ESPN's look at the Next Dice-K

Well, those guys at the WWL are finally catching up to me. After all, it was six weeks ago (3/24/08) when I wrote A closer look at the next Dice-K. Jim Caple has the honors here, and besides a requisite anti-Yanks quip or two, the expose is quite interesting.

Of note:

Most observers feel he either is already as good as Matsuzaka or soon will be. "I think his numbers in Japan are going to be equally as phenomenal as he continues to move on, barring injury, as Dice-K's were in Japan," [former manager and current Royals manager Trey] Hillman says. "He's got a different type of frame. Dice-K's got a more powerful frame, but Darvish has looser levers and a taller frame with more whip, and I think that gives him an opportunity to have more powerful and more electric secondary pitches as well as a fastball."
......
Most everyone says if Darvish is posted, the bidding will easily top the $50 million the Seibu Lions received in exchange for the rights to Dice-K. After that, [Oakland Athletics scout Randy] Johnson says, "The sky is the limit as to where the big-money teams would go." Given the usual escalation in baseball contracts, it isn't crazy to think the negotiating fee could go to $75 million.
......
And is there any team for which [his father] Farsad would like Yu to pitch? "I love the New York and Boston area. If he ever makes it there, I don't know, it's up to him, anywhere in the States is good, but I personally love New England."

Theo Epstein, Brian Cashman: Consider that your wakeup call.

In case the video below doesn't work for some reason, click here

Of course, this will only serve as another flashpoint in the silly posting rules of the Japanese league as part of their agreement with MLB....which was supposed to EVEN the playing ground, not futher isolate the lower revenue teams who can't concieve of a $75 million posting fee just to talk to this guy.

But I digress. It will be interesting to see how this develops. I'll be watching. You should, too.

$1 goes further than you thought

No, this is not a commercial for a fast food joint's ploy to sell you half a sandwich for $1 and make it look both a) appetizing and b) filling.

No, you can get yourself a regular professional ballplayer for a mere $1.

As it turns out, Wes Helms got traded for $1. That is all the Marlins had to give the Phillies, who agreed to pay his $2.4 million salary this season. (He is under contract next season, though the Marlins could buy him out.)

Just awesome.

"So's your mom"

With a big thanks to Shyster, I present you with this, a wonderful email-based dialogue between a writer and Carlos Delgado's agent. Priceless.

Remember the "I" in this is Star Ledger writer Dan Graziano:

"Sorry I missed your 'joke.' This is what I wrote: 'the Mets are paying Delgado $12 million in salary this year plus a $4 million buyout on his 2009 option'I won't hold my breath waiting for your apology."

Glad I didn't. Because it didn't come. What did come was a total descent into immature madness by somebody who purports to be a major league player agent. Sloane wrote back at 12:40 p.m.:

"Apologize this retard, he's making 16 this year WITH an option for next year @ 16 or a buyout @ 4. Nice research by you but then I guess that whole concept of fact finding escapes you huh? They didn't teach that on the short bus did they?"

Seriously. Not making this up. I cut-and-pasted it.
..........
Anyway, maybe I should have resisted, but I couldn't. I wrote him back again:

"That a joke too? You're a funny guy."

And then, at 12:46 pm, in apparent celebration of Mother's Day, David Sloane, the agent for Carlos Delgado, wrote back the following e-mail, which I present to you in its entirety:

"So's your Mom."

And there you have it, folks. "So's your Mom."

Incredible.

Goose'd

Buried late in an article about Goose Gossage's visit to the Hall Of Fame is this story. I love hearing from the ballplayers about what they were really thinking at a pivotal point in time. Not right after it happens and they give us something they think we want to hear, but the truth some time later.

Gossage, that famous mustache now gray, claims to have hit only three batters intentionally in his major league career: Ron Gant, Al Bumbry and Andres Galarraga.

"They had it coming," he said.

I love this stuff. Then the sidestory about drilling The Big Cat:

Well, maybe not Galarraga. He was on a hot streak for the Montreal Expos in 1988 and Gossage, who was with the Cubs that season, said manager Don Zimmer warned the staff not to let Galarraga beat them.

