Category: MLB (Page 177 of 448)

      Will the Nationals sign Stephen Strasburg?

      August 16, 2009 /

      Strasburg

      The Washington Nationals have until Monday night to sign Stephen Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in the MLB draft. Unfortunately for them, Strasburg’s agent is Scott Boras, who has already upped the Nationals offer to the largest for a draft pick in baseball history.

      Since 1965, when the draft began, only one pitcher taken in the top 18 spots in the first round has ever won 200 or more games (Kevin Brown). All-time greats? There’s not one out of more than 300 such selections. Based on the history of high picks, Strasburg should be viewed as having a good chance to become a very good pitcher. But not more. No pitcher taken in the first four overall picks has ever won a Cy Young Award or made more than two all-star teams. Worst of all, major health concerns, such as the elbow surgery that top Nats prospect Jordan Zimmermann now needs, demonstrate the fragility of pitchers. Bid high. But beware. The No. 2 overall pick next year as compensation may be almost as good.

      Strasburg can play somewhere next year — an independent league or, conceivably, Japan, though he might be poorly received there — then reenter the 2010 draft. Maybe his hometown Padres would get him. Maybe a better economy or a different owner would bring a better deal. Besides, he could avoid the Nats if he thinks they are a ship of fools.

      I fail to realize why everyone thinks Stephen Strasburg is the answer to all the Nationals’ problems. The 21 year-old kid didn’t even play in the best division in college and has since had trouble reaching 100 mph on his fastball. One pitcher is not going to fix possibly the worst franchise in baseball. Before the Nationals sign any arm, they need to secure a solid batting order — you know, the guys that play every game. Granted he doesn’t get hurt and he wins each of his starts, Strasburg can win the Nationals around 35 games. Of course, that’s not going happen, and that is only a fifth of the regular season. Hey Nationals, instead of dumping over $20 million into the Strasburg/Boras campaign, if you really want a starting pitcher, why don’t you go after a guy who’s already established himself? Strasburg is not going to win you a World Series, nor is he going to produce a sea change in attendance. He is a such a small piece to the puzzle, I feel bad for the Nationals fans that see Strasburg as their great hope.

      Get a good collection of hitters. Stop signing big bats (Adam Dunn) that can’t hit for average. Acquire some pitchers who have been in the league longer than half a season. And lastly, don’t let Scott Boras make a bigger joke out of your franchise than you already are.

      Strasburg will more than likely sign with the Nationals. I think he wants to get in the majors as quickly as possible instead of farting around in another league.

      MLB

      Mets’ Wright beaned in the head by Giants’ Cain

      August 16, 2009 /

      In one of the scarier moments of the 2009 baseball season, Mets third baseman David Wright took a mid-90s fastball from Giants starter Matt Cain off the helmet during a game on Saturday.

      Wright was diagnosed with post-concussion symptoms on Sunday and was released from the hospital. The Mets may be forced to put him on the DL, which would be yet another blow in an already frustrating season for New York.

      As expected, Mets fans were incredibly upset and booed Cain every time he stepped onto the mound, into the batters box and blinked. But there was no way that was an intentional act by Cain, who had an 0-2 count on Wright in a scoreless game and a runner on first. It’s common sense that Cain wouldn’t want to hit Wright in that situation and it’s not like Cain has a history of headhunting. (Wright was only the second batter Cain has hit all season.)

      Cain was clearly upset after the incident and concerned for Wright’s health, although people were irked by Cain’s hat-tipping motion when he was pulled in the 8th. Some, including the broadcast team who were announcing the game on TV, say that Cain was sarcastically mocking Met fans that had booed him, although he says he was just adjusting his cap.

      Considering Cain has always shown professionalism throughout his young career, I believe him when he says he was just adjusting his cap. Besides, why would he show compassion for Wright’s health only to mock the situation four innings later? It doesn’t make sense and it’s not like the Giants and Mets have had a history of bad blood. If Brian Wilson hit Casey Blake in the head in L.A. and then tipped his cap, then someone would have an argument. But not here – not with a stand up guy like Cain, who wouldn’t put his team in a bad situation considering the Giants still have two more games in New York.

