The Baseball Big Brother Project

With Suspension of Ryan Braun, MLB Wins Vindication In Fight Against PEDs

2013-07-22T21:33:00.001-04:00

"I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions.

Run through Google Translate, Ryan Braun's statement reads more like, "I realize now that there are no technicalities to get these charges dropped. I have pleaded guilty in order to best reduce my sentence."

On Monday, Major League Baseball made its first move in reaction to the Biogenesis scandal, suspending the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder for the remainder of the 2013 season, ending Braun's season with 65 games to play. Braun had been one of several Major League players that appeared in the records of Biogenesis, a purported anti-aging clinic in Florida that is at the center of a scandal involving the distribution of performance enhancing drugs to Major League Baseball players.

For his part, Braun accepted the suspension and does not intend to appeal, but that doesn't necessarily mean Braun is repentant. What this likely indicates is that the evidence that Major League Baseball has gathered through the course of their investigation into the Biogenesis clinic. Braun probably took what was behind door number two rather than face the possibility of a suspension costing him up to 100 games overall.

It is also a far cry from the defiant Ryan Braun who stood in front of America prior to the 2012 season and proclaimed he had been vindicated when arbitrator Shyam Das overturned his 50-game suspension for synthetic testosterone. At the time, he won his appeal on a technicality when the chain of custody for his test sample had been broken.

For those who have forgotten how that speech went, here's a taste.

Now, it is Major League Baseball that is officially vindicated, catching and reeling in the big fish that had once eluded them. And it spells trouble for other players involved in the investigation that have now seen the big piece swept off the board. Those players include Alex Rodriguez and Francisco Cervelli of the New York Yankees, Melky Cabrera of the Toronto Blue Jays, Bartolo Colon of the Oakland Athletics, Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers, Yasmani Grandal and Everth Cabrera of the San Diego Padres, and Jhonny Peralta of the Detroit Tigers as known figures mentioned in the records of the now defunct clinic.

The fact that Braun surrendered without a fight could be troublesome for those above, especially Rodriguez. The Yankee third baseman was said to be quite distraught after his recent meeting with the league last week and missed a scheduled rehab appearance the next day. An admitted steroid user in the past, Major League Baseball would like nothing more than to successfully suspend Rodriguez after failing to pin anything to him in the past.

Suspensions for Grandal, Melky Cabrera, and Colon could be a bit more troublesome. All three served 50-game suspensions since last season after testing positive for synthetic testosterone and will likely defend their involvement with Biogenesis as a direct involvement with their first failed tests. That would make it difficult for Major League Baseball to suspend them further for essentially the same crime, unless the league is able to prove this was an unrelated offense.

But for today, the league can relish in the fact that those who cheat the game will get caught and that the hand of karma will come down heavily upon them..

And with vindication, maybe we can start to get a little bit of our game back, one piece at a time.

New Deal For Pedroia An Important Move For Red Sox

2013-07-19T20:26:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Zimbio

Dustin Pedroia has been the heart and soul of the Boston Red Sox for seven seasons, winning the Rookie of the Year trophy in 2007 and the American League Most Valuable Player award in 2008. He's left it all on the field, game in and game out, as the spark plug of the Red Sox line-up and the anchor of their defense.

And if things go as planned, Dustin Pedroia will continue to etch his name among the pantheon of Red Sox legends for many years to come.

According to reports from Jeff Passan at Yahoo Sports, the Red Sox and Pedroia are working on a long-term extension that will add 4-5 seasons to the second baseman's current contract. Pedroia has one season remaining on his current deal which runs through 2014 at a value of $10 million. The Red Sox also hold a club option on the perennial All-Star for 2015, valued at $11 million.

As Passan reports, the extension would add roughly 6 years and $100 million to Pedroia's deal with Boston. The new deal could make Pedroia the highest paid second baseman in the game, a mark that will surely be eclipsed by New York's Robinson Cano when the Yankees hits the market this winter.

The debate over the value of Cano and Pedroia has raged for years and will likely do so for many more. According to Baseball-Reference, Cano has been worth an average of 4.7 Wins Above Replacement, where Pedroia has been worth 4.55. Meanwhile, FanGraphs has Cano valued at 3.91 WAR and Pedroia at 4.06. As you can see, both sites indicate that Pedroia and Cano are very similar in value, despite the impression that Cano has somehow become the single most valuable player in the game.

The true difference in the two players falls in two categories; power and defense. Cano has the obvious advantage in the power department, having hit more than 100 more home runs over his career than Pedroia, which has helped give Cano a 40 point advantage in ISO (Slugging minus Average).

On the other hand, Pedroia has clearly been the stronger defensive player, despite Cano having won two of the last three Gold Gloves. In fact, Pedroia leads Cano in Defensive Runs Saved over his career, 74 to 19, and also holds a distinct advantage over Cano in UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) 55.9 to -27.9.

Yet, despite their similarities and their obvious value to their respective teams, it says a lot that the Red Sox are choosing to extend Dustin Pedroia and make sure he is a Red Sox players for the remainder of his career, rather than letting him play out his contract and test the free agent market, as the Yankees have done with Cano.

Eight seasons of Dustin Pedroia is certainly not enough for the Boston Red Sox, and they have the full intention of making sure he remains an important building block for the future as well. After all, Pedroia has been a member of one championship team, and if he can lend just a bit of his spark to another strong edition of the Red Sox, then another championship could certainly be in the offing.

Year	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
2006	31	98	5	17	4	0	2	7	0	7	7	.191	.258	.303	.561	42
2007	139	581	86	165	39	1	8	50	7	47	42	.317	.380	.442	.823	112
2008	157	726	118	*213*	54	2	17	83	20	50	52	.326	.376	.493	.869	123
2009	154	714	115	185	48	1	15	72	20	74	45	.296	.371	.447	.819	110
2010	75	351	53	87	24	1	12	41	9	37	38	.288	.367	.493	.860	127
2011	159	731	102	195	37	3	21	91	26	86	85	.307	.387	.474	.861	131
2012	141	623	81	163	39	3	15	65	20	48	60	.290	.347	.449	.797	113
2013	96	432	57	119	25	1	6	56	13	51	49	.316	.396	.436	.832	125
8 Yrs	952	4256	617	1144	270	12	96	465	115	400	378	.304	.372	.459	.830	118
162 Game Avg.	162	724	105	195	46	2	16	79	20	68	64	.304	.372	.459	.830	118

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/19/2013.

Your 2013 American League All-Star Team

2013-07-09T22:23:00.000-04:00

The 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game is slated to be played at Citi Field in New York on Tuesday July 16, 2013.

With that in mind, the league held their annual unveiling show of the respective rosters for each team on Saturday. After the unveiling, we discussed the National League roster, who was snubbed and who should or shouldn't be starting.

Pitchers

The American League pitching staff is an interesting conglomeration of players and features an interesting mix of some of the American League's strongest starters. Names like Buchholz, Darvish, King Felix, Sale, Scherzer, and Verlander are joined by pitchers finally getting the attention they deserve in Masterson and Iwakuma. However, what makes this staff most interesting is the fact that two middle relievers were openly selected to fill roster spots in Cecil and Crain. Both of these pitchers have been among the most dominant relievers in the game and are equally, if not more important than a closer has been due to the high leverage, non-save situations they have dominated in.

Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox
Brett Cecil, Toronto Blue Jays
Bartolo Colon, Oakland Athletics
Jesse Crain, Chicago White Sox
Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers
Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
Hisashi Iwakuma, Seattle Mariners
Justin Masterson, Cleveland Indians
Joe Nathan, Texas Rangers
Glen Perkins, Minnesota Twins
Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox
Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers
Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

Biggest Snub: Matt Moore gets a lot of talk due to his omission from the staff, but it is Derek Holland who is the biggest snub. Holland is a middling 7-4, but has a solid 3.19 ERA, a 3.7 fWAR through 18 starts. However, he's been much better than his solid numbers suggest, as he has a 2.86 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching), which would suggest that his ERA should be much better, perhaps because he has surrendered a high .326 BABIP.

Catchers

It is hard for me to argue the catching choices at all, considering that the top three in American League fWAR rankings are the three chosen to represent the team in the game. Mauer has been his usual self, Perez has started to grasp his potential (minus the power component), but it is Castro who is the big story. Once a top prospect, Castro has broken out in a big way in 2013.

Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
Jason Castro, Houston Astros
Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals

Biggest Snub: Carlos Santana is by far the biggest snub on the entire roster. Despite a recent slump, he has been one of the strongest hitting catchers in the game this season, posting a wRC+ of 130 (2nd to only Mauer). Perhaps he should have gotten some consideration at the DH spot as well, but his season has definitely been All-Star caliber.

Infielders

What more can be said about the first half of the season for Davis? The Orioles first baseman is on pace to top the American League home run record and could become the first to pass Roger Maris without an asterisk next to his name (I think). Cano and Cabrera run like clockwork. I was ready to question Hardy's selection, but then Peralta was given a spot as a reserve, so that settled that. Oh, and can I be more excited to see a player make this team than I am about Machado?

Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles
Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
J.J. Hardy, Baltimore Orioles
Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers
Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians
Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays
Jhonny Peralta, Detroit Tigers
Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles

Biggest Snub: Josh Donaldson has been a big part of Oakland's success in 2013 and has enjoyed one of the most underrated seasons of any player in the league this season. It was so underrated that it went virtually unnoticed despite his 4.2 fWAR (third among AL 3rd Basemen), 15 home runs, 58 RBI, .920 OPS, and a wRC+ of 154 that is second only to Cabrera among AL 3rd Basemen.

Outfielders

This is a very talented, very deep outfield for the American League. However, two selections are questionable in my humble opinion. Detroit's Hunter is enjoying a good season, but is he an All-Star or just lucky with his .349 BABIP? And Texas's Cruz is doing his home run thing, but a 24.2 K% is a bit high for an All-Star. Oh, and the two of them rank 19th and 20th in fWAR.

Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles
Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
Nelson Cruz, Texas Rangers
Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals
Torii Hunter, Detroit Tigers

Biggest Snub: The man with the third highest fWAR among American League outfielders is currently scheduled to sit at home for the All-Star Break. Maybe I'm a homer, but Jacoby Ellsbury with his 3.3 fWAR, .301 average, 55 runs scored, and 36 stolen bases could be more beneficial in late game situations than either Hunter or Cruz.

Designated Hitter

There's not more you can say about the American League DH choices, as these two are far and away the top choices. With Billy Butler unexpectedly slumping, there is really no other choices here beside the incredibly consistent Encarnacion and Ortiz.

