Category: MLB (Page 45 of 448)

      Should Brandon Belt crack the Giants’ Opening Day lineup?

      March 18, 2011 /

      Giants’ first baseman Brandon Belt is the 26th ranked player on MLB.com writer Jonathan Mayo’s Top 50 Prospects List for 2011.

      If there are 25 prospects having a better spring than Belt, then I need my eyes checked.

      Belt went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and a solo home run in a win over the White Sox on Wednesday. It was his second dinger of the spring and he’s now hitting .302 with 10 RBI over 43 at bats. The kid is absolutely tearing the cover off the ball and making the Giants’ decision about whether or not he should break camp with the big league club.

      But there are a couple of problems.

      Problem I: Aaron Rowand
      Rowand still has two years left on his ridiculous contract and if Belt makes the Opening Day roster, he’ll force Aubrey Huff to move into an already crowded outfield. The Giants would likely either have to eat Rowand’s contract and/or bend over and take less value in a trade, neither of which they seem ready to do.

      Problem II & III: Nate Schierholtz and Travis Ishikawa
      Both are out of minor league options and one can make a case that both deserve a roster spot. Schierholtz has a cannon attached to his right arm and is a left-handed bat, while Ishikawa plays an outstanding first base and proved to be a nice bat off the bench last year. Teams would probably be more interested in trading for Schierholtz than either Rowand or Ishikawa, but if the Giants were to keep Belt then they would need to part with at least one other player. (Thus, Belt, Schierholtz, Rowand and Ishikawa are all fighting for two roster spots.)

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, MLB

      Beat The Scores Report staff in Fantasy Baseball and win a cash prize!

      March 17, 2011 /
      Baseballs are seen before they are used for batting practice during the New York Yankees’ spring training camp at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, February 24, 2011 REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Want to win cold hard cash and stick it to me in fantasy baseball all at the same time? Well you’re in luck my friend, because FanDuel.com is giving you the opportunity.

      Sign up at FanDuel.com and enter the ScoresReport.com $500 Contest. It’s easy to sign up and the entry fee is only $5. (So you skip that No. 1 at McDonalds this week. You’ve been meaning to drop a few lbs. anyway.) Plus, if you beat our three experts, you’ll get your $5 back. There are prizes for first ($200), second ($100), third ($75), fourth ($50), fifth ($30), sixth ($25) and seventh ($20) place.

      Once you’re signed up, FanDuel will give you the opportunity to select nine players from the following April 1 MLB games (the contest only runs for one day):

      CWS @ CLE Fri 3:05pm EDT
      NYM @ FLA Fri 7:10pm EDT
      BOS @ TEX Fri 4:05pm EDT
      HOU @ PHI Fri 1:05pm EDT
      PIT @ CHC Fri 2:20pm EDT
      ARI @ COL Fri 4:10pm EDT
      MIN @ TOR Fri 7:07pm EDT
      BAL @ TAM Fri 7:10pm EDT
      ANA @ KAN Fri 8:10pm EDT
      SEA @ OAK Fri 10:05pm EDT
      SFG @ LOS Fri 10:10pm EDT

      Tournament Rules

      – Each player has a salary, and you only have $35k to spend.

      – You must pick the following positions: P, C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF

      – The game starts Fri 1st Apr at 1:05pm EDT so enter before then.

      – If you manage to finish above our three experts you win an extra $5

      Scoring
      Hitters: 1B = 1pt, 2B = 2pts, 3B = pts, HR = 4pts, RBI = 1pt, R = 1pt, BB = 1pt, SB = 2pts, Out = -.25pt Pitchers: W = 7pts, ER = -1pt, SO=1pt, IP = 1pt

      Along with sticking it to yours truly, you’ll have an opportunity to compete against fellow TSR staff members (and longtime fantasy baseball enthusiasts) Jamey Codding and David Medsker. It’s simple, easy and fun, and you can win $200. We’re already signed up and our teams are in, so get on it!

      Sign up for the ScoresReport.com $500 Contest.

      Contests, External Sports, Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Bill Hall calls Cole Hamles “a marked man”

      March 15, 2011 /
      Philadelphia Phillies Cole Hamels pitches to the San Francisco Giants in the 4th inning of the NLCS at AT&T Park in San Francisco Park on October 19, 2010. UPI/Terry Schmitt

      Following a spring training game on Monday, Bill Hall called Cole Hamels “a marked man” after the Phillies’ starter pitched Hall inside.

