Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player: Matt Garza
Matt Garza
Every Tuesday Sports Grind Entertainment presents you with the Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player of the Week. This week the recipient of this prestigious honor goes to Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Matt Garza for throwing a no-hitter and the first in the franchise history which simply is BLAZIN.
The Tampa Bay Rays Matt Garza threw the first no-hitter in franchise history and the fifth in the major leagues this season, beating the Detroit Tigers 5-0 Monday night. The Tigers were no-hit for the first time since Randy Johnson shut them down at Seattle on June 2, 1990.
The right-hander Garza (11-5) faced the minimum 27 batters in his 106th career start and only allowed only a second-inning walk to Tigers Brennan Boesch. The Rays have been on the other side of most no-hitters it seems as of late as they where involed in two just this season.
It’s only the third time in major league history that a team has been involved in three no-hitters during one season. The 1917 St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox were involved in three and all against each other. It’s also the first time in 37 years that two no-hitters have occurred in the same AL ballpark in one season.
Congratulations Matt Garza you are this weeks Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin Player.
Ken Griffey Jr Goodbye Baseball, Hello Cooperstown
During last nights Home Run Derby Nike rolled out a goodbye to their all-time sales leader in Major League Baseball gear, Ken Griffey Jr. But there’s to be no crying at his funeral because ‘The Kid’ will rise again in Cooperstown, New York five years from now.
First ballot no doubt
Nike Releases Retro Ken Griffey Jr Kicks
Fresh
If you didn’t get the chance to sport the Nike Air Griffey’s back in the 90′s now you’ll have your chance to support the first ballot Hall of Famer in the streets. This past weekend Nike released the Nike Air Griffey Max 1 Metallic Platinum and Black kicks to commemorate recently retired Ken Griffey Jr. Although they are pushing for $139.99 at retail, you’ll wanna act fast before they are bought up and sold at above cost on eBay.
WTF: Topps Baseball
Impressive
Damn it looks as Topps baseball is back at it again as you right remember from their Cliff Lee Seattle Mariners card we posted on March 6 and how they cut cost corners. Now they are trying to jump on the Washington Nationals Stephen Strasburg train before it gets to far away and have already released his baseball card decked out in a Nationals uniform throwing his first pitch ever in the big leagues from last night.
In an effort to capture this special moment in a timely fashion and give sports fans around the world an opportunity to collect this treasured card, during Strasburg’s very first MLB game on June 8, collectors visiting www.toppsmillion.com with a code card found in Topps Series 1 or Topps Series 2 baseball will have a chance to unlock this special card. Strasburg’s Topps rookie card contains the photo of his very first pitch in the Major Leagues and will be issued in very limited quantities.
It may have been just one start but don’t act like the stuff he threw wasn’t impressive. I know if your a New York Mets fan you’ve never seen Oliver Perez throw anything quite like what was witnessed in Washington D.C. last night.
Former MLB Eric Byrnes Goes Softball Deep
Back on May 7, we posted the story of former Seattle Mariners releasing Eric Byrnes and his 11 million dollar contract. Byrnes didn’t sit around and within a day found work as a weekend warrior on the softball field. Now comes the first video of him hitting softball home runs. Great to see 11 million not being wasted. Jealous, sure, but make no mistake he sucked even when he was free loading on an MLB roster.
Seattle Mariners Ken Griffey Jr. Misses At Bat For Nappy Time
Now Just A Shadow Of What Once Was
With high expectations and some major acquisitions this off-season the Seattle Mariners haven’t actually lived up to the hype going 12-19 to start the 2010 season. The terrible start has not only put the fans to sleep but sure to be Hall of Famer Ken Griffery Jr.
Griffery was sleeping in the clubhouse in the middle of the game when manager Don Wakamatsu came looking for him to be a pinch hitter late in the seventh inning for Rob Johnson. A teammate said Griffery went to get a jacket earlier in the game but never came back out and was found in his chair curled up.
The record of the Mariners and the lack of playing time for the 41 year-old has reports that the Mariners may release outfielder/DH later this month, if he doesn’t decide to retire instead. Griffey is hitting .208 with no home runs and just five runs batted in 77 at-bats this season mainly because his bat speed has slowed dramatically and struggles to even catch up to fastballs. This is coming after a year he hit .214 in 117 games.