David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays

So, now that you know who the American League All-Stars are, how do you feel about the selections? What would you change?

Your 2013 National League All-Stars

2013-07-07T00:06:00.001-04:00

The 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game is slated to be played at Citi Field in New York on Tuesday July 16, 2013.

With that in mind, the league held their annual unveiling show of the respective rosters for each team, and in honor of the senior league, let's start by looking at the National League roster first.

Pitchers

The NL roster is deep in pitching, with perhaps the top four starters listed below being as intimidating a group as you can expect. Together Kershaw, Corbin, Harvey, and Wainright have combined to go 34-13 with a 2.26 ERA and a 16.6 bWAR. Then you add in Zimmerman, Fernandez, Lee, and Bumgarner, and you have a deep staff ready in case someone drops out, as they inevitably do.

That's not to say that the bullpen is lousy or anything. The group of Kimbrel, Grilli, Chapman, and Wood are a collection of some of the finest relievers in baseball today.

Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
Patrick Corbin, Arizona Diamondbacks
Matt Harvey, New York Mets
Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
Jordan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals
Jason Grilli, Pittsburgh Pirates
Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves
Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds
Travis Wood, Chicago Cubs
Jose Fernandez, Miami Marlins
Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies
Jeff Locke, Pittsburgh Pirates
Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants

Notable Snub: Coming into this season, it was hard to imagine an All-Star game going by without Stephen Strasburg being in it. Yet, here we stand and the Nationals righty is not on the roster. Many will get lost on his piddly 4-6 record, but Stasburg has been dominant with a 2.24 ERA, a 3.13 FIP, and a 52.3% ground-ball rate.

Catchers

There was no doubt in the world that these two catching slots would fall to Molina and Posey. They have been among the top three catchers in the game all season and should rightfully be placed among the All-Stars.

Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants

Notable Snub: Russell Martin has been a true coup for the Pirates, who stole him from the Yankees during free agency this winter and Martin has rewarded them ever since. The 30-year-old is posting his highest OPS in five seasons and fourth among all catchers in WAR.

Infielders

The starting infield is solid across the board, with Votto, Phillips, Tulowitski, and Wright drawing the starting nods. That may change if Tulo's rib injury keeps him sidelined, but the selections of Cabrera and Segura should help sate that a bit. Without the fan vote, it could be argued that Goldschmidt deserved the starting gig more, but I digress.

Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds
Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
David Wright, New York Mets
Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates
Everth Cabrera, San Diego Padres
Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
Allen Craig, St. Louis Cardinals
Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks
Jean Segura, Milwaukee Brewers
Marco Scutaro, San Francisco Giants

Notable Snub: Ian Desmond of the Nationals ranks fourth among NL shortstops in fWAR and second in home runs. Why he sits at home and Pedro Alvarez gets selected as a sub with his .243 average and 34% K rate is beyond me.

Outfielders

The NL outfield has an interesting mix of old and new, as well as an decidedly different range of styles among the players selected. Beltran is having an unbelievable first half for the first place Cardinals, and Gonzalez is simply incredible. I'd personally rather see Brown or Cuddyer get the start over Harper, but hindsight is 20/20.

Carlos Beltran, St. Louis Cardinals
Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
Michael Cuddyer, Colorado Rockies
Domonic Brown, Philadelphia Phillies
Carlos Gomez, Milwaukee Brewers

Notable Snub: Starling Marte is enjoying a break-out campaign for the Pirates, hitting a solid .291 with 8 home runs, 56 runs scored, and 25 stolen bases. His 3.2 fWAR ranks fourth among National League outfielders.

How do you feel about the National League All-Star selections?

*Stay tuned tomorrow as I break down the AL All-Star selections.

Trade Deadline 2013: Michael Young And The Battle To Overpay

2013-07-04T20:48:00.001-04:00

Part of the difficulty of reading into all of the Major League Baseball trade deadline rumors, is separating pure speculation from actual solid leads, fact from fiction.

And in the case of Michael Young of the Philadelphia Phillies, pure stupidity.

In this case, both the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees are said to be in pursuit of the Phillies third baseman, with both teams having holes on the left side of their infield. The problem here is simple; with both the Red Sox and the Yankees involved, the price for Young is going to explode to a point where one team or another is going to drastically overpay for a 2 month rental.

Now, that's not to say that Young wouldn't be a decent trade target at the deadline. He's putting together a solid, if unspectacular season in Philadelphia, hitting .285 with 5 home runs, 21 RBI, and a .744 OPS in 78 games and 320 plate appearances. That puts him roughly on pace to duplicate his 2012 season with the Rangers.

The problem here, is that his 2012 campaign just wasn't that good.

According to Baseball-Reference, Young was worth a -2.0 bWAR last season, meaning he was worth two games below a replacement level player. Fangraphs had him slightly better at -1.7 fWAR, which has him ranked 13th among qualifying third baseman. This season, it is a little better, with Baseball-Reference giving Young a -0.3 bWAR and Fangraphs grading him out at 0.3.

Now, those numbers were both downgraded due to his defensive value in the field, which quite frankly, has never been a strong point for Young. Regardless, the point here is that he shouldn't be viewed as such a valuable commodity to either team, as he's seen a less than or equal to a replacement level player.

So then we examine the needs of our respective suitors.

Let's take the Red Sox for instance. Boston currently has Will Middlebrooks in the Minor Leagues, working out whatever happened to his swing, putting Jose Iglesias as the primary third baseman for now. In just 41 games in 2013, BR has Iglesias rates as 2.3 bWAR and Fangraphs at 1.5 fWAR. Iglesias grades out better defensively, as he's known as a solid glove, but his bat has been unusually better in 2013 as well. Granted, he's getting by on a .462 BABIP right now, which is due for regression shortly.

Wouldn't Boston be better off riding the hot stick out for now while Middlebrooks irons out his swing issues? That would allow Boston to showcase the young Cuban shortstop as a possible trade candidate over the winter with Stephen Drew signed through next season and top prospect Xander Bogaerts seemingly on an unstoppable path to Fenway in 2014.

On the other side of the coin is the New York Yankees. With Alex Rodriguez out for the first part of the season and Kevin Youkilis on the Disabled List again, the primary bulk of the playing time at third has been going to Jayson Nix. Nix is certainly not the sexiest name on paper, and by comparing his OPS of .620 to Young's mark of .744, it would appear that Young would be a significant upgrade.

However, according to Fangraphs, Nix is next on the fWAR leaderboard behind Young with a 0.2 mark this season. That means that Young would not represent much, if any, of an upgrade over the incumbent Nix. On the other hand, Nix is a much better defensive player at third base as well. With A-Rod on a rehab assignment, the Yankees may just choose to wait him out. Then again, with Youkilis likely done for the year, that may be a heavy risk to place on a guy coming off a second hip surgery and with a possible suspension hanging over his head.

So as it can be seen, Young holds significantly more value for the Yankees, who could use him at first base, third base, or designated hitter. However, in all cases, he best serves as a platoon partner more so than a replacement of any current players. The Red Sox involvement could simply be to help drive the price up on the Yankees.

That all said, the Phillies don't exactly have a need to move Young at all. Their only motivation would be to replace the mid-level relief prospects they lost when they sent Josh Lindblom and Lisalverto Bonilla to Texas for Young in the first place. Whether or not the Yankees or Red Sox would be willing to pay that much for either a downgrade or a relative side-step remains to be seen.

But the trade deadline does strange things to people looking for an edge, and more often than not it is due to people not doing their proper homework first.

MLB Releases the All-Star Futures Game Rosters

2013-06-26T21:02:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, Major League Baseball released the rosters for the 2013 Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game, and like any other season, the representatives are a who's who of the game's brightest prospects.

Of particular interest to this blogger are the following:

Archie Bradley - Pitcher - Arizona Diamondbacks

The number 7 pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, Bradley has done nothing to diminish the expectations laid out before him. After posting a 13.5 K/9 ratio in 5 starts at High-A Visalia, the big right-hander has been dominant at Double-A as well, posting a 2.29 ERA over 10 starts with a 9.2 K/9 ratio there.

Xander Bogaerts - Shortstop - Boston Red Sox

For those wondering if Jose Iglesias is the shortstop of the future in Boston, you obviously do not know much about Iglesias. At 20-years-old, he was one of the youngest players in the Eastern League, but that didn't stop him from putting together a .307/.407/.502 slashline at Double-A Portland, with 6 home runs and 35 RBI in 259 plate appearances. That earned him a much-deserved promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket, and a nod for his second-straight Futures Game.

Jorge Soler - Outfielder - Chicago Cubs

Yasiel Puig gets a lot of publicity in Los Angeles, but it was Soler who was the more sought after Cuban prospect in the summer of 2012. In 51 games at High-A Daytona, Soler has .281 with a .810 OPS, 8 home runs, and 35 RBI. He's still got a bit of growth to go before he hits the Major Leagues, but he is less raw than Puig is and is projected to me a tremendous talent.

Francisco Lindor - Shortstop - Cleveland Indians

Just 19-years-old, Lindor is already the best defensive shortstop in the Minor Leagues. However, it has been his growth with the bat in his hand that raised the eyebrows of scouts. In 70 games at High-A Carolina, Lindor is hitting a solid .307 with a .788 OPS and 18 stolen bases. If he can continue that growth at the plate, he could be a top five prospect in 2014.

George Springer - Outfielder - Houston Astros

The 23-year-old Springer was recently promoted to Triple-A after obliterating pitching at Double-A Corpus Christi. In 73 games and 323 plate appearances this season, the Astros top prospect has hit .297 with a .978 OPS, 19 home runs, 55 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. If he can tame his strike-out rate (97 in 323 plate appearances), he could see a September call-up this season.

Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano - Minnesota Twins

I have not yet decided which of these prospects is more tantalizing. Sano has the mammoth power you want from a third baseman, having hit .330 with 16 home runs, 48 RBI, and a 1.079 OPS at High-A Ft. Myers before getting promoted to Double-A New Britain. Meanwhile Buxton has all the tools and is no slouch with the bat either, hitting .341 with 8 home runs, 55 RBI, 32 stolen bases, and a .990 OPS at Low-A Cedar Rapids before jumping to Ft. Myers. Either way, the future for the Twins looks very encouraging.

Oscar Taveras - Outfielder - St. Louis Cardinals

I can't say enough about Taveras, as he is quite simply my favorite prospect in the game. What's not to like about a player that is such a natural hitter and has hit at every level he has played at? Taveras would already be in the Major Leagues if it was not for a crowded Cardinals outfield and an ankle injury that has hampered him early this season. Mark my words, he will be starting in St. Louis at the beginning of the 2014 season.

