Author: Mike Farley (Page 35 of 36)

Some pitchers are a little wild, and while some may give you a good, fat fastball to hit sometimes, they also try to toy with a batter’s head and pitch them inside. And when the pitcher in question throws upwards of 95 mph, it’s a scary proposition for the dude at the plate. Here is a Top 10 list of the active MLB pitchers who have a tendency to hit batters.

1. Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks (185)—Okay, so it’s not enough that this guy is 6’10” and it looks like the ball is coming from the upper deck when he throws it (I have never faced him, but I am making a strong assumption). The Big Unit also is a bit wild sometimes, and I can’t imagine any of those 185 batters he’s hit were by way of a curve or change-up.

2. Tim Wakefield, Boston Red Sox (158)—Wakefield’s knuckleball has kept him in the game for sixteen seasons now. Sometimes that knuckler is on target and baffling hitters, and other times it’s baffling his own catcher. And it’s times like that that a batter can’t help but get in the way.

3. Pedro Martinez, New York Mets (135)—It doesn’t matter that Pedro doesn’t have the same fastball he did when he was winning Cy Young Awards in Montreal and Boston. He still owns the inside part of the plate, and if you lean over it, Pedro’s coming in there.

4. Greg Maddux, San Diego Padres (133)—Maddux might look like an engineer or an accountant, but he’s all business on the mound. And the fact that he’s an artist that paints the corners of the plate to be effective, it’s no surprise that Maddux has hit 133 batters during his long career.

5. Chan Ho Park, Los Angeles Dodgers (127)—Park seems to have revived his career back where it started in the big leagues, with the same kind of nasty stuff he had after coming over from Japan. In 2001, Park hit 20 batters. Ouch.

6. Kenny Rogers, Detroit Tigers (125)—Here’s another guy who has been pitching for so long (since 1989) that he’s bound to let a few slip out of his hands. He also doesn’t like cameramen.

7. Jamey Wright, Texas Rangers (123)—Jamey Wright is a lifetime 75-106 pitcher, and has a bit of a wild streak as evidenced by his 123 hit batsmen, 58 wild pitches and 782 walks over thirteen seasons.

8. Jamie Moyer, Philadelphia Phillies (120)—Another lefty junk ball pitcher who normally has decent control, but has had double-digits in hit batsmen three times during his career.

9. Jeff Weaver, Milwaukee Brewers (118)—Weaver is currently toiling in the minors with AAA Nashville, and waiting for that call-up to the Brewers. (Has Ben Sheets really remained healthy the whole season?). Weaver is lanky, throws hard, and sometimes is a bit wild.

10. Julian Tavarez, Milwaukee Brewers (92)—I saw this guy come up with Cleveland in 1993, and it’s hard to believe he’s now in his sixteenth season, albeit with nine different teams.

Source: Baseball Reference

It’s always fun to look at the baseball standings at different points during the season and project those to the postseason. Especially when teams like the Tampa Bay Rays are in contention. But this isn’t the beginning of May. In fact, this is almost the beginning of July, meaning the halfway point is near, or here, for each team. So the chance that these eight teams could wind up in the race for the World Series is not far-fetched. Here are the projected match ups…..

Tampa Bay Rays (48-32) vs. Los Angeles Angels (48-33)
The Rays are the surprise of the season. Everyone knew this team had the bats, but their pitching has been stellar, with a team ERA (3.71) ranking them fourth in the majors. Naturally, Tampa has no postseason experience and the Angels seem to be there or almost there every year, but don’t think the surprise season would end for the Rays in early October — this team is for real. As for the Angels,
there is a ton of talent on that roster, but they haven’t reached the World Series since winning it all in 2002.