As I found out yesterday we have to respect the process and after 21 years I would say even old-school has a tendency to not respect the process of your manager needing you to be ready, not in nappy nap time.
MLB PLayer Eric Byrnes Lands On Softball Team Roster
Should Have Been There Long Time Ago
Just days after getting shown the door by the Seattle Mariners, outfielder Eric Byrnes is headed for the adult softball field.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are paying him $11 million, the final year of a three-year deal, to star for a team sponsored by Dutch Goose, a burger and beer pub in Menlo Park, Calif.
“This is going to be a blast,” Byrnes said. “Playing with my buddies. I can’t wait for my first hit. I’m going to ask for the ball.”
He has already made his debut for The Goose when he played Wednesday at nearby Nealon Park where his team won.
Baseball is already a kids game but trying to stay in shape with the other weekend warriors while cashing an $11 million dollar check is ridiclious. Wait, so was his career.
MLB To Begin Broadcasting 3D Games
Get Your Eyes Ready
Major League Baseball made its first steps into a new world Wednesday with the announcement that the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners will play games July 10 and 11 from Safeco Field in 3D. Viewers will have to have 3D televisions and HD links with their cable providers.
“This is a good opportunity to make sure that when the All-Star Game is broadcast in 3D there is at least some experience,” Eric Handler of YES Network said. “There isn’t a need to leapfrog the All-Star Game. It’s to make the game absolutely perfect.”
The All-Star Game is set for July 13 in Anaheim and will be telecast nationally by FOX. ESPN has already announced plans to start doing some major events in 3-D, including the June 11th opener of soccer’s World Cup from South Africa.
Minnesota Twins Orlando Hudson Thinks Racism Why Jermaine Dye Doesn’t Have Job
Is It As Easy As Black & White?
Minnesota Twins second baseman Orlando Hudson hints at that that some African-American Major League Baseball players are getting the blackballed treatment not for declining skills but because of their skin color.
“You see guys like Jermaine Dye without a job. Guy with [27 home runs and 81 RBIs] and can’t get a job. Pretty much sums it up right there, no? You’ve got some guys who miss a year who can come back and get $5, $6 million, and a guy like Jermaine Dye can’t get a job. A guy like Gary Sheffield, a first-ballot Hall of Famer, can’t get a job. We both know what it is. You’ll get it right. You’ll figure it out. I’m not gonna say it because then I’ll be in [trouble].”
Between the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program and Urban Youth Academies, baseball has tried to resolve that gap between the sport and African-Americans. Compared to football and the stranglehold of basketball, baseball finishes a distant third. While the tremendous influx of upcoming African-American talent in the major leagues in recent years from Philadelphia Phillies Ryan Howard, Tampa Bay Rays Carl Crawford to Arizona Diamondbacks Justin Upton and Atlanta Braves Jason Heyward is a positive sign, it doesn’t eliminate the feeling that others have been mistreated.
While some will accuse Hudson of race baiting and paranoia, the reality is quite the opposite, he is taking public a concern that promotes discussion and forces MLB to be honest with itself.
However I don’t think it’s as clean or easy to explain Dye’s unemployment as a racist thing as it is to explain the context of financial realities in baseball. Has racism been a problem in baseball’s history? Of course it has, it’s been a problem throughout American history. It still exists today but figure into the equation that the market for aging sluggers with little defensive value is minimal and with the the free-agent market in the last 5 years shifted drastically away from older players at high cost.
Consider the former World Series MVP’s phone did ring in the offseason with Dye and his agent, Bob Bry, turning down offers from the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, and last week rejected an offer from the Washington Nationals.
In comparison aging outfielders with similar skill like Milwaukee Brewers Jim Edmonds and Seattle Mariners Mike Sweeney have jobs but it also has to do with they were willing to take $650K and Dye is not.
MLB.com lists 25 unsigned free agents. Of those 25, two are African-Americans, Dye and Sheffield. Dye is still sitting at home for similar the reason that Jarrod Washburn is and that’s unrealistic salary demands.