So look over the roster, and let me know which players are calling out to you as one to watch.

2013 FUTURES GAME REPRESENTATIVES (List by MLB.com)

Team	Players
ARI	Archie Bradley, Matt Davidson
ATL	Joe Terdoslavich, Christian Bethancourt
BAL	Eduardo Rodriguez, Henry Urrutia
BOS	Anthony Ranaudo, Xander Bogaerts
CHC	Arismendy Alcantara, Jorge Soler
CIN	Billy Hamilton, Carlos Contreras
CLE	C.C. Lee, Francisco Lindor
COL	Eddie Butler
CWS	Josh Phegley, Andre Rienzo
DET	Jordan Lennerton
HOU	Delino DeShields, George Springer
KC	Miguel Almonte, Yordano Ventura
LAA	C.J. Cron
LAD	Joc Pederson
MIA	Christian Yelich
MIL	Jimmy Nelson
MIN	Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano
NYM	Noah Syndergaard, Rafael Montero
NYY	Rafael De Paula
OAK	Addison Russell, Michael Ynoa
PHI	Jesse Biddle, Maikel Franco
PIT	Dilson Herrera, Gregory Polanco
SD	Austin Hedges, Yeison Asencio
SEA	Brad Miller, Taijuan Walker
SF	Kyle Crick
STL	Oscar Taveras, Kolten Wong
TB	Taylor Guerrieri, Enny Romero
TEX	Joey Gallo, Jorge Alfaro
TOR	A.J. Jimenez
WAS	Taylor Jordan

Max Scherzer Continues Evolution With Stellar First Half

2013-06-19T09:56:00.002-04:00

Photo Credit: Associated Press

There are certain points in every player's season where they make a choice as to what kind of year it is going to be. They either choose to turn things around, or they wallow in their ineptitude and chalk things up to a bad season.

For Max Scherzer, that moment came on June 6, 2012 against the Cleveland Indians.

In that loss to the Indians, Scherzer surrendered 8 runs (5 earned) on 7 hits, 3 walks, and a pair of home runs, all while striking out just a pair of hitters in a 4.1 inning outing. That performance left the Tigers' right-hander sitting on a 5-4 record, but also an ungodly 5.88 ERA, a -1.614 WPA (Win Probability Added), and a .861 OPS against.

However, from that moment on, Scherzer finished out the 2012 season on a tremendous run. Over the ensuing 20 starts, he would register a 2.63 ERA, a 2.304 WPA, and a .640 OPS against. That would allow Scherzer to finish the season with a career-best 16-7 record, a 3.74 ERA, and a bWAR of 4.2.

And so far in 2013, Scherzer has done everything to continue that momentum.

With his win on June 17th, Scherzer became the first Detroit Tigers pitcher since 1909 to start the season 10-0, running his record since that June 6, 2012 start to 21-3. But record aside, it's how he's been doing it that has been equally as impressive.

After registering three games scores below 30 in prior to that start against Cleveland in 2012, Scherzer has registered three below 40 since. More so, in 2013, he has just two games below 50 while averaging a game score of 64 this season.

And it doesn't appear that he's letting off the throttle any time soon.

According to FanGraphs, Scherzer has a FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) of 2.50 while sitting on an ERA of 3.08 on the season, meaning that he's been doing a great job of controlling his own fate. His 2.24 BB/9 IP is the lowest of his career, as is his 8.4 HR/FB rate.

All of that has lead to Scherzer posting a 3.1 fWAR, which ranks 5th in baseball among pitchers, behind only Adam Wainright, Matt Harvey, Felix Hernandez, and Anibal Sanchez.

The success of both Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez has made it easier for Detroit to weather a decidedly "human" (yet still very solid) season from Justin Verlander and build a 4.5 game lead in the American League Central.

Their continued success will be instrumental in Detroit's attempts to get back to the World Series in 2013.

The Wait Is Over: Wil Myers Finally Being Called Up

2013-06-16T20:17:00.002-04:00

The move fans have been clambering for is finally about to occur; the Tampa Bay Rays will be calling up top prospect Wil Myers from Triple-A Durham, according to Adam Berry of MLB.com.

Wil Myers is expected to be called up from Durham on Tuesday. Ryan Roberts will be optioned to Triple-A.
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) June 16, 2013

Upon his arrival to the Tampa organization, in a trade with Kansas City that sent James Shields and Wade Davis to the Royals in a deal that also included Jake Odorizzi, Mike Montgomery, and Patrick Leonard, Myers instantly became the team's top-ranked prospect. His performance in 2012, where Myers hit .314, 37 home runs, 109 RBI, and a .987 OPS made him the consensus Minor League Player of the Year last season.

Regardless, it was well known that the Rays would not promote Myers right away. A team that is constantly aware of the service-clock of their prospects, the Tampa front office kept Myers in the minors as long as they could. By delaying his arrival, they essentially buy an extra year of control, not to mention avoid the Super-Two status that would have triggered an extra year of arbitration eligibility.

At first, it looked like a sound strategy, as the 22-year-old outfielder struggled to start the season. However, Myers has turned it around in a huge way of late, making his exploits impossible to ignore any longer.

Over the course of his last 32 games, Myers has hit .354 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI. That pushed his season totals to .283 with 14 home runs, 57 RBI, and a .868 OPS over the course of 63 games and 288 plate appearances.

However, if there is a caveat to his outstanding offensive contributions, it his plate discipline. He has struck out 71 times and walked just 29 times in those 288 plate appearances. This coming after he was a victim of the K 140 times in 591 plate appearances in 2012. That's a total of 211 strike-outs in 879 plate appearances over the last two seasons. In comparison, another top prospect, Oscar Taveras, has been struck out just 211 times in a Minor League career that has spanned 1571 plate appearances.

Still, Myers will become an instant offensive boost to the Tampa Bay Rays, have dealt with some inadequacies in right field while they awaited Myers arrival. He'll suffer through some growing pains, but their is no doubting he's going to be a huge component of the Rays offensive future, to go along with Evan Longoria.

Alex Rodriguez Traded To Japan? It Could Have Happened

2013-06-12T12:03:00.002-04:00

Photo Credit: japantimes.co.jp

Just when you thought you've heard it all in the world of Major League Baseball, something new and shocking jumps out of left field and catches you by surprise.

Kind of like a Japanese kamikaze run.

That's the kind of shock that hits you when you find out that a Japanese baseball team, the SoftBank Hawks, expressed an interest last winter in acquiring embattled Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

In a report by Ken Belson of the New York Times, the Yankees were approached last winter about the possibility of SoftBank acquiring Rodriguez from New York. No terms were released in the report, as the Yankees never formally engaged either SoftBank or discussed anything with Rodriguez.

But why not?

Well, its obvious that Rodriguez's hip injury was already known to the New York brass at that stage, preempting any further discussion, as it likely would have killed any such deal anyway. It's hard enough to trade a polarizing player like A-Rod to begin with, add in the fact that the product is broken and the terms of any such trade go nearly out the window.

Then there is the difficulty in getting an agreement out of Rodriguez to accept the transfer. Forget for a moment that he is a 10-5 player (10-year veteran, last 5 with the same team) and has full no-trade rights. What would Rodriguez stand to gain from crossing the Pacific?

The 37-year-old A-Rod is on the tail end of his career. At 647 home runs, he sits 13 behind Willie Mays for fourth on the All-Time list. At 1950 RBI, he sits in 7th All-Time, just 1 behind Stan Musial and and 50 from jumping Musial, Barry Bonds, and Lou Gehrig for sole possession of 4th place.

Why would he surrender that to go to Japan?

Well, there is the matter of Biogenesis looming over his head, as well as his own admitted steroid use, that put any of his own personal accomplishments in baseball, but it still seems like a reach for A-Rod to choose to pack that all in and head to the domes of Japan.

But then again, we are talking about Alex Rodriguez, and blatant grasps for personal attention are just a way of life.

Super Two and You: Expected MLB Call-ups 2013

2013-06-09T21:02:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: MILB.com

For baseball's top prospects Major League Baseball's Super Two clause can be both a blessing and a detriment. It can give a top young player the chance to make more money sooner, but it can also give a small market team the necessary encouragement to refrain from calling up said prospect.

For those of you not familiar with the Super Two clause, it reads as follows (H/T MLB.com):

In addition, a player can be classified as a "Super Two" and be eligible for arbitration with less than three years of service. A player with at least two but less than three years of Major League service shall be eligible for salary arbitration if he has accumulated at least 86 days of service during the immediately preceding season and he ranks in the top 22 percent (increased from 17 percent in previous agreements) in total service in the class of Players who have at least two but less than three years of Major League service, however accumulated, but with at least 86 days of service accumulated during the immediately preceding season.

That extra year of arbitration is a huge sticking point for some teams, notably the Tampa Bay Rays, the Miami Marlins, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and other small market teams that want to secure an extra year of control on a player, but not have to see his salary skyrocket toward the end of his arbitration period.

So rather than expose said prospects to Super Two status, the respective GM's above watch the calendar carefully, taking advantage of a player's Minor League options and stashing them at Triple-A or lower until that 86 days is no longer a concern. Sometimes the needs of the team are too great to take the risk, but other times it is a worthy gamble.

Well, the Super Two window is about to close, and it will soon become a free for all for some of these prospects to finally get their shot and help their teams win. But who will be getting the call:

Wil Myers - Outfielder - Tampa Bay Rays

Myers has long been considered one of the top prospects in the game, so when Tampa acquired him in the James Shield deal this winter, it wasn't a matter of if he'd be called up, but when Tampa would pull the trigger. The slugging outfielder didn't help his own case when he struggled out of the gate, but he's made things tremendously hard on Tampa lately. After Sunday's play, Myers sits in Durham with a .286 average with 12 home runs, 56 RBI, and a .874 OPS in 57 games with the Bulls. With Rays right fielders ending the day on Sunday ranked 14th in the league with a .236 batting average, 16th with 7 home runs, and 21st with a .701 OPS in 2013, they could certainly use the boost.

Gerrit Cole - Starting Pitcher - Pittsburgh Pirates

It seems like the former number 1 pick (2011) has been knocking on the door ever since being drafted, but only now are the Pirates ready to answer the call. And with Cole, we know that call has already come, with the right-hander set to make his Major League debut on Tuesday when he draws the start for the Pirates against the San Francisco Giants. He's been solid across 12 starts at Triple-A Indianapolis in 2013, posting a 5-3 record with a 2.91 ERA. His strike-outs are a bit down this season, currently sitting a 6.2 K/9 and his BB/9 are up at 3.7, but the Pirates are in need of a starter and are willing to let him work that out at the Major League level for now.