Chicago White Sox (45-35) vs. Boston Red Sox (50-33)
Did anyone think the White Sox were going to contend this season outside of the South Side of town?
Jim Thome and Paul Konerko are struggling, but Jermaine Dye (18 homers, 49 RBI, .306) is quietly having an MVP type season and Javier Vasquez has 104 strikeouts. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are trying to fend off the Rays, and of course the Yankees are never far behind (currently five games out). But Boston has the bats (Ortiz, Ramirez, Lowell) and the pitching (Beckett, Dice-K, Papelbon) to win it all again.

St. Louis Cardinals (46-36) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (44-38)
The fact that the Cardinals, currently as the wild card, have a better record than the NL East leading Phillies is mind-boggling. Tony LaRussa really does know how to get the best out of his roster, and this season he’s proved that more than ever. The Phillies have a Murderer’s Row type lineup (their 110 home runs as a team is second in the majors) and a solid bullpen, but can they go the distance with the Marlins, Mets and Braves nipping at their heels?

Arizona Diamondbacks (41-40) vs. Chicago Cubs (49-32)
The D-backs jumped out to a huge lead but have been floundering lately. The Cubs, meanwhile, have the best winning percentage in baseball and are struggling this weekend against the crosstown White Sox, who they just may meet in the Fall Classic. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. The Cubs are just as talented as last season, when they wound up getting swept by this same Arizona team. Will history repeat itself?

Projected AL MVP: Josh Hamilton, Texas
Projected NL MVP: Lance Berkman, Houston
Projected AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, Cleveland
Projected NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb, Arizona
Projected AL Rookie: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
Projected NL Rookie: Joey Votto, Cincinnati
Projected AL Manager: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay
Projected NL Manager: Tony LaRussa, St. Louis

Some players rack up a lot of home runs every season, and some of those players have been consistent doing that throughout their entire careers. Here we take a look at current active players, and who has the most at-bats per home run. These are the guys who hit one home run about every three or four games. If you think about that, and how hard it is to not only make contact, but to hit the ball over the fence, and it’s pretty insane. Here we go….

1. Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox (13.60)—Okay, Barry Bonds, with a 12.90 mark, hasn’t officially retired, but you’re kidding yourself if you think he’ll play again. Meanwhile, Jim Thome has maintained a torrid pace since breaking in with the Indians in 1991. What’s most baffling about Jim Thome though, is how a guy with 521 lifetime homers has never won an MVP Award. Thome’s 2002 season (52 homers, 118 RBI, .304 batting average) was good for seventh place in AL MVP voting. Huh?

2. Adam Dunn, Cincinnati Reds (14.10)—Some day, Adam Dunn is going to hit a ball further than anyone has ever hit a ball. The guy is only 28, and he’s hit 40 or more homers the last four seasons and is on pace to do it again. He’s also built like a football player at 6’6” and 275 lbs.

3. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (14.20)—If anything sums up A-Rod’s career, it’s this. Here he ranks third on the active list, hitting a home run every 14 times up or so. In the postseason, that number jumps to 21, putting A-Rod in Scott Rolen/Shawn Green/Brian Giles territory.

4. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals (14.40)—If Albert stays healthy, he’s a lock for 600 homers. Dude is two shy of 300 at the age of 28. Think about that.

5. Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox (14.50)—Remember that grand slam Manny hit against Dennis Eckersley in 1994? The one where Eckersley was captured in video as saying “Wow?” Well, ol’ Manny has been doing that now for 16 seasons.

6. Ken Griffey, Jr., Cincinnati Reds (15.10)—It’s too bad Griffey couldn’t stay healthy during his time with the Reds, because if he did, Big Head Barry would not be the all-time home run king. Griffey might still pass Bonds, but he’s 38 and losing just a bit of bat speed.

7. Carlos Delgado, New York Mets (15.50)—During a nine-year stretch between 1998 and 2006, Carlos did not have less than 32 homers in a single season. That’s nine seasons, and that’s damn consistent. And did anyone see what this guy did yesterday? Two homers and nine RBI, the latter being a Mets’ record for one game.

