Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays for failing to spend the revenue-sharing dollars they receive appropriately.

Revenue sharing essentially involves a pooled pot of money being shared out to the smaller market teams to help them be competitive and, in theory, creating a more exciting MLB for the good of all.  The money has to be used by the clubs that receive it “in an effort to improve its performance on the field”, so that it can’t just be siphoned off to cover other debts or to line the owners’ pockets.

MLB and the respective clubs have dismissed the claims and are adamant all is above board.

For the A’s, having the finger pointed at them brings into sharp focus that such accusations will soon be a thing of the past.  Not necessarily because they’ll be spending more money, but that they won’t have revenue-sharing funds to spend at all.

The 2011-2016 Collective Bargaining Agreement changed revenue-sharing by gradually eliminating such payments to the top 15 teams based on their market size.  The A’s technically should have been among them, yet it was recognised that the Coliseum situation (an old multi-purpose stadium) restricted their ability to generate more revenue themselves (especially via corporate/higher-priced seating etc) and so they were temporarily taken out of the equation.

It was temporary in the sense that the 2011 CBA stated that the A’s would no longer be exempt once they opened a new ballpark.  Without wishing to be too cynical, that the A’s went through the period of that CBA without building a new ballpark would seem more than a mere coincidence. Revenue sharing was reportedly worth $35m to the A’s in 2016 and, even in MLB’s landscape, that’s a fair chunk of money to give up.  It’s also no coincidence that the A’s took that stance at a time when other MLB owners were thwarting former part-owner Lew Wolff’s plan to move the team to San Jose.

Don’t let us go and we’ll keep pocketing the dough.

The rest of the MLB owners cottoned on to this and the result was the A’s being singled out in the 2017-2022 CBA to be stripped gradually of their revenue sharing funds.  That’s one of the reasons why the A’s President Dave Kaval – who has been hugely impressive with his openness and attitude since being appointed in November 2016 – has continued to stress the target of moving into a new ballpark by 2023.

In short, the A’s will be stuffed if they don’t.

Things were finally looking positive when the A’s announced Laney College as their preferred site last September, only for that to hit a seemingly terminal blow in December. It seems more and more like the most practical answer ultimately will be to build a new ballpark on the existing site, with the Oakland Raiders heading to Las Vegas within 2 years and no longer being a factor.

The new stadium saga has rumbled on for so long that in many ways the revenue-sharing cliff edge is welcome; it’s forcing everyone involved to quicken their pace.  However, there are lots of challenges ahead in getting a new privately-financed ballpark built.  We can only hope there is good progress over the next year. Otherwise the young core the A’s are building could coincide with a 2021-2022 period in which revenue-sharing is significantly reducing amid planning for the prospect that 2023 will arrive with no revenue-sharing funds and no new ballpark to generate additional revenue to replace it.

Representing the A’s in the UK

A new baseball season is a good excuse to freshen up your wardrobe, so I picked up a couple of discounted A’s t-shirts recently.

It won’t make much of a dent in the A’s revenue plans, but every little helps, I guess.

Spring Training in snow

It’s definitely not been t-shirt weather in the UK this week.  On Wednesday evening I was wrapped up in a blanket listening to part of the A’s Spring Training game against the Chicago Cubs with a good 6-7 inches of snow outside. Julian McWilliams, the new A’s beat writer at The Athletic, summed up the encounter by stating “It’s cold”.

https://twitter.com/JulianMack105/status/968976752855851008

Even colder than you thought for some A’s fans, Julian.

Prospects looking up

MLB.com published their Top 10 Farm System rankings on Friday and the A’s were listed at number 7.

Five of the A’s top 11 prospects on MLB.com’s list were acquired last summer when trading away Sonny Gray to the Yankees and Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson to the Nationals.

Sheldon Neuse, at number 11 on the A’s list, was drafted in the second round in 2016 by Washington and has garnered plenty of praise in the first week of Spring Training games.  He’s been getting playing time at third base due to the injuries to Matt Chapman and Renato Nunez and, whilst he’s still on course to head to the Minor Leagues this season, he’s done exactly what a young player wants to do: make a good impression.

It’s been tough on Nunez as he was the main name heading into Spring Training that there was a question mark against, as he is out of Minor League options so either must make the A’s Opening Day roster or be made available to other teams by being placed on waivers.  Even if there didn’t turn out to be a place for him with the A’s, a good spring might have given him some better opportunities elsewhere.  His hamstring injury has put him on the sidelines at an inopportune time, although Melissa Lockard explained previously that this might give the A’s more time to make a decision on his future:

Fosse on the warpath

A’s broadcaster Ray Fosse – fully paid-up member of the catchers’ union – is not a fan of the new rules that limit the number of pitching mound visits in a game to six (excluding pitching changes and injuries).

Kendall Graveman struggled in his start against the Cubs on Saturday and Fosse picked up the uncertainty as to whether catch Bruce Maxwell should go out to the mound or not.

I have a feeling it will be a hobby horse for Fosse all season long.

Weekly Hit Ground Ball: Ohtani pitches, Honeywell doesn’t

The weather gods clearly have been reading this column.

After I rejected the meteorological season’s definition of when winter turns to spring last week, in favour of the baseball season version, it looks like we’re going to get a ‘big freeze’ this coming week with snow storms and temperatures down to -8C.

Sorry about that!

Let’s take a positive from it though; it will make watching and listening to Spring Training games from sunny Arizona and Florida all the more appealing.

Ohtani debut

You don’t get many big events in Spring Training, but the first appearance of Japanese star Shohei Ohtani counted as one on Saturday.

Ohtani was on the same plan as the rest of his Angels starting pitchers: two innings or 30 pitches, whichever came first.  He left after 1.1 innings and 31 pitches, one batter after the Milwaukee Brewers’ Keon Broxton took him deep and on to the grass mound behind the left-field fence.