Zack Wheeler - Starting Pitcher - New York Mets

Wheeler can thank the dominance of Matt Harvey for helping offset the Mets' desperation to get him into the rotation, but it appears that Sandy Alderson has stalled the New York media long enough. According to a New York Daily News report, the Mets will likely call-up Wheeler to make his debut in front of his hometown in Atlanta. Talk about trial by fire! That said, Wheeler can likely handle it. He's been impressive in what is likely the best hitter's environment in baseball, holding a 4-1 record, a 4.14 ERA, and 9.4 K/9 ration at Triple-A Las Vegas. Now we can finally see what the Mets stole from San Francisco in the Carlos Beltran trade two years ago.

Nick Castellanos - Outfielder - Detroit Tigers

The Tigers took a big risk by sticking with Andy Dirks as their everyday left fielder in 2013. For such a potent line-up, Dirks has been somewhat of a hole they've been unable to fill, and Matt Tuiasosopo is not the long-term answer; Nick Castellanos is. The 21-year-old has followed up his Futures Game MVP in 2012 with a great start in Triple-A Toledo where he is hitting .295 with 10 home runs, 34 RBI, and an .862 OPS through Sunday. With Detroit in the middle of another playoff push, Castellanos may be the final piece they need in that potent line-up.

Alex Meyer - Starting Pitcher - Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins rank 29th in ERA from their starting pitching in 2013, and things don't appear to be getting any better. Why not give Alex Meyer a shot to show what he's got. The 23-year-old right-hander was acquired in the Denard Span deal with the Nationals this past winter and has been solid for Double-A New Britain, posting a 3-3 record with a 3.69 ERA and a solid 10.8 K/9 ratio. That said, the Twins may choose to Kyle Gibson first and give Meyer another season at an advanced level before exposing him to the Major Leagues.

George Springer - Outfielder - Houston Astros

The 23-year-old Springer is relatively inexperienced at the professional level, having only 194 games under his belt. However, inexperience shouldn't discount what he's done in that short period of time. The Astros center fielder of the future is ready to stake his claim on the position this year, having produced exceptionally at Double-A Corpus Christi with a .307 average, a 1.035 OPS, 17 home runs, 49 RBI, and 17 stolen bases. The tools are legit and the Astros aren't going anywhere in 2013. Time to give the fans something to cheer for and Springer is the first taste of a better future.

Sources:
Sources: Zack Wheeler Expected to Make Met Debut, New York Daily News
MLB Players Association FAQ, MLB.com
All Statistics, Baseball-Reference.com

Prospect Primer: Dodgers Outfielder Yasiel Puig

2013-06-03T14:31:00.001-04:00

The next great Cuban ballplayer is on his way to Major League Baseball, and if he's nearly as good as his country-mate Yoenis Cespedes, we are in for a treat.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have called up 22-year-old Yasiel Puig from Double-A Chattanooga. The move comes on the heels of injuries to both center fielder Matt Kemp and left fielder Carl Crawford, both of whom went down this week with hamstring issues.

Puig signed with the Dodgers midway through the summer of 2012, inking the outfielder to a 7-year, $42 million contract.

He saw limited action in 2012, appearing in just 23 games between rookie league and high-A Rancho Cucamonga. Still, he made quite the impression, hitting a solid .354 with 5 home runs, 15 RBI, and a 1.076 OPS in 95 plate appearances.

That play earned Puig an invitation to Dodgers camp this spring, and he picked up right where he left off, hitting .517 with 3 home runs and 11 RBI in 58 spring at-bats. However, with Crawford seemingly healthy and Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier penciled-in in center and right respectively, Puig was sent to Double-A to continue to get at-bats and continue his progression.

After 40 games in Chattanooga, and because of their own needs, the Dodgers could no longer ignore Puig's bat. At the time of his promotion, Puig was hitting .313 with 8 home runs, 37 RBI, 13 stolen bases, and a .982 OPS while playing a flawless right field.

Prior to the season, Puig ranked #70 on Jonathan Mayo's prospect rankings at MLB.com. At the time, Mayo said, "With the potential to hit for average and power with an above-average arm and good speed, the Dodgers hope he can develop into a Sammy Sosa-like impact player at the big league level."

He'll step into a Los Angeles line-up that is desperate need of offense. The Dodgers currently sit 14th in team batting average, but only 28th in runs scored and 21st in OPS.

Strasburg Strains Oblique, How Do Nats Replace Him?

2013-06-01T10:34:00.000-04:00

During the stretch run of the 2012 season, the Washington Nationals were faced with a choice. One year removed from Tommy John surgery, the team had to decide whether or not to shut down Stephen Strasburg early and protect his future, or utilize their ace in order to push for a World Series run.

The Nats chose the former, feeling that Strasburg's long-term future with the team was worth more than a fleeting World Series run. Unfortunately, the team was unable to rally without him, blowing a 2-0 series lead in the National League Divisional Series to the St. Louis Cardinals and being dropped out of the first round of the playoffs.

With a full season of Strasburg expected in 2013, the expectations were obviously high for Washington and a World Series run was predicted. However, expectations and reality took a very different road and the Nationals have struggled , sitting just a game above .500 and a 4.5 games behind first place Atlanta.

Now is obviously not the time that they would want to lose Strasburg to an injury.

The 24-year-old ace left Friday's start against the aforementioned Braves with what the Washington Post has reported is a strained oblique muscle. While it is a bit of a relief that the injury isn't to his pitching arm, as first reported, it still means the Nationals will be without their ace for possibly 3-4 weeks.

That puts Washington in a tough position. The Nationals are already without fellow starter Ross Detwiler, who is also out with a strained oblique, until mid-June. They currently have Nate Karns called up from Double-A and filling in for Detwiler, but outside of Karns, the team has very little ready talent in the minor leagues.

So who do they fall back on to fill Strasburg's spot?

Ross Ohlendorf

The 30-year-old right-handed journeyman has been pitching at Triple-A Syracuse to the tune of a 4-5 record and a 4.32 ERA. The former Yankee, Pirate, and Padre has a career mark of 18-32 with a 5.32 ERA at the Major League level over the course of 108 appearances (73 starts). He'd be the most likely candidate to step in, but he's no one's idea of a good alternative.

Daniel Rosenbaum

The 25-year-old left-hander has never pitched at the Major League level, but he's throwing particularly well at Triple-A in 2013. Through 10 starts, Rosenbaum holds a 5-3 record and a 3.54 ERA. However, he's also mustering a pedestrian 5.3 K/9 ratio and his control has been suspect with 4.2 BB/9.

Chien-Ming Wang

Wang didn't have a very celebrated turn his first time through the Nationals organization, struggling in 2012 with a 2-3 record and a 6.68 ERA over 10 appearances (5 starts). The former stand-out starter has struggled with injuries over the last few seasons and turned into a reclamation project, currently pitching in the Yankees organization and sporting a 3-4 record and 2.65 ERA over 8 starts at Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre. Wang had an opt-out clause in his contract which he could have exercised on Friday, but didn't because there were no teams willing to offer him a Major League contract. However, with Washington now having a bona fide need, Wang could represent a trade possibility, albeit a long-shot.

Back From Suspension, Grandal Will Have High Expectations

2013-05-28T16:20:00.001-04:00

Mandatory Credit: The Dugout Doctors

As a 23-year-old rookie, Yasmani Grandal burst onto the scene with the San Diego Padres in 2012. A key piece in the Mat Latos trade with the Cincinnati Reds that also netted San Diego Yonder Alonso, Brad Boxberger, and Edinson Volquez, Grandal hit .297 with 8 home runs and 36 RBI in 60 games with the Padres last season. That production drew a ton of praise and earmarked Grandal as one of the best young catching prospects in the game.

Then came the suspension.

In November, it was revealed that Grandal had failed a random test due to heightened levels of synthetic testosterone in his system, resulting in a 50-game ban to start the 2013 campaign. At the time, it was assumed that the positive test came after Grandal suffered an oblique injury, one in which he may have taken the illegal substances in order to bounce back quicker.

Then in February, Grandal's name again surfaces in connection with the still growing Biogenesis scandal, that also included the names of Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Gio Gonzalez, Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon, and others. Whether or not this was tied into his initial suspension remains to be seen, as Major League Baseball continues its investigation into Biogenesis.

Now, that 50-game suspension fully behind him, Grandal will make his return to the Padres on Tuesday night against the Cardinals and is slated to bat behind Chase Headley in the clean-up spot.

That shows the level of faith that the Padres hold in Grandal and his abilities to put this mistake behind him and continue along the path he was on. The team saw enough in his 10-game Minor League assignment, where Grandal hit .306 with 3 doubles and 2 RBI, that they knew his production would not slip.

Now, all Grandal has to do is reward that faith by being a productive and trustworthy teammate. Putting the suspension behind him by proving the mistakes are behind him as well is a start. Maintaining productivity without the aid of performance enhancers is another.

You'd be amazed at how quickly the fans forget when players start contributing and the team starts winning.

Brewers Have Come Out on Top of Segura/Greinke Swap

2013-05-24T19:31:00.001-04:00

Photo Credit: SportsPics.PhotoShelter.com

Prior to trading Zack Greinke on July 27th of last season, the Milwaukee Brewers tried to lock-up their free agent to be ace with a 5-year, $100 million extension. It would have been the richest contract the club had ever offered a pitcher, and fell second only to Ryan Braun's deal as the richest in club history.

Fortunately for them, Greinke declined the deal, instead feeling confident in his ability to command more on the open market.

So, as mentioned above, on July 27th the Brewers sent Greinke to the Los Angeles Angels for a package of prospects that included pitchers Ariel Pena and Johnny Hellweg, and shortstop Jean Segura. The, rest as they say, will be up to history to decide.

Greinke would make 13 starts for the Angels at the end of the 2012 season, posting a 6-2 record with a 3.53 ERA, a 7.9 K/9 ratio, and a 1.4 bWAR in the season's final months. His contributions helped the Angels down the stretch, but they ultimately fell short of the playoffs.

Segura would be the only member of the return package to see Major League action in 2012, but the results were varied, as the young shortstop hit .264 with a .654 OPS in 44 games with the Brewers last season.

What a difference a year makes though.

The Angels opted to jettison both Dan Haren (declined option) and Ervin Santana (trade to Kansas City) in order to clear salary space for the team's pursuit of Greinke last winter. However, that plan backfired on Angels, as Greinke instead cashed in a big paycheck with the crosstown Dodgers instead. That left the Angels nothing to show for trading away to solid Minor League arms and their top positional prospect.