      Here’s hoping Wright is okay and he returns to action this season. He’s a tremendous player who makes the game of baseball better when he’s on the field. Hopefully he’ll be back soon.

      MLB

      Is John Smoltz worth the risk?

      August 15, 2009 /

      smoltz

      It’s funny, because nobody was asking this question at the beginning of the season. Every baseball fan thought the Red Sox made a wise move in signing Smoltz. Unfortunately, after a disastrous return from the DL, the Red Sox decided to place the future Hall of Famer on waivers. Down but not out, the 42 year-old Smoltz is essentially saying, “F-that” and is looking for a new team.

      The Dodgers, Rangers, Cardinals and Marlins are among the teams that will be interested in Smoltz if he becomes a free agent, sources said.

      A trade is possible because Smoltz has cleared waivers, but the bonuses in his contract would complicate negotiations with the Red Sox.

      A release is more likely, according to major-league executives.

      Smoltz receives about $35,000 for each day he is on the active roster and other appearance-based bonuses. He also receives a $500,000 bonus if he is on the active roster and not the disabled list on the last day of the season and a $500,000 bonus if he is traded.

      If Boston releases Smoltz, the Red Sox will be obligated to pay the remainder of his one-year, $5.5 million contract he signed in the offseason.

      Wow. Looks like Smoltz and his agent worked out a pretty sweet deal during the offseason. In the twilight of my career, I’d love to make $35 grand a day and not have to do anything. Joking aside, I know Smoltz still wants to play. Just because he came back and was disastrous as a starter doesn’t mean he couldn’t help a playoff contender in a relief role. People forget that before joining the Red Sox, Smoltz had spent his entire career in the National League. He has plenty of experience as both a starter and closer. In 21 seasons, Smoltz has earned eight All-Star selections, 212 wins, 154 saves, 3,044 strikeouts, a Cy Young award, and a World Series ring. Not to mention, as we head down the stretch, the guy has more post-season wins than any pitcher in the history of baseball. Hmm, I think somebody will pick him up.

      But who? It’s obvious no American League team will take a crack at him considering how hitters in that league owned him. He’s still owed a couple million dollars from his contract, so Smoltz is only desirable to a serious World Series contender from the NL. That being said, I doubt the Rockies, Giants, Brewers, Cubs, Marlins, or even the Braves, his old club, will bite. The way the Phillies have been playing, they look like the most stable team in the National League. Even though Brad Lidge is currently as good as a human tee, manager Charlie Manuel has kept his faith in the troubled closer. Besides Lidge, the rest of the Phillies relief has been solid. As for the Marlins, they could use Smoltz in the closing role, as both Matt Lindstrom and Leo Nunez have been shaky all year. Still, they are the Marlins, and I can’t see them spending the money. That leaves the Cardinals and Dodgers. Ryan Franklin has been a pleasant surprise as the Cardinals closer, but the team could use Smoltz in their middle relief. I just wonder how much much they’re willing to invest in a risk like Smoltz, especially after picking up the $6 million left on Matt Holliday’s contract.

      Before the trade deadline, the Dodgers acquired Orioles closer George Sherrill for next to nothing. He’s currently being used as a setup man for Jonathan Broxton. After being so dominant at the beginning of the season, Broxton is now struggling, and the Dodgers are in need of another reliever familiar with high-pressure situations. This is where John Smoltz and the Dodgers make sense. When Manny Ramirez was suspended earlier this season for steroid use, he had to return $7.7 million of his contract to the Dodgers. This money could be used to sign the veteran pitcher.

      I’d love to see Smoltz pitch again in the playoffs so I hope a deal gets done. We’ll find out soon enough, as the Red Sox need to either trade or release him by Monday.