8. Frank Thomas, Oakland Athletics (15.60)—You don’t get the nickname “The Big Hurt” because you bunt your way on for a hit. Thomas may have lost a bit of his power stroke, but he’s still one of the most imposing figures at home plate.

9. David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox (15.90)—Can anyone tell me how the Twins let Big Papi go? Amazingly, here’s another guy never to win an MVP, but look at his last four seasons’ homer-RBI-average output: 2004 (41-139-.301), 2005 (47-148-.300), 2006 (54-137-.287) and 2007 (35-117-.332).

10. Jason Giambi, New York Yankees (16.00)—Is it safe to take away 50 of Giambi’s 381 career homers? If so, he goes from being Jason Giambi to being Alfonso Soriano or Paul Konerko. Is that worth $23 million a season?

Source: Baseball Reference

For as long as I’ve been following baseball, I’ve always appreciated pitchers who come in and blow hitters away. Going to see Dwight Gooden pitch as a 19-year old with the Mets in 1984 was something I’ll always remember—not because he was so dominant, but because it was awesome just watching him blow the ball past hitters. And there have been a lot of closers in history that have done the same—Randy Myers, Rob Dibble, Lee Smith, John Wetteland to name a few, in addition to the ones below. For my money, I’d rather have a closer come in and throw 100 mph than someone who will put the ball in play. Either way, it’s now an important position on major league teams. Here is a complete list of active (have to have pitched in 2008 to be considered active) career saves leaders:

1. Trevor Hoffman, San Diego Padres (539)—Since becoming the Padres’ closer in 1994, Trevor Hoffman has become the all-time leader in saves in the game, with 539. What might be most impressive, aside from the fact that dude is still saving games at the age of 40, is that Hoffman has had 40 or more saves in a season nine times.

2. Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees (463)—You have to think Rivera will also cross the 500-save threshold soon as well, maybe as soon as 2009. Like Hoffman, Rivera is an iron man of sorts, still closing for the Yankees, a position he has held since 1996. Of course, this guy has a few World Series rings, too.

3. Billy Wagner, New York Mets (374)—It shouldn’t be a surprise that two of the game’s best closers reside in New York, because these are guys who command large salaries. Wagner still throws flames at the age of 36, but his penchant for blown saves has kept him from becoming Rivera-esque.

4. Troy Percival, Tampa Bay Rays (341)—Here’s a prototypical closer—he is animated and throws the crap out of the ball. Percy looked like he might have retired for good after sitting out all of 2006, but then the Cardinals signed him last year for bullpen insurance. Now, Percival is part of an exciting story in Tampa, saving 17 games so far for a team that is fighting the Red Sox and Yankees for supremacy in the AL East.

5. Todd Jones, Detroit Tigers (313)—Here’s one of those guys who throws junk and gets guys out, and he’s been doing it for 16 seasons.

6. Jason Isringhausen, St. Louis Cardinals (292)—Izzie began his major league career as a promising starting pitcher for the Mets in the mid-nineties. But once the Mets gave up on him, he wound up as a pupil of Oakland pitching coach Dave Duncan, the same guy who resurrected Dennis Eckersley’s career. The result? Well, you can see the numbers, and that’s in only eight-plus seasons as a closer.

7. Armando Benitez, Toronto Blue Jays (289)—Okay, I need proof of two things. One, that this guy is really still pitching. And two, that he’s only 35 years old.

8. Keith Foulke, Oakland Athletics (191)—A once-dominant closer is now a set-up man for a resurgent A’s team with a really strong bullpen.

9. (tie w/Foulke) Francisco Cordero, Cincinnati Reds (191)—I can’t help but confuse this 33-year old with young Angels’ phenom Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez, but I guess it can’t be the same person.

10. Eric Gagne, Milwaukee Brewers (187)—He’s been slowed in recent years by injury and the Mitchell Report, and before recently going on the DL, Gagne was back to throwing smoke and always looking like he needs a shower.

Source: Baseball Reference