However, the Brewers could not have been happier. Both Pena and Hellweg have looked decent in Double-A and Triple-A respectively, but the real story has been Segura.

After his 44th game in 2013, matching his 2012 total, his number are much, much different.

Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
2012	22	MIL	44	163	19	39	4	3	0	14	7	13	21	.264	.321	.331	.652	75
2013	23	MIL	44	187	26	61	6	5	7	20	14	10	27	.351	.390	.563	.954	155
2 Yrs			89	353	45	100	10	8	7	34	21	23	50	.308	.355	.452	.807	116
162 Game Avg.			162	643	82	182	18	15	13	62	38	42	91	.308	.355	.452	.807	116

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 5/24/2013.

As you can see, Segura not only stepped up his game in 2013, but he's put himself at the forefront of league's offensive stand-outs this season. Entering play on Friday night, Segura ranks third in batting average (.351), 15th in OPS (.954), 7th in hits (61), and 3rd in stolen bases (14).

To put that into perspective, Segura has been worth 2.4 wins above replacement (according to FanGraphs) in 2013, whereas -0.1 in 2012 in limited duty. If he continues along this projection, ZIPS has him falling in with a 4.5 fWAR, which would rank him behind only Troy Tulowitzki among Major League shortstops.

That's pretty impressive if you consider he is a 23-year-old with under 400 at-bats of Major League experience. It's even more impressive when you take into account that the Brewers will have him under team control through the 2018 season and will have to pay him a fraction of a cost over the course of that deal what they would have paid to Greinke for one season.

Sounds like a pretty good trade off to me.

Prospect Primer: Kevin Gausman - Baltimore Orioles

2013-05-23T10:27:00.002-04:00

Jurickson Profar will undoubtedly get the most publicity of any prospect brought up this month. That sort of rides hand in hand with being the games unanimously top-ranked prospect. The injury to Ian Kinsler once again opened the door for Profar this Monday, and he'll get a chance to show he belongs at the game's highest level.

However, Profar may not be the most important prospect recalled this month.

That status could fall to Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman, who was recalled from Double-A Bowie to make his Major League debut on Thursday, drawing the start against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles, in need of a healthy arm in the rotation and a stop to their current slide in the standings (losing 7 of last 10), will give their second-ranked prospect a chance to shine.

The 22-year-old Gausman was the Orioles 1st Round selection in the 2012 draft (4th overall), making him the first player from the 2012 draft to make his debut. The LSU product is currently sporting a 2-4 record at Bowie, but has a solid 3.11 ERA, 1.0 BB/9 ratio, and a 9.5 K/9 ratio for the BaySox. His FIP (fielding independent pitching) of 2.44 foretells better results are coming.

According to his scouting report at MLB.com, Jonathan Mayo ranks 36th overall in the game, with a fastball that is a 7/7 pitch, a change-up that is 6/7, and a slider that is a 4/5 pitch. He has a solid, repeatable delivery, with a 3/4 release point allowing him to drive down on the ball.

With his fastball, Gausman regularly sits in the mid-90's with his fastball, but can reach back and push it to the high-90's and occasionally hit triple-digits if he needs to.

He creates a nice separation with his change-up, which is a mid-80's offering, and has a nice, late drop which generates a lot of swing and misses.

His slider is a work in progress. Like the change-up, it sits in mid-80's. However, it has a sharp bite and sometimes resembles a cutter due to his arm slot release, which mimics his fastball. Once he masters control of the pitch, Baseball Prospectus sees this as another plus offering.

With Dylan Bundy shelved due to elbow issues, Gausman's call-up becomes very important to Baltimore's plans this season. This is not a short-term patch, as the Orioles are committed to putting the best team on the field to help them return to the postseason again in 2013.

That means Gausman is a long-term solution. No worries about Super-Two status or controllability. If he produces, he's going to be a big part of the Orioles picture this season and many more after that.

Red Sox Should Be Ashamed For Breaking Daniel Bard

2013-05-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

If there is ever one decision that will haunt the current front office regime of the Boston Red Sox, it will be the handling of Daniel Bard.

At 27-years-old and owner of one of the most devastating fastball/slider combos in the game, Daniel Bard should have been the shut-down closer that the Red Sox have lacked since Jonathan Papelbon left town. Instead, the right-hander is wallowing away in obscurity at Double-A Portland, trying to fix himself.

But I'm getting a little ahead of myself for a minute, so let's backtrack.

From 2009-2011, Bard was the premier set-up man in the game, and deemed the heir apparent to the aforementioned Papelbon as the team's closer. During those three seasons, Bard appeared in 192 games out of Boston's bullpen, accumulating an ERA of 2.88 with a 9.7 K/9 ratio and a WHIP of 1.056 over 197 innings-pitched.

So when it became apparent that Papelbon would be moving on after the 2011 season, the thought was Bard would be ready to take over

But then the epic collapse of 2011 occurred and the front office upheaval started.

With Ben Cherington taking over for Theo Epstein and Bobby Valentine becoming the team's manager, a different convention took place and new plans started to unfold. The Red Sox looked at Bard's growth as a pitcher and decided to transition him to the rotation. The thought of course was that it would be a cheaper move for the Red Sox to replace Papelbon at closer than it would be for the team to search for an affordable starter in a market than was sans of them.

For some reason, this seemed like a viable plan to the Red Sox front office, despite Bard's struggles as a starter in the low minors before making a successful transition to a reliever. But you know what they say about good intentions.

The first clue it wasn't going to work was Bard's spring performance, where the then 27-year-old walked 16 batters in 24.2 innings during camp, but the team proceeded as planned.

Well, Bard's struggles continued throughout the early part of the season. He would make 10 starts with the team before being optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket, where the team tried to get him back on track by transitioning back to a reliever. When he made his return to the bullpen in August, the results weren't much better. Overall, Bard posted a 5-6 record in 2012 with career worsts in ERA (6.22), BB/9 (6.5), and K/9 (5.8).

Now, fast forward to 2013 and the Daniel Bard of old is still nowhere in sight. In 15 appearances between Boston and Double-A Portland, Bard has surrendered 12 runs (9 earned) and 19 walks in 13.2 innings-pitched.

The results have lead Red Sox pitching coach Juan Nieves to tell WEEI that Bard "was never going to be a quick fix."

He's missing the point. Daniel Bard should never have needed to be fixed.

The Red Sox had transitioned Bard into a successful reliever because he exhibited control issues as a starter in the minors. Knowing this, the Red Sox instead tried to change something that was working in order to try to pare down payroll at the expense of a talented arm that they chose to miscast.

Daniel Bard is broken because Boston wanted to cheaply piece together a temporary pitching rotation until John Lackey could return from Tommy John Surgery. He is broken because they refused to learn the lesson that had already befallen the New York Yankees with Joba Chamberlain. He is broken because Boston failed to leave well enough alone.

Now, all the team can do is try to fix Bard, while also trying to piece back together the psyche that they helped to destroy. But in the end, the writing is already on the wall.

In the end, this story doesn't end well, and both parties will be the poorer for it.

MLB Prospect Top 10 Power Rankings - 5/16/13

2013-05-16T16:34:00.002-04:00

Archie Bradley: Mandatory Credit - MILB.com

You know what I love about prospect rankings, is that they are tumultuous at best, with the names coming and going on a weekly basis as guys step up in the spotlight and fade away just as quickly.

This season's top prospects are doing just that. Guys get hot, guys starts slow, and others appear to come out of nowhere. That's what makes prospecting so much fun, you get constantly teased by the future of the game without ever knowing if it will ever come to pass.

You'll notice some changes from the list this time around. For instance, I am a big fan of Tony Cingrani, and the 23-year-old lefty has been impressive. However, I'm moving him off the prospect list because quite frankly, he's living in the now man, his time in the minors is likely done unless Cincinnati decides to extend his service clock by sending him back down.

Also dropping out of the list this time around was Danny Hultzen, who is currently on the shelf with a rotator cuff strain in his left shoulder. No news on how long he'll be out, but for a guy on the cusp of the dance, this one has to hurt.

Rambling aside, let's segway into this edition's rankings shall we?

1.) Oscar Taveras - Outfielder - St. Louis Cardinals
- Previous Ranking:1

Taveras continues to sit in the number one slot, as he's done nothing but rake at Triple-A Memphis. Through 31 games, the Cardinals center fielder of the future has produced a .317 average with a .831 OPS and 20 RBI. Oh, and he's only struck out 18 times in 132 plate appearances, showing an advanced maturity at the plate. He was slowed a bit this spring by an ankle injury, but that appears behind him, while the Cardinals outfield is the only thing ahead of him.

2.) Jurickson Profar - Shortstop - Texas Rangers
- Previous Ranking:3

I'll say it again, this is not a reflection on Profar's overall ranking as a prospect, simply where he's performing up to date this season. That said, Profar has been rebounding a bit after a slow start. He's currently up to .250 at Triple-A Round Rock, but the .720 OPS is a bit of a disappointment at this stage. Still, we are talking about a 20-year-old in Triple-A, and Profar's numbers will start to drive upward as the seasons goes on.

3.) Wil Myers - Outfielder - Tampa Bay Rays
- Previous Ranking:2

Myers slides behind Profar this week, as the Tampa prospect has enjoyed a rough go of it lately. The 22-year-old is destined for Tampa at some point this season, but his plate discipline has some in the front office worried. Myers has fanned 49 times in 164 plate appearances at Durham, which puts him on pace to top last year's strike-out total of 149 split between Double and Triple-A. That would be one thing if he was making up for it elsewhere, but his slugging percentage has slid to a low of .403. Tampa will give him as long as he needs to improve both lines.

4.) Miguel Sano - Third Baseman - Minnesota Twins
- Previous Ranking:7

You cannot say enough about the bat of Miguel Sano, who's bat has everyone talking. With 13 more games under his belt since we last checked in with him, Sano has continued to punish the ball. A promotion from high-A Fort Myers should be in short order, as Sano is obviously overpowering the league with a .364 average, 10 home runs, 31 RBI, and a 1.126 OPS through 155 plate appearances. He's destined to move quickly in the coming months.

5.) Taijuan Walker - Starting Pitcher - Seattle Mariners
- Previous Ranking: 4

Walker continues to impress as the top-ranked arm on this list. After 8 starts, Walker has looked every bit the potential ace he's projected to be, posting a 3-3 record with a 2.09 ERA and a 9.9 K/9 ratio. And as the season progresses, his walk ratios are evening out a bit, where last time we looked at Walker it sat at 5.6, that number is now down to 4.4. That's still nearly a full extra base-runner than his previous average, but it shows that he's getting into a rhythm.