"I'm in the eighth inning, Galarraga's up, first base is open, the game's on the line with two guys on, and I'm thinking back to the meeting before the game," Gossage said with an impish grin. "I was in my delivery when I thought, 'I'm not taking any chances.'

"Boom! I wasn't going to put him on, so I saved four pitches and drilled him as good as I can drill them. Right in the ribcage. You could hear the air go out. It was beautiful."

I'm not sure what's better: his story about deciding to hit a batter, the twisted joy he derives out of executing it perfectly, or the fact that he noted that he "saved four pitches" by doing so. Either way, I love it.

The Art of Over-reaction

My head hurts. Trying to decipher the "unwritten rules of baseball" can do that to ya. So, here's my short but sweet answer:

STOP YER B*TCHIN'

There, I said it. What am I talking about? The whining by the Indians (and others) about Joba's fist pump/yell after he struck out Dellucci yesterday. Big deal. It wasn't doing it in his (Dellucci's face). He turned and let out a bellow of excitement after an important out. Two days after the same Dellucci cranked a 3 run HR off Joba.

"That's what gets him going and that's what everybody likes to see, but if a hitter was to do something like that they'd probably say it was 'bush (league)' and you shouldn't do it," Dellucci said. "It's kind of funny how a pitcher can get away with it."

Please, get over it. Hall of Famer Eckersley did it and no one minded. Manny admires flyballs, even if they are caught. Juan Uribe, JUAN URIBE!, throws two hands up on a follow-thru when he thinks he hits one. Kirk "I don't believe what I just saw" Gibson did a double fist thing after his famous homer off of, who else, Eck (OK, that was a bit more important than a K in the 8th inning on May 8th, but I digress).

My point is, so long as the expression of relief/joy is done in the spirit of the moment and not done to intentionally show up the opposition, I am fine with it.

The Yanks had been called "corporate" and "professional" during the latter half of the Torre years. I called it boring and uninspiring. Jeter's fist pump was as emotional as it got. Watching the impact that younger guys like Melky and Cano and Joba, and even Duncan, have had on the vets is important. The jumping around with Melky/Cano is fun (heck, it even woke up the catatonic Abreu). Joba's yelling and fist pumping is exciting and not meant to embarass any opposing player. Duncan's forearm pounding is silly but so what? It's all meant to give their team a lift.

Stop being such a stodgy stick in the mud.

Re-examining Wang, Part IV

Sorry for the belated posting about Wang's performance last night (Wednesday). Two excuses: 1) I was at the game (see pix below) so I couldn't post after I got home; 2) My company reported earnings today and I just didn't have the bandwidth to get to really diving into it.

Now, I was there last night, but as you can see, I was nowhere close to seeing how good or bad Wang's stuff was. What we could tell from our height and distance was that it seemed that he was having trouble with the zone. Walking leadoff guys really stung him. That was not what I would have expected.

So, where is he after last night? No longer undefeated, that's where.

His line: 7 IP, 5 H, 3 walks, 4 K, 3 ER, 99 pitches.

On any given night, that's a fairly solid outing. If your starter can give you 7 IP with just 3 ER, you'll win a bunch of games. But, against a nuclear hot Cliff Lee, it just wasn't good enough.

Ground ball/Fly ball

ESPN.com shows Wang's GB:FB ratio down to 1.84.

Again, there were a few hard hit balls but no HR. Surprising that he's only surrendered 1 HR so far, given the rotation of his GB:FB ratio.

Wang's ERA took a slight bump up from an even 3.00 to 3.12, below his career average and one the Yanks are no doubt ecstatic to see.

K-Rate

Wang only K'd 4 in seven IP last night. Last year, that'd be a great outing. This year; not so much. It's not the 4 K's but the 3 walks that I found disconcerting. You could just tell he didn't have his best stuff, even from the upper left field stands. His season K-rate now stands at 6.23, down a smidge from the 6.40 after his last outing. No major issues here. Still well above his career rate prior to 2008.