WTF: Milton Bradley
Skin Thin
I swear I think me and Mrs. Bradley are the only people in this guys corner. In Milton Bradley first visit back to Arlington, he decided to show the same fans that cheered him two seasons ago who is number one. Of course he heard the heckles of a few drunk fans that only see him as a Seattle Mariner now however not all in attendance wish ill will onto him. In his mind he thinks of himself as some sort of MLB bad guy and it looks as if he’s trying to play the part.
If this isn’t an act, which I doubt, I’m calling it a spade. Bradley isn’t a tough, FTW world type of guy he’s just soft skinned. Skin as thin as sheet of paper.
SGE Fantasy Baseball Preview: Outfield Part Tres
Sleeper Pick
It’s just 3 days away from Opening Day and its time for a final bonus edition concerning the outfield position for those still to have their fantasy baseball draft this weekend. As stated in part one and deux of the outfield rankings this is where you will find players who will gather the most points for you through out the season in five categories. Those categories being hitting for average/home runs/RBI’s/scoring runs and stealing bases. Guys like Boston Red Sox Jacoby Ellsbury, Arizona Diamondbacks Justin Upton and Seattle Mariners Ichiro Suzuki are the best at this and will be sure to be taken early so lets go deeper.
Breakout Player: Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles
- Jones was a first time All-Star last year and on the brink of MLB stardom when injuries cut short his season. It wasn’t just injuries that put a damper on his second half as pitchers began to figure him out and he hit .237 with 7 home runs and 26 RBI’s. This came after a first half in which he hit .305, 12 home runs, 44 RBI’s and scored 50 runs. He spent a huge chunk of the off season with Orioles hitting coach in better preparing himself to take more walks so he doesn’t become an easy strikeout victim which prolongs hitting slumps.
Sleeper Pick: Garrett Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates
- I toss and turned over on where to put Jones here in the sleeper or the risky spot. In the end I have to trust my gut and believe last year wasn’t a fluke for him. He reminds me of Los Angeles Dodgers Casey Blake who developed into an everyday player at the big leagues late in his career. Jones was a 10 year minor league journeyman before getting his first lengthy legitimate shot with the Pirates. Pittsburgh gave him the opportunity in midseason and he capitalized on it by hitting .310 with 10 home runs in July and finished with more home runs than any other rookie in the major. The longer I allowed myself to second guess myself the worse it got for Jones. Ultimately I had to come back to what my eyes saw last year and it just wasn’t the home runs, it was the confidence he showed at the plate. He belonged and and I believe he will show it again this year too.
Risky Player: Chris Young, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Young had yet another roller coaster season last year, hitting .196 with 6 home runs through the All-Star break. Then in September he hit .278 with 8 home runs and 14 RBI’s. He has a combination of speed and power that give him an attractive allure but he never seems to put it all together at the same time for a long period. Until Young makes more consistent contact I see another year like last, some highs more lows.
Slipping Player: Vernon Wells, Toronto Blue Jays
- Wells had wrist surgery in November to help with pain from a 2008 injury. It’s believed that the lingering pain caused for his power numbers to suffer like they did last season. With his power numbers down again, Wells did impress me by stealing 17 bases last year. It gave him some added value but on the other side what took away from that value was him falling back to hitting .260. I thought he had pulled himself out of the depths that he reached in 2007 when he hit a miserable .240 and only 16 home runs. At the end of 2010 I don’t see him crossing the plate more than 80 times, 16 home runs and back to normal on the bases with 11 steals and another .260 season.
Be sure to come back for a preview of starting pitcher position.
WTF: Topps Baseball
RIP Harry Kalas
Talk about cutting corners. If your not a baseball fan then the baseball card of Seattle Mariners newest pitcher Cliff Lee might not seem all that bad. But if you are and look a little closer and notice that card company Topps has airbrushed the Mariners jersey onto Lee.
Actually it might have gone over except for the HK patch he wore on his left shoulder with the Philadelphia Phillies of the late broadcaster Harry Kalas. Topps already creating an error card for card collector sets.
7-Foot-1 Minnesota Twins Pitcher Turning Heads In Spring Training
Stretch
Minnesota Twins pitcher Loek Van Mil from the Netherlands who is 7’1″ is making quite an impression in Spring Training and the 25-year-old has quickly moved up in the Twins farm system.