With so little else going on so early in spring, every little last detail was bound to be obsessed over by beat writers and columnists, all whilst accepting that a first start of 31 pitches doesn’t really tell you very much at all.

Watching the Angels’ FWS coverage via MLB.TV, Ohtani showed off one of his fabled splitters in striking out Minor Leaguer Nate Orf (“orf” being the sound some made as the pitch went by) and a big slow curve for a called strike in another at-bat.  His command of his pitches was a bit shaky at times, but that’s to be expected early in the pre-season.

More insightful than Ohtani’s performance was news from the Angels’ camp reported by Terry Smith and Jose Mota about Ohtani’s transition to being an MLB pitcher and also the adjustments the Angels will be making.  The six-man rotation plan seems to still be in play and, with Ohtani also being an option with the bat, it looks like the Angels’ bench will consist of just a back-up catcher, infielder and outfielder.

At first glance that would seem a short bench, not knowing quite how much Ohtani will be used as a hitter in 2018; however, it’s becoming increasingly common for American League teams to only roster three bench players. That allows most teams (i.e. those that don’t have a pitcher who can also hit like Ohtani promises to do) to have an 8-man bullpen to go alongside the 5-man rotation.

‘Bullpenning’ is en vogue in the play-offs and being used more during the regular season too and is one of the key reasons why the length of games has being going up in recent years (time taken for pitching changes, relievers traditionally being more ‘deliberate’ with their pace of play etc).  Whilst limits on pitching changes have not been introduced for 2018, it was mooted as an option being considered by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred in his quest for increasing the pace of play and will be raised again if the trends of 8-man bullpens and lengthening game times continue.

Roth off to a good start

Although it didn’t get the fanfare of Ohtani’s debut, understandably enough, Great Britain pitcher Michael Roth got his spring off to a good start by pitching two score-less innings for the Chicago Cubs against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, giving up only one hit in the process.

Roth’s unlikely to make the Cubs’ Opening Day roster given the pitching depth that Chicago has, but some good performances in spring can only help his stock.

Non-roster invitee

Roth is classed as a non-roster invitee for the Cubs and is one of many NRI players across the 30 MLB clubs this spring.

If you’re new to baseball, a non-roster invitee is essentially as the term suggests: someone who is not on the club’s 40-man roster but gets an invite to come to their Major League Spring Training camp.

In Roth’s case, he’s an example of a player who signs a Minor League contract with a club over the off-season and then gets given an NRI to try to earn a spot on the roster or at least to impress enough to either remain in the organisation as a Minor League player or to be picked up by another team.

The other main type of NRI is a player who is already part of the club’s farm system and gets given the opportunity to spend some of spring with the Major League team before being sent on to Minor League camp.  Whilst some of those players will be in a situation of trying to earn a roster spot, in the main they will be there to give the Major League coaching staff a chance to work with them for a few weeks and also to help fill out the Spring Training line-ups.

As you’ll notice, Major League regulars often only play four innings or so at the start of spring – or may not play at all if it’s a road game – before being replaced by Minor Leaguers.

One quirk of the transaction rules is that Ohtani, as a non-MLB free agent, technically signed a Minor League contract with the Angels so he is as an NRI currently as he hasn’t yet had to be added to the Angels’ 40-man roster.

More Rays woes as Honeywell heads under the knife

It seems to happen every spring that a top pitching prospect on the verge of making their Major League debut has their progress cruelly halted by an elbow injury that requires ‘Tommy John’ surgery (named after the pitcher the experimental surgery was first tried on in 1974).

Last year it was the St Louis Cardinals’ Alex Reyes, this year it is the Tampa Bay Rays’ Brent Honeywell.

The pitcher took a pragmatic view to the situation, as reported on MLB.com: “We sign up to be pitchers. Bad things happen every now and then. There’s a couple of things that you can prevent, but I don’t think this is one of them. It’s either going to go or it’s not, the way I look at it”.

It was yet another blow this off-season for Rays fans, coming in the same week as Steven Sousa being traded away to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-team trade that also included the Yankees.

If we go by Baseball-Reference’s flavour of WAR (Wins Above Replacement), the Tampa Bay Rays’ most valuable players from 2017 were:

  1. Kevin Kiermaier – 5.1
  2. Steven Sousa – 4.2
  3. Logan Morrison – 3.6
  4. Evan Longoria – 3.6
  5. Corey Dickerson – 2.7
  6. Alex Cobb – 2.3.

The best you can say is that at least Kiermaier is still on the club, at time of writing at least.

Cobb and Morrison are free agents and clearly not coming back to the Rays, Longoria and Sousa have been traded, whilst Dickerson was recently Designated for Assignment (DFA’d) and picked up by Pittsburgh.

There’s an argument that when you add it all up, the Rays might not lose too much performance when additions are factored in and that they were unlikely to challenge the Red Sox and Yankees in the AL East this season even with those players.

Such logical thinking doesn’t make it less jarring for a fan who hangs on the results of all 162 games in a regular season.  Honeywell was one of the reasons Rays fans could look at the off-season departures and think ‘well at least we can enjoy watching him starting his Big League career’

Sadly that’s now going to be put off until sometime in 2019.

The Grandyman Can – and did

The first home run of Spring Training came courtesy of all-round good guy Curtis Granderson. He got off to the perfect start by taking a 1-1 pitch into right field whilst batting lead-off for Toronto.

Granderson signed a $5m contract with the Blue Jays over the off-season after spending time with the Mets and Dodgers last year.  He’s a fan favourite wherever he goes and has a place in the hearts of British baseball fans due to his Ask Curtis appearances on Baseball on 5 years ago.