6.) Gerrit Cole - Starting Pitcher - Pittsburgh Pirates
- Previous Ranking: 6

Next we check in with Gerrit Cole, the future ace of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 22-year-old could be looking at a call-up at the beginning of June if his production stays where its at, especially considering the needs to the Pirates at this stage. After 42.1 innings over 8 starts, Cole has produced a sparkling 3-1 record with a 2.55 ERA. His 6.6 K/9 ratio is a little lower than you'd want from a top-tier prospect and the 4.3 BB/9 is a bit high, but considering he's allowing a .204 batting average against, I think we can cut him some slack.

7.) Christian Yelich - Outfielder - Miami Marlins
Previous Ranking: NR

We have our first new name this week, and its a big one. Yelich is regarded as the top prospect in the Marlins organization outside of Jose Fernandez and a promotion to Double-A Jacksonville finally got him going in 2013. In 23 games and 105 plate appearances, Yelich is tearing the cover off the ball with a .319 average, 8 doubles, 4 triples, 5 homers, 21 RBI, and a 1.050 OPS. Oh, and he's played perfect defense while posting an above average range factor in the outfield. The 21-year-old Yelich could be the next infant promoted to the Marlins

8.) Francisco Lindor - Shortstop - Cleveland Indians
Previous Ranking: 9

19-year-old Francisco Lindor may no longer be the youngest player on this list, but that hasn't stopped him from impressing. Now 33 games into his first season at high-A, Lindor is really coming into his own as a hitter. Already graded high as a fielder, he's shown a better approach with the bat in 2013 with a .331 batting average and a .871 OPS. That's been aided by a solid grasp of the strike-zone, where over the last two years, Lindor has walked nearly as much as he's struck out. He's definitely one to watch for the next several seasons.

9.) Byron Buxton - Outfielder - Minnesota Twins
Previous Ranking: NR

Lindor is no longer the youngest player on this list as Buxton bests him by a month. Minnesota's first round pick in 2012 (2nd overall) has shown that he deserved the hype. At Low-A Cedar Rapids, Buxton has hit .341 in 170 plate appearances, with 10 doubles, 4 triples, and 5 home runs, 28 RBI, 15 stolen bases, and a 1.026 OPS. He's also scored an amazing 41 runs in 37 games. This kid is lightning in a bottle, and may have as high a ceiling as Sano.

10.) Archie Bradley - Starting Pitcher - Arizona Diamondbacks
Previous Ranking: NR

Bradley competed heavily with Dylan Bundy in high school, and the pair went within three picks of each other in the 2011 draft, with Bundy going with the fourth pick and Bradley with the seventh. 2 years later, and with Bundy on the shelf and facing possible elbow surgery, it is Bradley that is making a name with scouts. The 20-year-old has been electric in 2013. After posting a stunning 1.26 ERA after 5 starts at High-A Visalia, Bradley has been tougher since getting promoted to Double-A Mobile, where he has hardly been touched, surrendering just 1 run over his first 14 innings. His 13.3 K/9 ratio is most impressive, but his improvement to a 3.4 BB/9 shows that his control is getting better with experience. The D-Backs rotation has been pretty solid this season, so they won't hurry Bradley this year, but keep an eye out for a 2014 landing.

Cubs Lock Up Anthony Rizzo With Long-Term Deal

2013-05-13T09:35:00.000-04:00

Image courtesy of Zimbio

Theo Epstein let Anthony Rizzo go once, sending him to San Diego Padres is the ill-fated deal that brought Adrian Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox. After getting him back upon his move to Chicago, Epstein is not willing to make that mistake again.

On Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports announced that the Chicago Cubs and the 23-year-old first baseman have agreed on a 7-year, $41 million extension. The deal begins by usurping his 2013 contract and carries through 2019. The agreement also contains two, $14.5 million club options for the 2020 and 2012 seasons.

The agreement also buys out all of Rizzo's arbitration years, avoiding the Super Two status that the lefty-slugger was on pace for.

The Cubs acquired Rizzo in a four-player deal that sent Andrew Cashner and Kyung-Min Na to San Diego prior to the 2012 season. Rizzo had become expendable in San Diego after the team brought in first baseman Yonder Alonso in the Mat Latos trade.

After a rough debut for the Padres is 2011, where he hit just .141 with 1 home run and 9 RBI in 153 plate appearances, Rizzo has taken kindly to his new home at the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field. In 124 games with the Cubs, Rizzo has compiled a .283 average with 24 home runs, 76 RBI, and a .831 OPS.

If you remember, the Baseball Big Brother Project highlighted Rizzo as their key player for the Chicago Cubs this season in our 30 Players, 30 Teams series. By entending the young slugger, the Cubs now have two corner stones of their franchise locked up through 2019, with both Rizzo and shortstop Starlin Castro under contract.

Red Sox Closer To Undergo Season Ending Elbow Surgery

2013-05-11T13:50:00.001-04:00

Well, the Joel Hanrahan era in Boston didn't last long, as the Red Sox closer announced that he will undergo season-ending elbow surgery to repair a strained flexor tendon in his throwing arm.

The injury was discovered last week, when Hanrahan visited Dr. James Andrews to resolve discomfort in his pitching elbow. At the time, the fear was that Hanrahan may have torn the Ulnar Collateral Ligament, which commonly leads to Tommy John Surgery. However, Dr. Andrews found the strain instead.

That was good news for Hanrahan, as the 6-9 month recovery for the flexor tendon surgery will enable him to be ready to spring training in 2014, whereas the Tommy John surgery would have kept him out of action for most, if not all of next season.

Unfortunately, it isn't the best of news for the Boston Red Sox, as Hanrahan is set to become a free agent at the end of this season. After sending a package that included Mark Melancon, Stolmy Pimentel, Ivan DeJesus Jr., and Jerry Sands to the Pirates in exchange for Hanrahan and Brock Holt, the Red Sox got exactly 9 appearances and 4 saves from their new closer.

Those appearances were not exactly pretty either, as Hanrahan struggled with his control, leading to a 9.82 ERA, 2 blown saves, and 7.4 BB/9 ratio.

The timing could also have been better for Boston, who is also without Andrew Bailey, who is on the disabled list with right bicep soreness. For now, that means that what was once a bullpen with two closers must now rely on Junichi Tazawa to handle the ninth inning duties until Bailey can return.

Well, I guess that will be the last time Red Sox fans hear "Before I Forget" at Fenway Park.

Antiquated Judgement Call Rules Holding MLB Back?

2013-05-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

- French Proverb

When Major League Baseball first made the decision to institute limited instant replay in August 2008, the move was met with a feeling of inevitability. It was an inevitability that a game that always fought progress, would finally succumb to it.

Well, it was also inevitable that the same backward thinking that took it so long for the league to implement the measure would then also impede it from being used properly.

As a game, baseball has long been built around the judgment of the individual, a belief that one person’s naked eye should be the end-all, be-all judge of all. By instituting limited instant replay on home run balls (fair/foul, out of the park or not), the league as a whole caved to the realization that the naked eye is not always to be believed. Bud Selig even admitted as much during his initial press conference on August 26, 2008.

"I believe this is right," Selig. "I think the umpires believe it. I think the players believe it. The evidence [for using it] became overwhelming the more I looked at ballparks. You've got an umpire running out and he's 300-400 feet away, and it became impossible [for him to make the right call]. I'm delighted we're able to make this adjustment.

Yes, here we stand, nearly five seasons after the system has been introduced, and we still rely on the judgment of one person to dictate the outcome of a ballgame?

On Wednesday night, the Oakland Athletics were handed a loss by the Cleveland Indians after they failed to push a tying run over the plate during the 9^th inning. However, that should not have been the case, as Adam Rosales hit what appeared to be a game-tying home run with two-outs in the inning. However, the umpire crew called the ball in play rather than a home run and Rosales ended up at second base.

This is the type of situation replay was instituted to resolve. The Athletics protested and the umpires decided to go to the replay, which clearly showed the ball hitting a railing above the yellow line at Progressive Field and bouncing back into play, which would mean the ball was indeed a home run. However, despite both home and away feeds showing that fact and the umpire crew having access to said feeds, crew chief Angel Hernandez ruled the play would stand as ruled on the field.

Obviously, Bob Melvin was incensed and was ejected for continuing to argue the call on the field. The Athletics would load the bases, but would ultimately fail to push that tying run across.

But that fact is not the real kick in the teeth. That came from MLB’s executive vice-president for baseball operations Joe Torre.

In a ruling on Thursday, Torre admitted that “an improper call was made”. However, Torre left the call as is, saying “By rule, the decision to reverse a call by use of instant replay is at the sole discretion of the crew chief. In the opinion of Angel Hernandez, who was last night's crew chief, there was not clear and convincing evidence to overturn the decision on the field. It was a judgment call, and as such, it stands as final.”

Torre is referring to rule 9.02a which states, “Any umpires decision which involves judgment, such as, but not limited to, whether a batted ball is fair or foul, whether a pitch is a strike or a ball, or whether a runner is safe or out, is final. No player, manager, coach or substitute shall object to any such judgment decisions.”

However, it begs to ask that if we are making progress toward the correct judgment, should we not also be progressing toward a way to correct improper judgment?

In this case, the Athletics are allowed an appeal to Torre’s office, but based on the way the rule is written – or interpreted, I’m unsure which – that appeal is for naught, as the umpire’s judgment is deemed the final word. They in essence become the judge, jury, and executioner so to speak.

This is not the first example of this, let alone the first time this season. The Tampa Bay Rays were robbed twice by bad calls, once on April 9^th when Marty Foster handed Joe Nathan his 300^th save on poor strike call and another time on April 4^th, when Evan Longoria was ruled to have overrun Ben Zobrist on an RBI single. Unfortunately, you cannot argue balls and strikes, and the umpire refused to ask for help on the April 4^th play.

However, the issue at hand is that the appeals system is nearly non-existent. What good does it do to file said appeal if in essence all you are getting to really say is, “I’m really unhappy Joe.”

It is an absolute disgrace to the game that there is no willingness on the part of Major League Baseball to correct a wrong. Instead, they simply say “sorry” and expect that it is fair to both parties to leave things as ruled on the field. With the insertion of replay, we should be making progress against bad judgment calls rather than enabling them to continue unhindered.

Is the long-term legitimacy of the game really worth bolstering up the ego of an individual?

Carlos Santana: Cleveland Catcher Peaking or Lucky?