He was found by Twins international scouting director Howard Norsetter in Van Mil homeland that eventually lead the right-hander on the phone every few weeks and worked him out a few times at a baseball clinic in Amsterdam. The scouts where so impressed with what they saw that they asked him if he’d like to sign a contract. A week earlier, the Seattle Mariners had approached Van Mil and offered slightly more money, but the right-hander already had developed a loyalty to the Twins way.
Van Mil orginally started out as a catcher but was forced out from behind the plate due to his height and suddenly found himself on the mound where he has prospered. Last season, he pitched well enough for Class A Fort Myers to earn a promotion to Class AA New Britain where he had an ERA of 2.45. Another good sign came this off-season when the Twins placed him on the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
His fastball has been clocked at 92 to 93 mph, and the Twins are happy with how his hard slider and changeup have progressed this Spring Training.
The Twins already have the tallest player in the major leagues with right-handed pitcher Jon Rauch at 6′ 11″
Seattle Mariners Go Revolutionary & Abandon The Use Of Weights
Will It Work?
The Seattle Mariners are completely overhauling their approach to fitness and training this spring training. The Mariners have abandoned the use of weights in the teams facilty in Arizona and back in Seattle for the next three years. They are applying muscle science to particular movements instead of workout programs designed decades ago.
The Mariners have signed a three-year contract with Dr. Marcus Elliott of Santa Barbara, Calif., founder of the Peak Performance Project (P3). Elliott has been working with Mariners trainers the past couple of months to overhaul the team’s entire approach to fitness. The idea is to focus on reducing injuries and making the Mariners players more athletic through a series of workouts that have little to do with traditional weightlifting.
“If you’re going to build athletes, you have to do athletic things with them,” said Elliott, 44, who has trained many elite athletes on an individual basis, as well as worked with the U.S. Olympic Training Center and the Australian Institute of Sport and the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. Elliott has also worked with the New England Patriots and Utah Jazz.
The team will focus on strengthening the movements used in baseball like the ability to generate force through a player’s hip rotation. They also have players doing specific workouts designed to increase lower body strength and make that translate into an ability to hit a baseball and react more explosively to balls hit in their direction.
Workouts like 30-minute cardiovascular “flush run” that pitchers do after a start which have long been a part of baseball tradition already been scaled back dramatically. Elliott feels such runs are a waste of time. He says it’s like training a marathon runner when pitchers and ballplayers have to be worked like sprinters.
Each player has received an extensive physical evaluation upon arriving at camp. There are computer printouts of each player’s strengths and weaknesses in the areas that are going to be targetted by the new training regimen.
The team isn’t forcing the big league players to completely abandon their prior fitness regimens if they really don’t want to. They instead are working the new system in slowly at a base level to introduce players to it and the players have been receptive.
The farm system of the Mariners won’t have a choice as the team is making this system mandatory at every minor league level of the organization. Trainers are being taught the system and weight rooms adapted at the various minor league sites.
No team in baseball is doing this but I have no idea what sort of conditioning really works the best since I don’t do any myself.
Adrian Beltre Signs With Boston Red Sox
Yo Adrian
Let the “yo Adrian” cat calls from Fenway Park begin as the Boston Red Sox have signed one of the biggest baseball busts ever in third baseman Adrian Beltre. He signed for one-year deal worth $10 million dollars and the contract also includes a $5 million dollar club option for the 2011 season, which is a good deal for Beltre. Red Sox fans will find out soon enough why Seattle Mariner fan would fight you right on the spot if you mentioned the name Adrian Beltre to their face.
Last season, Beltre only played in 111 games for the Mariners and in that time span, he batted .265 with eight homeruns and forty-four runs-batted-in.
Randy Johnson Retires From Major League Baseball
No, THANK YOU
Am I a Randy Johnson stan? Yes. Is Randy Johnson a Hall of Famer? Yes. Will Randy Johnson be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot? Yes. Again Am I a Randy Johnson stan? Yes.