      From the Houston Chronicle:

      I don’t know if he was mad because he gave up a homer (to Carlos Lee in the previous at-bat) or if he was mad because the umpire gave me time. But I’m not going to let him speed-pitch me. Obviously, he threw a pitch in, and I’m not going to let him disrespect me either. He kind of said something that I didn’t like too much. It’s over with.

      He’s definitely a marked man for me now, so when I do some damage off him, I’m going to let him know I did some damage off him. I can guarantee that.

      I don’t feel like I do a lot of things to have pitchers mad at me for doing things on the field. I feel like I play the game the right way. But if you disrespect me, I’m going to do my best to disrespect you back. Obviously not in a way to disrespect the game, but obviously I’m going to let him know when I face him.

      Oh, stop it. He quick-pitched and threw you inside so now he’s a marked man? What happens when he actually hits you, the entire city of Philadelphia will burn to the ground?

      Baseball players get whinier every year. He pitched me inside. He stepped on my mound. He broke one of the unwritten rules. He quick-pitched me…when does it end?

      Do you think Babe Ruth, Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle ever bitched about a pitcher throwing them inside? They would have been embarrassed for even uttering the words.

      External Sports, MLB

      Should the Mariners and Yankees talk Felix Hernandez?

      March 14, 2011 /

      Aside from Ichiro and Felix Hernandez, there’s not much to see when it comes to the Seattle Mariners. They’re in a real bind because even in a wide-open division, they don’t have enough to compete in the AL West but they also don’t want to trade away their best talent and not have anything to attract fans to the ballpark this season.

      But at this point, it might not be a bad idea for GM Jack Zduriencik to get Brian Cashman on the phone.

      After missing out on Cliff Lee this winter, the Yankees still need pitching. If A.J. Burnett comes around and Phil Hughes gives the club another quality season, then the Bombers could make do. But this is the Yankees: They don’t want to “make do,” they want to win championships. That’s why they might be willing to sell the farm in order to acquire a piece like King Felix.

      Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports talked about this very topic in one of his latest columns. He writes that Zduriencik might be able to acquire farm names such as Jesus Montero (who was the centerpiece of the Yankees’ offer to the Mariners last summer before Seattle sent him to Texas), Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Ivan Nova, Hector Noesi and Eduardo Nunez. As Rosenthal points out, the M’s wouldn’t be able to acquire all of those players, but considering Hernandez is coming off a Cy Young-winning season, is only 25 and is under team control through 2014, there’s not much Zduriencik couldn’t at least ask for.

      But again, would the M’s be willing to part with a player such as Hernandez when it’ll make them weaker now and the Yankees stronger? King Felix may wind up spending the next 10 years beating them in New York and then what was this all for? To acquire some prospects that may or may not turn out?

      That said, the M’s need a lot of players and New York could certainly help them in that area. If Seattle were able to acquire five great to very good prospects, they might be able to compete for a championship themselves in the near future. Nothing is guaranteed of course, but what if in one phone call Zduriencik could make his club a serious contender in two or three years? All he has to do is sacrifice a lot right now to possibly acquire a lot more down the road.

      If you’re Zduriencik, do you make the call?

      External Sports, MLB

      Conflicting reports on the health of Johan Santana

      March 13, 2011 /

      The Bergen Record is reporting that Johan Santana’s shoulder has not been progressing as the Mets have hoped and the club now believes that they’ll be lucky if he pitches at all in 2011.

      But according to Rotoworld.com, the paper might have misguided information.

      The source told Steve Popper and Bob Klapisch that the team is concerned enough that they could halt Santana’s rehab if his light throwing doesn’t go well, which would wipe out the previous timetable of a return in late June/early July. However, Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen has scoffed at the report, saying Santana’s progress actually “has been great,” and “he’s right on time, if not maybe a step or two ahead of that.” Mets GM Sandy Alderson also chimed in, saying “there’s nothing wrong” with Santana’s rehab. It appears the report might be misguided, but the reality is that if Santana does return for the second half this season, no one is sure just how effective he’ll be.

      Interesting. Teams aren’t always truthful when it comes to injuries but Warthen is pretty convincing with his words. Then again, it doesn’t do the Mets any good to shed doubt about the injury progress of one of their players when he still has months to go in his recovery. If he winds up being out for the season then so be it. But if he still has a ways to go, why not just stay positive until they know more?

      Either way, Rotoworld hits the nail on the head: Even if Santana does return at some point this season, who knows how effective his shoulder will allow him to be.

      External Sports, MLB

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