2013-05-08T16:17:00.000-04:00

Cleveland Indians catcher Carlos Santana has been somewhat lost over the years, hidden in the shadows cast by other top catchers like Buster Posey, Joe Mauer, Yadier Molina, Matt Weiters, and Miguel Montero. Considering that this is perhaps one of the best corps of catchers in recent memory, if not ever, then it could have been deemed as perfectly understandable.

However, it is not so understandable now.

At 27-years-old, Carlos Santana appears to have consulted a black magic woman and stepped out of the shadows of his peers and skipped to the front of the pack so far in 2013. After 26 games this season, the Cleveland backstop has amassed a pretty impressive slash line of that includes a .355 batting average, a .450 on-base percentage, and an OPS+ of 205. That has put Santana atop of the early-season leaderboard in terms of fWAR among catchers, posting a stellar 1.7 mark through the season's first month-plus.

But has Carlos Santana turned the corner and moved right into his prime, or is he simply the benefactor of a healthy portion of luck?

Among qualifying catchers, Santana is posting the highest BABIP (Batting Average, Balls in Play) with a .415. In fact, Santana is posting the third highest mark in baseball at this stage, with only Carlos Gomez and Torii Hunter (both at .420) posting higher marks.

What this means is that Santana is benefiting from putting the ball into just the right places to make things count. However, it also means that Santana is due to regress back toward his career .281 mark, and here's why.

- Santana is enjoying a 13.3% Infield Hit Percentage, which means he's reaching base 13.3% on infield ground balls. That's nearly twice his career average. For a catcher with no discernible speed, that's a pretty high percentage and is bound to even out.

- For the fourth straight season, Santana's fly-ball ratio is down, currently sitting at a career-low 36.6%. Now, that could be a result of an increased line-drive ratio, which is matching his career-high of 21.1%. Yes, he's getting 23.1% of those fly balls to leave the yard, but for a 27-year-old with decent power, you don't want to see that number regressing.

- Santana has always been a solid hitter in regards to plate discipline, having walked nearly 100 times each of the last two seasons, while reducing his strike-outs from 2011 to 2012. However in 2013, he appears to be going in the opposite direction with his plate discipline. He is striking out 20.2% of the time this season, compared to 16.6% in 2012. That's troubling considering he is actually making better contact, with a swinging-strike percentage of 7.4% and a contact percentage of 80.1%.

None of this is to say that Santana couldn't be finding his potential, but to expect him to maintain an average over .330 with an OPS over 1.000 is highly unlikely. Evolution usually comes in stages, so the Indians will be happy if Santana can push himself closer to .280 with 20+ home runs, 80-85 RBI, and an OPS over .800.

Still, dreamers can keep dreaming can't they?

MLB Prospect Top 10 Power Rankings - 4/29/13

2013-04-29T16:16:00.003-04:00

Courtesy of Rant Sports

The first month of the 2013 Major League Baseball season is coming to a close and we're starting to get a good look at some of baseball's top prospects.

Already, we are seeing some names called up to fill some important roles on their respective squads. Players like Didi Gregorius (Diamondbacks )and Tony Cingrani (Reds) have received call-ups and made immediate impacts for their teams. Others, like Batimore's Dylan Bundy (elbow issues), have been forced to the sidelines with injuries.

But one thing has rung true thus far. Baseball's very best prospects are still making their names in the minors, awaiting the call. With that in mind, here are my updated rankings through the end of April.

1.) Oscar Taveras - Outfielder - St. Louis Cardinals
- Previous Ranking: 2

John Jay is holding his own with the parent club, so the Cardinals are taking their time in starting the Oscar Taveras era in St. Louis. Meanwhile, the five-tool Taveras has been steady at Triple-A this season. Despite being just 20-years-old, the lefty-hitting Taveras is putting up a .284 average with 2 home runs, 7 RBI, and a .742 OPS in 19 games played.

2.) Wil Myers - Outfielder - Tampa Bay Rays
- Previous Ranking: 3

It is not a case of if, but when will Myers gets called up that Rays fans keep asking. The club's offensive roll may help slow down that chant, as the team would prefer to keep Myers from reaching Super Two status too early. However, as his parent club started hitting the ball, so did the 22-year-old Myers, who now sits at .309 with 2 home runs, 16 RBI, and .859 OPS at Triple-A Durham. He's ready, waiting, and mature enough to make the jump when the call comes.

3.) Jurickson Profar - Shortstop - Texas Rangers
- Previous Ranking: 1

Profar's slide in the rankings isn't a measure of his talent, just where he is thus far in the early season. Perhaps it is the non-stop bantering of his name in connection with trades for Taveras, or Giancarlo Stanton, or David Price, or any other high profile trade candidate on the market, but the young Profar is finally stumbling a bit. Thus far, he's slipped to just .214 with 2 home runs, 12 RBI, and a .723 OPS. However, more alarming is that Profar is striking out about 20% of the time right now. While he is also walking nearly as often, that's a heavy percentage, even this early in the season. Still, the key word there is "early" and Profar is too good to stumble for long.

4.) Taijuan Walker - Starting Pitcher - Seattle Mariners
- Previous Ranking: 4

Walker's second go-around with Double-A hitters appears to be going well for the 20-year-old righty. After struggling in the second half of 2012, Walker has been solid thus far in 2013, posting a 2-2 record with a 1.55 ERA and a 9.9 K/9 ratio. One concern would be the 5.6 BB/9 Walker is currently floating, but since that is nearly 2 more than his career mark, we're going to chalk that up as an anomaly right now.

5.) Tony Cingrani - Starting Pitcher - Cincinnati Reds
- Previous Ranking: NR

Our first new addition this week is Tony Cingrani, who has caught the baseball world as somewhat of a surprise. The Reds lefty has made short work of the minors after being drafted out of Rice University in the 3rd Round of the 2011 draft, including 3 starts at Triple-A in 2013 where he scattered 3 hits and struck-out 26 in 14.1 innings. The injury to Johnny Cueto opened the door for Cingrani and he has not missed a beat, going 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 28 strike-outs over 3 starts and 18 innings with the Reds. Not too bad for a kid ranked just 66th by MLB.com coming into the 2013 season.

6.) Gerrit Cole - Starting Pitcher - Pittsburgh Pirates
- Previous Ranking: 5

Another guy moving down the list, this time it isn't due to Cole's performance to date. The 22-year-old former 1st overall pick has made 5 appeances at Triple-A in 2013, throwing 23.1 innings while posting a 2-1 records, a 2.31 ERA, and 19 strike-outs. However, he has also struggled with his control in those outings, walking 15 batters for a mark of 5.3 BB/9 innings. Like Walker, that is a blip compared to his career rates, so that should correct itself as he works out the winter kinks.

7.) Miguel Sano - Third Baseman - Minnesota Twins
- Previous Ranking: 7

Sano is perhaps one of the minor's most well-regarded power hitters, even though he has yet to play above High-A. In 23-games with the Fort Myers Miracle, that power has been on full display, with Sano punishing baseballs to the tune of 9 home runs, 5 doubles, 1 triple, and 24 RBI to go along with a 1.162 OPS. However, he also has a thing to learn about plate discipline, as Sano has gone down the way of the K 26 times while walking just 9 times in 100 plate appearances.

8.) Danny Hultzen - Starting Pitcher - Seattle Mariners
- Previous Ranking: 9

The PCL isn't generally regarded as a good pitcher's league, but that hasn't seemed to both Hultzen thus far in 2013. The Mariners lefty is enjoying a fine start, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.78 ERA, and 25 strike-outs in 22.2 innings pitched. Additionally, the 23-year-old has seemingly put his control issues behind him, even if just for the time being, putting up a 2.4 BB/9 ratio thus far. With Aaron Harang struggling, perhaps a call to Hultzen could be in the offing.

9.) Francisco Lindor - Shortstop - Cleveland Indians
Previous Ranking: NR

Another previously unranked prospect, Lindor is the youngest player on this list. However, there are some in baseball that feel the slick fielding shortstop could be the one with the highest upside. After hitting .257 with 6 home runs and 42 RBI as an 18-year-old in Low-A last season, Lindor's bat has seemingly matured overnight. Through 22 games in the Carolina League, Lindor is slugging a solid .843 with a .326 average 28 hits and 7 stolen bases. Furthermore, his plate approach is advanced for his age, as he's walked 71 times in 684 career plate appearances. Combine that will some of the best glove-work in the minors and you have yourself a solid prospect.

10.) Trevor Bauer - Starting Pitcher - Cleveland Indians
Previous Ranking: 8

There has never been any doubts about Bauer's stuff, as he has one of the best fastball/curve combos of all prospects in the game. However, Bauer has this reputation of being a horrible teammate. Regardless, he has put that behind him to start the 2013 Minor League season. Through 3 starts with Triple-A Columbus, Bauer has posted a 1-0 record with a 2.50 ERA and 24 strike-outs in 18 innings pitched, good enough for a 12.0 K/9 ratio. Throw out the April 6th start with Cleveland, and Bauer could be authoring a nice comeback season for his prospect status.

Does Matt Moore Make David Price Decision Easier For Rays?

2013-04-25T16:50:00.001-04:00

There is very little of more value in the baseball world than a 27-year-old former Cy Young winner that is still under team control for two-plus seasons. Every team wants to land a stud pitcher, in his prime, that they still have some negotiating room with.

Enter stage left, David Price.

The Rays lefty is coming off of another solid season, one in which he won the American League Cy Young award while pitching in baseball's toughest division. He's thrown 200+ innings each of his three full season at the Major League level. Oh, and he's good for 200 K's per season.

So why would the Tampa Bay Rays entertain the thought of trading such a prized commodity?

Well, first off, if the Rays move Price at the appropriate time, the return could be astonomical. If James Shields could pry the Minor League Player of the Year away from the Royals, then surely Price could net a larger bounty. We're not just talking about quantity here, but we're also talking about quality, like Jurickson Profar, Oscar Taveras type quality. And that's only part of any return package for Price.

Secondly, the modest-spending Rays like to float a relatively small team payroll, with Tampa having the third lowest in baseball at $57.895 million in 2013. Price, with two years of arbitration left, is the team's highest paid player at $10.113 million, which represents a nearly $7 million increase from 2012. That's already 17.5% of the team's payroll. Imagine what that climbs up to as Price keeps playing the arbitration game. Tampa would more likely move him before his salary impedes them from playing their small market shuffle.

Needless to say, it's safe to assume that the Rays will make a deal that will send Price from Tampa to the highest bidder. That just makes the continued development of Matt Moore all the more important.