Now that those questions are out of the way, it’s time to say goodbye to an extraordinary 22 year Major League Baseball career. The Big Unit finished with 303 wins on his career, good enough for 22nd all-time, 5 Cy Young Awards with another 3 in which he finished 2nd place and 1 3rd place finish, he struckout 4,875 batters to put him second all-time behind Nolan Ryan and first among left-handers, 10 time All-Star, 2 time 20 game winner, a World Series champion, and to not to be forgotten is that he pitched a no-hitter and a perfect game.
You can call those the major accomplishments but here’s just a few more to add to the resume a 2001 World Series co-MVP, earning four ERA crowns, nine strikeout titles, and the ability to boast having beaten every single big league team at least once.
Johnson’s career began in Montreal with the Expos and included stops in Seattle, Houston (where he was the CC Sabitha before there was a CC Sabaitha going 10-1 after being traded down the strecth to push the Astros into the playoffs), Arizona, New York and finally San Francisco. Johnson overcame wildness early in his career to become a dominant starter that included a 10-year stretch between 1993 and 2002. During that span, he struck out 2,928 batters in 2,188 innings to go with a 2.73 ERA and 175 wins.
Thank you Randy Johnson for the memories and allowing me to say I witnessed perhaps the most dominant left handed pitcher of all time.
Milton Bradley Says Goodbye To The City Of Chicago
Chicago Tribune
Quite the opposite from Roy Halladay’s goodbye letter to the people of Toronto. The city of Chicago will probably celebrate knowing that a man who represented their city to the world now calls Seattle home.
Phillies, Blue Jays, Mariners, Athletics Finally Complete Blockbuster Trade
All For You
We’ve all heard about the trade for the last couple of days now but today all the teams and players involved where finally finalized and that’s how come your finally seeing the first post regarding the blockbuster trade here on Sports Grind Entertainment.
A four-club, nine-player mega trade, with the Toronto Blue Jays sending 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay to the Philadelphia Phillies, who in turn dealt 2008 AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners while a total of seven prospects changing hands and Oakland also part of the mix.
The 32-year-old right-hander Halladay, who also signed a three-year contract extension worth $60 million with a fourth year option worth $20 million based on innings pitched and not being on the disabled list at the end of 2013, was sent to the Phillies for three minor leaguers: catcher Travis d’Arnaud, right-hander Kyle Drabek and outfielder Michael Taylor.
Philadelphia dealt Lee to Seattle for three prospects: right-hander Phillippe Aumont, outfielder Tyson Gillies and right-hander Juan Ramirez.
Toronto flipped Taylor to the Athletics for minor league third baseman Brett Wallace.
The Phillies have wanted Halladay for some time as they tried hard to get him in July, but found working with Toronto’s former general manager J. P. Ricciardi a difficult task, instead, they sent prospects Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald and Lou Marson to Cleveland for Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco.
But the opportunity arose again to acquire Halladay with new Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos, and Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. moved in after believing Lee would be difficult to lure into a contract extension. The Phillies made the trade for a couple of reasons as they needed salary relief and get that with the Blue Jays sending the Phillies $6 million. Lee makes $9 million next season and subtract his salary and add the $6 million from Toronto, and the Phillies are paying just $750,000 more for Halladay, who makes $15.75 million next season. The Phillies also traded Lee because they felt they needed to restock a farm system that has seen Amaro trade seven top prospects since July. Whether Aumont, Ramirez and Gillies develop in talents comparable to what the Phillies gave up to get Halladay and Lee remains to be seen, but the Phillies clearly believed they needed to take the opportunity to replenish and keeping the organization competitive beyond next year.
Lee went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA in his 12 regular season starts for the Phillies, but he came through when they needed him most. In five postseason starts, Lee went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA, striking out 33 batters in 40 1/3 innings and allowing less than one baserunner per inning. Halladay posted a 2.79 ERA in 239 innings and completed nine games and tossed four shutouts.
Lets take a look at the rest of the players involved who do not have a Cy Young award in their trophy case.
- Tyson Gillies, CF (Going to Phillies): 21, the left-hander hit .341 last season and led the California League with 44 stolen bases at Single-A High Desert. He scored 104 runs and had a .430 on-base percentage. Watching him at this year’s Futures Game, I was not only moved by his inspiring story but by his phenomenal raw tools and athleticism.