Pitches per inning

Wang needed 14.1 pitches per inning, a bit below his season average of 14.6. Considering the walks and early game struggles, he still managed a few 1-2-3 quick innings. Had he been able to get out of some of those AB's that he ran to 2 strikes and gave up a hit or walk, it would have been a different result.

It was a tough luck loss since Wang pitched well enough to win. And, I'm guessing here, that his agent should be contacting Cashman soon to see if they can't work out a multi-year extension before he gets into the heavy arbitration years. I'll maintain that signing younger players to longer term contracts can be a risk, but I'd surely take that risk with Wang. His demeanor, professionalism, his dedication to his craft and his seemingly endless desire to improve are worth investing in.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I've gotten some good feedback with this "series" about Wang. So long as no one is getting bored with it, I'm happy to keep it going. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to see. I can assure you that I'll be watching closer (like my living room!) next time and be able to give a bit more of a "seen it" review.

A Night At The Park

I had the pleasure of spending last night at Yankee Stadium with my father-in-law, brother-in-law and one of his good buddies. An incredibly comfortable evening (cool breeze, clear night) to watch a very well pitched game featuring two of this year's best starting pitchers in the AL, Chien Ming Wang and Cliff Lee. A fast-paced game that lived up to it's pitching duel billing.

Here are some pictures of the evening, including some shots of TNYS (The New Yankee Stadium), which, by the way, looks awesome.

Showing off the gun

If you haven't yet seen Rick Ankiel's defensive show from last night, stop what you're doing and go take a look.

I'll be here when you return.

The dreaded C-word?

COLLUSION?

Buster Olney's reporting that the MLBPA has opened an investigation into the reasons why certain players, most of whom still have more than adequate on-field baseball skills, remain jobless this season. Guys who have played significant careers, to say the least, who not only do not have any prospects of signing with any team, but haven't gotten so much as a sniff by GMs across the league.

Barry Bonds

Kenny Lofton

Mike Piazza

David Wells

Sammy Sosa

By my check, that short list contains the all-time HR king, a 600+ HR slugger, the greatest offensive catcher of all time, a rubber-armed hefty lefty and one of the better lead-off pests around.

I don't think it's collusion, which Wikipedia defines as: "an agreement, usually secretive, which occurs between two or more persons to deceive, mislead, or defraud others of legal rights, or to obtain an objective forbidden by law typically involving fraud or gaining an unfair advantage and can involve wage fixing, kickbacks, or misrepresenting the independence of the relationship between the colluding parties." While I am sure Selig wants Bonds gone from the game, I honestly don't think he's so foolish (or arrogant) to recommend to all GMs that they intentionally avoid Bonds.

So what is it? Groupthink*. It's easier for a GM to simply pass on Bonds or Sosa, citing the baggage or so other reason. This way, the GM doesn't have to answer questions or risk angering a fanbase.

I'll tell ya, though, there are some offensively-challenged AL teams (I'm looking at you, Seattle) who could certainly use a DH and Bonds (or Sosa) would be a good fit.

As far as Wells and Piazza, well, maybe they are just done. I think Lofton could still play somewhere, though.

Collusion? Nah. Groupthink? Yeah.

* Groupthink is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas. During groupthink, members of the group avoid promoting viewpoints outside the comfort zone of consensus thinking. A variety of motives for this may exist such as a desire to avoid being seen as foolish, or a desire to avoid embarrassing or angering other members of the group. Groupthink may cause groups to make hasty, irrational decisions, where individual doubts are set aside, for fear of upsetting the group’s balance. The term is frequently used pejoratively, with hindsight.

Great moments in great moments

My oldest son turned 8 right around Opening Day. He's a huge baseball fan (no surprise, I know). He was born on April 4th (4/4) at 6:44am and I was wearing my Reggie jersey (#44), it being Opening Day and all. Needless to say, his favorite number is 44 and he's a baseball nut.