      MLB

      MLB Power Rankings—Top 5 and Bottom 5

      August 15, 2009 /

      It’s getting down to pennant race times and there are some incredibly tight races and a lot of teams that are at least in contention. Here we’ll take a look at who we think the Top 5 teams are right now and who the Bottom 5 are as well.

      Top 5

      1. New York Yankees (73-43)—Not only did the Yankees sweep the rival Red Sox last weekend and make quite a statement, they’ve won 10 of 11 and are 22-6 (.786) since the all-star break. That is just scorching.

      2. Los Angeles Angels (68-45)—You have to feel for the surging Rangers and even the Mariners, because neither one is going to catch this fundamentally sound team. If Mike Scioscia isn’t the best manager in baseball, he’s surely the most underrated.

      3. St. Louis Cardinals (65-52)—The Cards grabbed Matt Holliday before anyone else could and he’s batting .493 with a slugging percentage of .813 in his first 75 at-bats with St. Louis. Pujols/Holliday has got to be the most fearsome 3-4 tandem in baseball.

      4. Los Angeles Dodgers (69-47)—The Dodgers hung on without Manny for a few months, and then cooled off when he returned. They’ve lost 7 of 11 but still lead their division by 5 games and are 32-14 against NL West opponents.

      5. Philadelphia Phillies (65-48)—Suddenly with Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez, and Jimmy Rollins finally finding his stroke, the defending champs are poised to make another run deep into October and possibly November.

      Bottom 5

      1. Washington Nationals (41-75)—They recently won eight in a row but still trail the Phillies by 25.5 games and the fourth place Mets by 13.5. So yeah, they’re still the worst team in baseball.

      2. Pittsburgh Pirates (46-69)—The Pirates actually looked half decent early in the season, but they did what they always do in July—made a whole bunch of trades and pretty much surrendered the season as well as the next three seasons, as they’ve lost 11 of their last 13 games.

      3. Kansas City Royals (45-70)—Remember the Royals were 14-12 and everyone started talking about this team being decent for the first time in two-plus decades? We remember, but then they remembered that they were the Royals.

      4. Baltimore Orioles (48-67)—This team has some great young players like Adam Jones and Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis, but playing in that division is almost unfair.

      5. Cleveland Indians (49-66)—Once again, the Indians have disappointed and started selling off players. Cliff Lee, like CC Sabathia last year, is the reigning AL Cy Young winner, and the Tribe also dumped popular catcher Victor Martinez and infielder Ryan Garko. Next year sure has a familiar ring on Lake Erie.

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, MLB

      Victorino gets doused with beer at Wrigley

      August 13, 2009 /

      During the Phillies’ 12-5 trouncing of the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Wednesday night, Philadelphia outfielder Shane Victorino received a beer shower from some idiot fan while trying to catch a fly ball on the warning track.

      Here’s a complete breakdown of the scene, including how security busted the wrong guy:

      Couple thoughts:

      1. What concentration shown by Victorino to still make the play while the beer (and cup) was being poured on him. It wasn’t like he caught the ball after the beer bath – he caught it during it.

      2. It’s a crime against humanity that the ass clown in the white T-shirt and novelty wristband (did he think if he wore a wristband to the stadium that they would let him into the game or something?) didn’t get tossed from the game, but the innocent bystander to his left did. Gotta love how he allowed someone else to receive blame for the incident while he got to stay and watch the rest of the game.

      3. Any fan that intentionally throws something onto the field (save for an opposing team’s home run ball) or touches a ball along the side of the field while it’s still in play deserves to be thrown off the top of the stadium. I can’t for the life of me figure out why you would pay upwards of $75 to go to a game and either throw something at a player or touch a ball while it’s still in play.

      4. That fan deserved to watch the Phillies lay the wood to his hapless team. And any time he goes to Wrigley from here on out, may the Cubs lose.

      MLB

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