- Phillippe Aumont, RHP (Going to Phillies): 20, went a combined 2-6 with 16 saves and a 3.88 ERA for High Desert and Double-A West Tennessee last season. A first-round draft pick in 2007, he pitched for Canada in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Baseball America list his pitches as a 92-95 mph heavy sinking fastball, a four-seamer at 94-98 mph and a breaking ball at 79-83 mph.
- J.C. Ramirez, RHP (Going to Phillies): 21, was 8-10 with a 5.12 ERA for High Desert.Baseball America list his pitches as a 92-94 mph fastball but not much else possibly seeing his future as a late inning pitcher.
- Kyle Drabek, RHP (Going to Blue Jays): 22, was a combined 12-3 with a 3.19 ERA at Single-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading. He was the Phillies’ first-round draft pick in 2006 and his father is former NL Cy Young winner Doug Drabek. Baseball America list his pitches as a 91-94 mph fastball, a downer curveball, and a changeup that is still progressing.
- Travis d’Arnaud, C (Going to Blue Jays): 20, hit .255 with 13 home runs and 71 RBIs at Single-A Lakewood.
- Brett Wallace, 3B (Going to Blue Jays): 23, was acquired by Oakland last season as part of the trade for Matt Holliday. He figures to be a perennial .300 hitter with 25-homer power due to his short, compact stroke and solid plate discipline. The left-handed Wallace hit a combined .293 with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs for three teams.
- Michael Taylor, OF (Going to Athletics): 23, hit a combined .320 with 20 home runs, 84 RBIs and 21 stolen bases at Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He joined a relatively small group of players who have been traded twice in one day. He appears ready to start in the majors coming out of spring training in 2010.
| Who Got What? | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillies | |||||
| Roy Halladay, RHP Phillippe Aumont, RHP Tyson Gillies, OF Juan Ramirez, RHP |
|||||
| Mariners | |||||
| Cliff Lee, LHP | |||||
| Blue Jays | |||||
| Travis d’Arnaud, C Kyle Drabek, RHP Brett Wallace, 3B |
|||||
| Athletics | |||||
| Michael Taylor, OF | |||||
Phillies: Winners/Blue Jays: Losers/Mariners: Winners/Athletics: Winners
J.J. Putz Signs With The Chicago White Sox
Putz Is A Putz
The Chicago White Sox signed reliever J.J. Putz to a one-year, $3 million deal that includes up to $3 million in bonuses based on his performance. The 32-year Putz had gone 1-4 with a 5.22 ERA, serving as a set up man for Francisco Rodriguez in the New York Mets bullpen. In his first six big league seasons, Putz pitched for the Seattle Mariners, with whom he racked up 101 saves and made the AL All-Star team in 2007.
That’s as far as I’ll go because I strongly believe Putz blows and I wont let him use the excuse of his recent arm surgery to use as a crutch.
Chone Figgins Signs With The Seattle Mariners
Stealing Chone
I’m confident that Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim owner Arte Moreno will replace any missing pieces of his AL West championship team and the first piece to be stolen from his club is All-Star third baseman Chone Figgins.
The Seattle Mariners have reached an agreement with Figgins on a four-year $36 million contract but there are indications the deal would also include a option for 2014 that could boost the total value to the neighborhood of $45 million.
The Mariners has been aggressively pursuing Figgins to replace 2005 $64 million bust Adrian Beltre at third base. The Mariners did offer Beltre arbitration but pretty much as an insurance move.
A fascinating question is how the Mariners would fit Figgins and Ichiro Suzuki in their lineup. Figgins has batted lead off for the Los Angeles Angels in all but two games over the last two seasons, and was second only to Derek Jeter in on-base percentage (.395) among AL leadoff hitters. But Ichiro has been a fixture in the lead off hole in Seattle for the last nine years.
The soon to be 32-year-old Figgins is coming off one of his best seasons, leading the American League with 101 walks and batting .298 with five homers and 54 RBIs. He is a career .291 hitter who has averaged 48 stolen bases during his eight seasons in the major leagues.