Moore was everyone's favorite for the 2012 Rookie of the Year coming into last season. In fact, the Rays thought so much of his cup-of-coffee in 2011, that they inked the rookie to a 5-year, $14 million extension after just 3 appearances at the Major League level. While he didn't exactly live up to those expectations, the hard-throwing Moore still enjoyed a solid season. When all was said and done in 2012, Moore finished 12-12 with a 3.81 ERA, an 8.9 K/9 ratio, and a 1.4 bWAR.

However, the 23-year-old Moore is looking a bit more comfortable in his second go-around.

In 2013, Moore has won all four of his starts with a minuscule 1.04 ERA, having surrendered just 3 earned runs over 26 innings pitched. Opposing hitters are reaching Moore for just a .116 batting average against and he's returning the favor by striking out 10 for every 9 innings pitched. And he's seemingly getting stronger as the early season progresses, holding the Yankees to a single earned run over 8 innings while striking out 9 on Monday night.

Moore stands to be the one with the most to gain if Price departs, and would be the likely heir to the thrown of ace. The best part for the Rays is, because of Andrew Friedman's foresight, he doesn't even begin to make a blip on the payroll scale until 2018 at best, and that is only at $9 million.

The shrewd Rays keep finding a way to restock and reload without breaking the bank, and Price is just another means to that end. David Price had his run, and next it will be Matt Moore's turn.

And, as long as they keep developing the talent they turn these players into, the Rays will keep peskily hanging around. Now all they have to do is get their Profar, Taveras, or whatever high-end prospect they can for Price.

30 Players, 30 Teams - Los Angeles Angels

2013-04-20T20:38:00.000-04:00

Photo: Halos Heaven

In this series, we are going to spotlight one player on each of the 30 Major League Baseball teams. However, we won't be highlighting just any player. Rather, we are going to call attention to the one guy from each squad that is the heart and soul of the team, a rookie to watch for, or simply the key to winning.

If you missed the previous installments, be sure to check them out:

Arizona Diamondbacks - Miguel Montero

Atlanta Braves - Craig Kimbrel
Baltimore Orioles - Dylan Bundy
Boston Red Sox - Jon Lester
Chicago Cubs - Anthony Rizzo
Chicago White Sox - Chris Sale
Cincinnati Reds - Brandon Phillips
Cleveland Indians - Asdrubal Cabrera

Colorado Rockies - Troy Tulowitzki
Detroit Tigers - Prince Fielder
Houston Astros - Chris Carter
Kansas City Royals - James Shields

Los Angeles Angels - C.J. Wilson - Starting Pitcher

Acquired: Free Agent - December 8, 2011
Signed Through: 2016 ($54 million remaining)
MLB Debut: June 10, 2005

Picture this, your team is sitting on a not-so-pretty 6-10 record, they have a team ERA of 4.81 and a starters ERA of 5.18. You're already regarded as having a weak starting rotation, and then you add in the fact that you lost your team ace for 6 weeks due to a broken arm suffered on a freak accident while trying to avoid a line drive.

Yup, that is what the Los Angeles Angels are dealing with. And that is precisely why C.J. Wilson becomes so important in 2013.

The 32-year-old shocked some in baseball when he left the comforts of the Texas Rangers and signed a big money deal (5-year, $77.5 million) with the division rival Angels prior to the 2012 season. And the weight of that deal left some pretty high expectations for the lefty.

Coming off a solid 2011 campaign that saw Wilson register career-highs in wins (16), strike-outs (206), and starts (34), the results from his first season were somewhat disappointing. Despite making the same number of starts (34), Wilson saw his strike-out rate decline (7.7), his ERA rise (3.83), and his win total slip to 13. Furthermore, his ERA+ (park adjusted ERA) slipped nearly 60 points from the prior season, despite moving to a less hitter friendly environment.

Ultimately, the season wasn't a complete train wreck for Wilson, but it also left a lot to be desired from a pitcher earning $10 million in a heavily back-loaded contract. Regardless, with Jered Weaver out for an extended period of time, the role of staff stopper falls to Wilson, and will require him to channel those Ranger days again and pick up the reins in L.A.

In two starts since the Weaver injury, the results have varied. On April 9th, Wilson struggled against division-leading Oakland, tossing six innings, but surrendering 4 earned runs in the process. He followed that up by mastering the lowly Astros by spinning 6 innings of 1-run ball.

However, the growing trend shows that Wilson has failed to give the Angels anything more than six innings a start and his game scores of 48, 48, and 57 leave something to be desired from the anointed ace of the staff. In fact, his average game score of 52 in an Angels uniform is tremendously disappointing.

Still, it is something Wilson will have to overcome in his new life in Los Angeles, especially if the Angels want to be able to weather the loss of Weaver. That means stepping up and working deeper into games and shutting down opponents.

And shutting down opponents is exactly what the Angels need right about now.

MLB Prospect Top 10 Power Rankings - 4/18/13

2013-04-18T11:54:00.000-04:00

Photo: SI.com

In the last several seasons, the value of prospects in Major League Baseball has skyrocketed. Teams are becoming more cost conscious and as such, are looking for ways to trim their budgets. A good, controllable rookie is as good a way as any.

So, when MLB.com published their preseason prospect rankings, we received a good look at just what was out there in terms of elite young bats and arms that would one day step up to help their parent clubs. With that in mind, after a few weeks of minor league baseball under our belts, where do those prospects sit today?

We're going to start an updated power ranking for those top rookies.

1.) Jurickson Profar - Shortstop - Texas Rangers

The 20-year-old Profar has made short work of the minor leagues thus far in his young career, but without a true place to put him in the Major Leagues - he's blocked by Elvis Andrus at short and Ian Kinsler at second - Profar started 2013 at Triple-A Round Rock. In 9 games for the Express, Profar is hitting .281 with a .894 OPS and 6 RBI. I'm also encouraged by the nearly 1:1 K/BB ratio (10/8). While not elite numbers, they are enough to keep him in the top slot.

2.) Oscar Taveras - Outfield - St. Louis Cardinals

Taveras may be the single most dangerous bat in all of Minor League baseball, and that's saying something. The 20-year-old, has an advanced swing, reminiscent of Barry Bonds. The only thing truly missing from his game is elite speed, but I don't think you'll hear many complaints about that. In 9 games with Memphis, Taveras is hitting .294 with a home run, 4 RBI, and a .775 OPS in his first turn at Triple-A. It's just a matter of time before he is in St. Louis permanently.

3.) Wil Myers - Outfield - Tampa Bay Rays

The funny thing about the reigning Minor League Player of the Year is that everyone seems to know when he'll join the Rays outfield; May 1st. Still, the 22-year-old Myers waits patiently in Triple-A Durham awaiting the call, and continues to rake, hitting .304 with 9 RBI and a .795 OPS thus far. After hitting 37 home runs between Double and Triple-A last season, it is a bit disappointing that he has yet to hit a bomb through 12 games in 2013, but there's no need to worry. The power is still there, and pretty soon it will be in Tampa.

4.) Taijuan Walker - Starting Pitcher - Seattle Mariners

For those of you that were worries when Walker hit a bump in the road at Triple-A last season, you can officially relax. The 20-year-old right-hander has come out on fire in 2013, posting a 1-2 record with a 2.25 ERA and 19 strike-outs in 16 innings pitched. The 10 walks (5.6/9IP) are a bit worrisome at this stage, but he seems to be working his way around them thus far. He could see a call-up in September, but for now Walker will be the pillar of what is an excellent farm system for the Mariners.

5.) Gerrit Cole - Starting Pitcher - Pittsburgh Pirates

The 22-year-old #1 pick of the 2011 draft made steady progress last season, his first in professional baseball. MLB.com has him ranked at #9, but that's a bit low, and Cole will prove it shortly. Through three starts with Triple-A Indianapolis, Cole is holding his own with a 3.65 ERA, a 1-1 record, and 12 strike-outs in 12 innings pitched. The Pirates are sort of easing him into the season, with Cole averaging just 4 innings per start thus far, but with Wandy Rodriguez on the shelf, they may wish to reexamine that plan.

6.) Jose Fernandez - Starting Pitcher - Miami Marlins

What more can you say about Jose Fernandez? The 20-year-old got an early ticket to the Major Leagues this season, making the team out of camp due to injuries to both Nathan Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez. However, it looks like it was a good choice for the Marlins, as Fernandez has more than held his own to this point, posting a 0.82 ERA over his first 11 innings and striking out 13 in the process. We'll see if he remains with the team long-term, but for now Fernandez certainly looks like he belongs.

7.) Miguel Sano - Third Base - Minnesota Twins

While Aaron Hicks may have made all the noise this spring for the Twins, it is nonetheless Sano that bears watching long term. The 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic is launched 28 home runs at low-A last season, earning a promotion to start 2013, and he's responded nicely. Through 13 games with the Fort Myers Miracle, Sano is tearing the cover off the ball, hitting .380 with 4 home runs, 12 RBI, and a 1.139 OPS. Something tells me this young man will be moving up the ladded quite quickly this season.

8.) Jameson Taillon - Starting Pitcher - Pittsburgh Pirates

Taillon becomes the second Pirates pitcher to crack this list. The 21-year-old right-hander is likely a year behind Cole in terms of being ready, but he could eventually be better than Cole long-term. At 6' 6", he gets excellent drive on the ball, resulting in a high-90's fastball, a solid curve, and an above-average change-up. Through three starts at Double-A Altoona, Taillon is 2-1 with a 1.00 ERA and has 20 strike-outs in 18 innings pitched.

9.) Danny Hultzen - Starting Pitcher - Seattle Mariners

What a one-two-three punch that the Mariners will have on their hands when Walker and Hultzen join Felix Hernandez in Seattle next season. The 23-year-old Hultzen is every bit the stud that Walker is, but with a bit more polish, with plus offerings with his fastball , slider, and change-up. In 3 starts with Triple-A Tacoma, Hultzen is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 20 strike-outs in 16.2 innings pitched, so the stuff is there and ready. He's just waiting for the call at this point.

10.) Anthony Rendon - Third Baseman - Washington Nationals

Rendon is just the latest in a long line of smartly drafted, well developed players in the Nationals system. The 23-year-old is tearing up the ball at Double-A Harrisburg, posting a .311 average with 2 home runs, 7 RBI, and a 1.000 OPS through 13 games. What's more impressive is his understanding of the strike-zone, having shown an advanced approach with 12 walks to his 7 strike-outs in 2013. With injury concerns in his past, the Nationals will likely want to see a full season under his belt before assessing his projection at the highest level, which will also likely include a position switch with Ryan Zimmerman entrenched at third. However, if he can put together a solid season of health and productivity at both Double and Triple-A in 2013, he could be with the big club in 2014.