This season, he began Little League. Half the 2nd graders are kept in the younger league where coaches pitch (with 1st graders) and the others are bumped up to the league with the 3rd graders featuring kids pitching. He's on the smaller size, physically, but what he lacks in size he more than makes up with effort and gusto. He's not afraid to mix it up with the bigger or older kids in the least. And when other kids are daydreaming or getting lazy/tired, he's still motoring. I had to remind him that he doesn't have to slide into EVERY base, especially first base.

He was asked to pitch an inning this past weekend and after walking the bases loaded, he was swapped with the third baseman. He was dejected but determined to do better. We threw all weekend so he'd be reminded that he could, in fact, "do it". I'm a sucker for teaching the proper mechanics, so that's all we worked on.

Last night, other kids were asked to pitch so he didn't get another shot. One of the better kids on the team, a 3rd grader, catches most of the time. Late in the game, the catcher was asked to pitch, rather than catch. Below is what followed next:

Coach: Who here has a cup on?

Kids: (maybe 3 hands go up; scary, I know!)

Coach: Which of you wants to catch?

My son, after a pregnant pause: I do!!!

Coach: You sure?

My son: Definitely.

Coach: OK, let's go!

Now, I know he's got the motivation and desire but I am not sure he's ready to catch. Not to mention, the kid who was going to pitch, our regular catcher, can really throw. Not a soft toss like most other kids, but really bring it. Naturally, I am chuckling behind the fence, near home plate, knowing what's coming. I help him suit up in the dugout, with the hockey-style mask fitting over his sports glasses, looking pretty cool even if the chest protector was drooping low on him.

He goes out there, settles in and the game resumes. First few pitches were wide, bouncing off the backstop. Then a strike, connecting with the shin guard flush, making a loud plastic crack. The coaches looked at me and we all laughed a bit. He wasn't the least bit hurt or nervous, unlike in his pitching debut. He missed most of the pitches thrown his way but threw them all back well, in spite of the oversized gear.

Then the great moment. Remember, I am almost behind the backstop, off to the right (as you can see by the camera phone picture taken to the right). The pitcher really hums a strike, the batter swings and misses and the ball just drills my son in the mask, right between the eyes. All the coaches and parents looked at me, figuring I'd be screaming or panicked. My son didn't so much as flinch. Chased the ball down, tossed it back to the pitcher and resumed his position. I just crossed my arms and kept smiling, reminding him to keep his right hand behind his backside. I never thought I'd be proud to see my son drilled with a pitch between the eyes (even with a mask on), but there I was, proud to see him not even hesitate to continue.

Inning ends, he hustles off the field, ecstatic. He didn't care that the ball hit him or how he looked. He had a blast. He immediately starts lobbying the coaches to catch again next game. He asked me to go get him catchers gear. He couldn't calm down. He wanted to call his grandparents and mom right there, from the dugout. He couldn't sit still.

Now, mind you, I have been telling him for a while that the catcher is the best position, since it's involved in every play and requires knowing everything that's going on. [Watching how bored, disinterested and distracted some kids get in the outfield, I was hoping he'd try something to keep him more involved.] He liked to try to play shortstop or 3B. He never believed me, until now.

I think we might have a new catcher in our midst.

Re-examining Wang, Part III

My newest favorite subject, Chien Ming Wang, ran his record to a league-best 6-0 last night. He gave us a bit of a scare when he had a cramp in his hand, but at the time, we weren't sure just how serious it was. Turns out it was just that, a simple cramp. Good news.

So how'd he do?

Pretty darn good, again. His line: 6 IP, 90 pitches, 3 hits, 1 ER, 5 K's, 2 BB.

Let's continue the examination:

Ground ball/Fly ball
Wang's GB:FB rate continues the slide from the 3's to now under 2.0 (1.92, per ESPN). The chart to the right captures the ratio with the blue line. What to make of this? Well, clearly Wang's evolution from primarily a sinkerballer is in full bloom. Again, if he was just losing his ability to control the sinker, leaving everything up, would be a concern. But that's not the case.

The proof is the fact that he's only surrendered one HR this year. He's notoriously stingy with giving up the long ball, giving up just 9 last year and 12 the year before. (Bronson Arroyo does that every few weeks.)