A great pick up since Figgins is quality and it allows the Mariners to wash their hands of Beltre. However is John Lackey the next Angel to be stolen from Moreno’s empire and if so how many others?
Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim Mike Scioscia Wins American League Manager Of The Year
34 Would Be Proud
Mike Scioscia of the Los Angeles Angels of Anhiem had to endure the most emotionally season of his 10 seasons as leader of the Angels and that culminated in him selected as the 2009 American League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
It was Scioscia’s second Manager of the Year award. He was named by the BBWAA in 2002, when the Angels claimed their first World Series title under his direction after entering the postseason as a Wild Card. Scioscia, who is the first manager in Major League history to pilot six postseason teams in his first 10 seasons, received 15 of a possible 28 first-place votes for 106 points.
The Twins’ Ron Gardenhire finished second with six first-place votes and 72 points. Joe Girardi of the Yankees (four first-place votes) was third, followed by the Mariners’ Don Wakamatsu (two), the Rangers’ Ron Washington (one) and the Tigers’ Jim Leyland.
Coping with the death of young pitcher Nick Adenhart in a car wreck on April 9, Scioscia and the Angels emerged from early struggles — they were 29-29 on June 11 — to take flight en route to a third consecutive AL West title, their fifth in six seasons.
In the AL Division Series, the Angels swept their October nemesis, Boston, in three games before falling in six games in the AL Championship Series to the Yankees, who went on to subdue the Phillies in the World Series.
With 97 wins, the Angels continued a run of excellence under Scioscia, whose teams have won 900 regular-season games in 10 seasons. His 567 victories over the past six seasons represent a Major League best — one more than Joe Torre has achieved with the Yankees and Dodgers and two more than Terry Francona with the Red Sox.
Kansas City Royals Zack Grienke Wins American League Cy Young Award
Diamond Stud
Zack Greinke is the definition of a Diamond Stud and he proved it again by winning the American League Cy Young Award and he did it in a landslide.
The Royals’ right-hander received a rousing 25 of 28 first-place votes and had 134 total points in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voting. Runner-up Felix Hernandez of the Mariners had 80 points, with two first-place votes.
Greinke emerged from the shadow of a social anxiety disorder that took him away from the game for two months in 2006. He worked his way back to the Royals with a tour in the Minors that year and spent most of 2007 laboring in the KC bullpen. Back full force in 2008, he made 32 starts with a 13-10, 3.47 season that set the stage for this thunderous year.
But the 2009 season on the mound belong to Greinke, who posted a 16-8 record which was modest total for a Cy Young winner but no one could match his Major League-best ERA of 2.16. He was one of the most dominating pitchers of 2009 in either league especially being on a team that hardly backed him with run support and a bullpen that blew four of his leads.
Greinke becomes the third Cy Young winner in club history. Bret Saberhagen won in 1985 and 1989; David Cone won in 1994. Cone was the only other starter to win the AL award with as few as 16 wins, and he did it in a strike-shortened season. Brandon Webb (2006) was the last starter to win the National League award with so few.
Among other accomplishments, Greinke struck out 15 batters and threw a one-hitter in back-to-back outings in August as he headed toward a strong finish. He was 6-1 with a 1.75 ERA in his final 11 starts.
Greinke’s has three devastating pitches in a changeup (which was the best in 2009), a sizzling fastball and killer slider. Greinke’s 242 strikeouts, second in the AL to Jason Verlander’s 269, included the club-record 15 on Aug. 25 against the Indians. Then, in his next start at Seattle, came a one-hitter flawed only by a second-inning single. Greinke mowed down the last 22 Mariners he faced. That made him just the fourth pitcher in history to follow a 15-strikeout game with a one-hitter, matching Pedro Martinez (1999), Randy Johnson (1998) and Vida Blue (1971).
His ability to command his pitches, moving the ball in and out, up and down with pinpoint accuracy, and to vary his speeds is phenomenal.
Going Going, Back Back, To Japan, what Japan?
What Do You Expect, He's A Gemini
Johjima, the first ever Japanese-born catcher to play in the big leagues, has decided to abandon the final two years of his three-year, $33 million contract with the Seattle Mariners in favor of heading back home to Japan. The 33-year-old backstop isn’t hanging up his cleats, however, he’s decided to finish his career in his home land.