K-Rate
Note, using the orange bars, the spike in K-rates for Wang this year. He's now at 6.40 K/9 IP. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not insignificant. This is not an aberration. This is a pitcher who has won 19 games each of the last two years, his first FULL two years in the league, getting better. This is the evidence of a person who is driven to be better, every day. When I first started following Wang this way, he was at 5.06 K/9. Now, after his 9 K performance last week and last night, he's bumped to 6.40. Very impressive. [Caveat: yes, it's still a small sample size but we've got enough to chew on.]

Pitches per inning
Wang got thru the end of the first inning on just 9 pitches and needed 90 pitches to get thru six innings. That's 15 pitches/inning for those without a handy calculator, which is right in line with the 14.6 P/IP he's averaged all year. It's still a bit higher than in the past but that's going to happen with the higher K rates.

Repetoire
I mentioned in earlier postings that the reason for all this is his new additions to his repetoire. Seems that the MSM (that's blogger-speak for 'main stream media') is catching on, too:

In the past, Wang relied heavily on his sinker most nights. This year, he's shown a more varied repertoire.

"We don't even talk. That's probably the good thing about it. I don't know if he likes me, anywhere," joked [Jose] Molina, who sported a Wang T-shirt. "Now you have to look for the slider, maybe change, maybe split, and still have the sinker there."

Wang's a better pitcher this year. He won 19 games last year after winning 0 until May 5th last year. Think about that for a second. He missed the first few weeks due to injury and didn't win until the second month of the season, yet still won 19. He's got 6 wins on May 2nd this year. Where's he going to end up?

No matter what the number is, he's a better pitcher and still getting better. Scary thought. And the Yanks certainly need him to keep it going given the struggles of their young guns and all the injuries.

I'll be watching.


Related posts:
Re-examining Wang
Examining Wang

Good news! Murcer to return to the booth

Some days, when you are in need of a mental pick-me-up, you don't get squat. Days like today, on the other hand, we get this:

Bobby Murcer is feeling better and ready to begin broadcasting New York Yankees games again. The longtime announcer and former All-Star outfielder was at Yankee Stadium on Thursday and plans to resume his full broadcasting schedule starting Friday night when New York hosts the Seattle Mariners.

Murcer, who turns 62 this month, said it's taken him a while to recover from the brain biopsy he had in early March. He had surgery in December 2006, four days after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, but returned to the broadcast booth last season.

I couldn't be happier. He got a voice and a way about him that's almost like the Harwells and Gowdys of the game. There is an elegance to Murcer that only few others seem to have and it's wonderful to get this grand ambassador back behind the mic.

Welcome back, Bobby.

Slow motion train wreck

Last night, I again reiterated my confidence in Cashman, my plea for patience, and my general hope that Hughes (and Kennedy) will ultimately be OK. I woke up still feeling that way, but, I can't help but wonder if we're watching the onset of a slow motion train wreck. The chart below summarizes my confidence in the team making the playoffs as well as it tracks the Yanks chances of winning last night's game:Yes, the Yanks had a worse April last year and still made the playoffs. But, ARod and Posada were having career (or near-) career seasons. Joba, Kennedy, Duncan all came up later in the season and gave the vets a much needed kick in the tail. Cano was struggling then, too. This year, Damon and Abreu seem to be better, healthier. Jeter's conspicuously quiet. Hughes and Kennedy, well, you know. Giambi has become a three true outcome hitter and quite painful to watch at bat AND in the field. Pettitte is about what we could expect and Moose is actually doing a bit better. Wang, as I've written about before here, has worked himself into a new pitcher and doing quite well.

But how is this team going to make the playoffs? The short answer is, unless Pettitte, Moose and Wang are going to win 3 out of every 5 games, at least, from here on out, we're not. Joba riding in to "save" the team as a starter is an unfair burden. And if we, the fans, have learned ANYTHING (doubtful, I know) about heaping the pressure of being a savior on the young kids, it's not a fair move for Joba. We all love this kid, but what if he struggles as well? Then what? Kill him, too?