He signed with the Mariners in 2005 after playing 11 seasons in Japan’s Pacific League with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. Johjima batted .268 in his four seasons with Seattle, knocking out 84 doubles, 48 homers and 198 RBIs over 462 games. Impressively, he also holds the AL record for hits by a rookie catcher with 147 in 2006, and the 18 home runs he nailed in his first season tied the club record for most by a catcher.
“After lots of very deep thought and deliberation, I have decided to return home to resume my career in Japan,” Johjima said Monday. “I have had a wonderful experience competing at the Major League level. The last four years have been extraordinary, with great teammates and great coaches. I will always be indebted to the Mariners organization for giving me the opportunity to follow my dream. This was a very difficult decision, both professionally and personally. I feel now is the time to go home, while I still can perform at a very high level.”
Recently, rookie Rob Johnson was more or less stealing all of Johjima’s playing time anyhow, during the semi-rare occasions when the veteran was healthy enough to play.
Sayonara.
2009 ALL-SGE-MLB Team
Est. 2009
The 2009 regular season of Major League Baseball has ended and Sports Grind Entertainment is handing out it’s first ever All-SGE-MLB Team. The 2009 All-SGE-MLB Team takes in account not only what a player does with the bat but as well in the field, weak players with the glove are easily removed from consideration.
2009 ALL-SGE-MLB Team:
First Base – Albert Pujols (Allah), St. Louis Cardinals: Pujols probably will walk away with the 2009 National League MVP and his numbers of 47 home runs 135 RBIs and .327 batting average are just a peek into his overall value.
Second Base – Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays: Hill is generally thought of as a great double play combination but the year of 2009 everything happened to fall into place for him with the bat, 36 home runs 108 RBIs and 195 hits for a .286 batting average.
Shortstop – Hanley Rameriz, Florida Marlins: Rameriz is quickly becoming one of of the best players in all of MLB. Rameriz didn’t hit for power in 2009 but instead for a National League high .342 and hit to all parts of the field collecting 195.
Third Base – Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals: Zimmerman might not be know outside of Washington or to drive by fan but he has Gold Glove type of fingers at third and saw his numbers jump to 33 home runs 106 RBIs and a .292 average.
Catcher – Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins: Just as Pujols should walk away with the National League MVP the same could be said of Mauer. The 2009 American League Batting League champion should also see his 2009 awards include a Gold Glove and the AL MVP. It’s outstanding when you consider Mauer is a catcher and hitting .365 average and 28 home runs.
Outfield – Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles: If the name Ryan Zimmerman is foreign to the drive by MLB fan then Jones name is from outer space. Jones was an excellent outfielder in 2009 and should be in line to win his first Gold Glove award. Despite playing in only a 119 games due to a neck injury he still posted 19 home runs and 70 RBIs with a .277 average.
Outfield – Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers: Kemp was all over the outfield for the Dodgers and his bat help supply for many of Los Angeles come from behind victories in 2009. Kemp had 26 home runs 101 RBIs and a .297 average to go along with 34 stolen bases.
Outfield – Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners: Ichiro was once again Ichiro in 2009. As usual another dominate defensive performance to go with yet another 200 season, 225 hits and a .352 average.
Starting Left Handed Pitcher – CC Sabathia, New York Yankees: Sabathia was the best left handed starting pitcher in 2009 with a 19-8 record and 3.37 ERA and struck out 197 batters in 230 innings.
Starting Right Handed Pitcher – Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals: Carpenter should win the 2009 National League Cy Young Award with his 17-4 record and 2.24 ERA in striking out 144 batters while completing three games.
Closer – Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees: Rivera continues to be the best closer of this generation, it’s not the number that are impressive it’s the times and situations that he continues to be effective. The 2009 saw Rivera save 44 games out of 46 opportunities with a 1.76 ERA in 66.1 innings pitched while striking out 72 batters.
Manager – Jim Tracy, Colorado Rockies: Tracy who took over the last place Rockies on May 29th, 18-28, the Rockies then went 74-42 and won the National League Wild Card. In the end, the Rockies were 92-70, and set a club record for wins in a season while making the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