I said it last year and I repeated it this year: I am OK with missing the playoffs so long as I feel the team is moving in the right direction. Remember Hank's comments from earlier this year:

"I will be patient with the young pitchers and players. There's no question about that because I know how these players develop," he said. "But as far as missing the playoffs - if we miss the playoffs by the end of this year, I don't know how patient I'll be. But it won't be against the players. It won't be a matter of that. It will be a matter of maybe certain people in the organization could have done something else."

I can't disagree more. In fact, in a highly-egotistical move, quoting myself:

I try to maintain a long term view for the Yanks. They are not, unlike the smaller market teams, tied to a narrow window before their best players "graduate". Those smaller market studs tend to graduate to teams like the Yanks. If the Yanks have to take a post-season pause this year to set themselves up for another 5-7 year stretch of prosperity, so be it.

So now what? It's May 2nd. Let's not throw our future out in the garbage by trashing them. They are just young kids, Hughes being the youngest starter in the Majors. Give them a chance. Take a deep breath. And if this year passes and we're home in October, so be it. Next year, the albatross contracts are gone. We become a leaner organization with fiscal flexibility to make the strategic signing (hear me, CC? You too, Teix!). And hopefully, we become younger and more fun.

And not for nothing, but this kid Alberto Gonzalez is a player. He already looks better at SS than Jeter does. (Hey, where'd that lightening come from?). He should be a starter SOON. But where? Jeter's 34. Just sayin'. Even Ernie Banks moved to 1B (at age 31) and played there thru age 40. Hear me, Jeter?

Well that explains it, sorta

Well, maybe that explains the miserable April Phil Hughes just got dragged thru:

An MRI and X-ray taken Thursday revealed a stress fracture of Hughes' ninth rib on the right side, which will prohibit the 21-year-old right-hander from even picking up a baseball for at least the next four weeks.

"I'm disappointed," Hughes said. "At least I have an answer to what was going on. I know it's going to be at least a few weeks until I'm even throwing again, and that's the most disappointing part."

Of course, it's not the whole reason, but if Hughes can rest his mind "thinking" that this was a primary reason, maybe he can come back strong in July. July? Yes, July. Ugh.

Of course, the lunkheads will cry to the heavens, skewering Cashman for not making the Santana deal. We KNEW these are just kids and it was certainly possible to experience the ugly growing pains. We didn't think it'd be this bad, of course. But, it's easy to say "See? You shoulda got Santana..." But the truth is, a $150M contact plus 40% for luxe tax is quite a hefty sum. And what if Santana was the one who blew out a rib while Hughes was having a good season in MIN? The same lunkheads would be crying "See? We shoulda kept the kids!"

I remain confident in Cashman's ability to keep an eye on both the future and the present. (For now...as I watch Kennedy surrender an early lead.)

Feel free to second guess until you're comfortable.



Reviewing the non-trade for Santana:

• Regrets, I've had a few...
• The Santana yo-yo
• The High Price of Patience
• In Cashman We Trust
• Hank praises Mets; shoots death glare at Cashman
• Grand Theft Mets

RIP: Architect of Dem Bums

Buzzie Bavasi, the architect of Dem Bums and a key figure in the integration of MLB with Jackie Robinson, passed away at the age of 93 today.

As the long-time general manager for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1951-68, his clubs won eight NL pennants and four World Championships in his 17 years at the helm. He built the Dodgers' only World Championship team in Brooklyn (1955), building clubs that included Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Don Newcomb, Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese and Roy Campanella. He then led the Dodgers to three World Championships following their move to Los Angeles (1959, '63, '65).

Bavasi also played a key role in Jackie Robinson's integration into Major League Baseball, the first African-American player to appear in the Major Leagues. Bavasi spent four years in the military during World War II, serving in the infantry as a machine gunner from 1943-46.

One of his sons, Bill, is the Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President and General Manager of Baseball Operations.

Quite an impressive career. RIP, Buzzie.

For those who want to get a better understanding of his lineage and connection to the game, check here. Worth a quick read.