Devourer of young pitchers, heart-er of scrub veterans.
One of the biggest threats to a young pitcher is being brought along too fast or overworked too much–Dusty Baker and Kerry Wood ring a bell–and if your team is sporting a hot young prospect, you may just have reason to be a little worried. Tom Verducci catalogues some of the pitchers that may be in danger of overuse and injury this year and fans and fantasy players may want to keep an eye out.
How much should those guys be worried? Over the previous three years I red-flagged a total of 24 young pitchers at the start of those seasons. Of those 24 at-risk pitchers, 16 were hurt in that same season. Only one of the 24 pitchers managed to stay healthy and lower his ERA: Ubaldo Jimenez of Colorado, a guy I said would be less at risk because of his powerful body type.
Names on the list include Cole Hamels and Tim Linecum.
Source.
Rick Vaughn pitching, SI
Where have you gone, Giambistache? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you. A-woo-woo-woo.
Well, we can only hope the mustache makes a triumphant comeback.
Jason Giambi’s return to Oakland has sparked a resurgence of positive thoughts, according to ESPN’s Howard Bryant. The thong-wearing slugger is full of hopes and dreams for this season and, if nothing else, seems refreshed by his return to the snazzy green uniform.
He is convinced that he is past the strategy of sacrificing average for power he employed during his final years in New York because he no longer swings in agony. He believes the things his body can no longer do he can compensate for with experience and — most importantly — the absence of pain.
As Giambi fans, we must admit we’re hoping for a teensy slump, if only to bring back that glorious facial hair.
Source.
Rick Vaughn athletics, espn, jason giambi
What's important is spending time with your loved ones.
If you’ve been eagerly awaiting Selena Roberts’ unauthorized book on A-Rod, you’re going to have to keep on waiting. She was adding just a little more–I imagine it has something to do with a steroid revelation and possibly this winter’s antics–but now it’s off to the printer and, no doubt, baseball’s scribes are preparing their tongues for another round of shameful clucking and sad, slow headshakes.
Selena Roberts’ unauthorized “A-Rod” was originally planned for May, then was moved up to mid-April after Roberts, a Sports Illustrated reporter, broke the news that the Yankees slugger had tested positive for steroids back in 2003.
But with Roberts needing more time for the book—which has been completed and was sent to the printer this week—publication was pushed back to late April and now is planned for May 12, according to publisher HarperCollins.
Source.
Rick Vaughn alex rodriguez, yahoo
Pictured: The WBC
If you missed the World Baseball Classic, you missed one hell of a good time. It only helps that foreign stars get a chance to shine because all the US high-caliber free agents and/or their teams are terrified of getting injured. Good news, WBC fans. According to the league, the WBC did not bust in and injure everybody.
There were 69 players on disabled lists at the start of the season Sunday, down from 106 last year and 97 in 2007. The only lower total since the major leagues expanded to 30 teams in 1998 was when there were 66 in 2006, the commissioner’s office said Monday.
Rob Manfred, MLB’s executive vice president of labor relations, said the figure counters those who say the World Baseball Classic causes more players to get hurt.
Haters gonna hate.
Source.
Rick Vaughn espn, injuries
Oh, I say!
While some of us are scarfing hot dogs and overpriced beers and others are yelling obscenities at the TV, some of us are doing cutting edge work in baseball SCIENCE!
Scientific American is carrying an interview with Alan Nathan, physics professor and physics of baseball guru. If you want to elevate your trash-talking above mom jokes, dig some of these insights.
Typically, if you want to hit a long fly ball, you want to put backspin on that ball. The so-called Magnus force on the spinning baseball will be upward for a ball with backspin, and basically it opposes gravity. It keeps the ball in the air longer so it travels farther. So this leads to batting strategies—you actually undercut the ball. You don’t want to hit the ball head-on, which would give you sort of a line drive. You want to undercut it a bit, which gives it more of a vertical takeoff angle and also gives the ball backspin. And the backspin is essential if you want to hit a long fly ball.
Yeah, that’s what your mom said to me last night.
Source.
Rick Vaughn baseball, physics, science, Scientific American
Mark Teixeira - maybe not the next Reggie?
Prized free agent acquisition C.C. Sabathia made his Yankees debut today and promptly got shelled with slow-starting also-prized free agent acquisition Mark Teixeira also not doing so great as the Orioles drubbed the Yanks 10-5.
Sabathia lasted only four and a third innings, allowing six runs, eight hits and five walks. He did not record a strikeout. Teixeira went 0 for 4, each out coming with at least one runner on base. A Maryland native, Teixeira was jeered all day for turning down an offer from his hometown team.
Yankees faithful can only hope this is a bump on the road to much brighter things.
Source.
Rick Vaughn c.c. Sabathia, mark texiera, New York Times, pitching, yankees
Japanese baseball in a nutshell
Wither Darrell Rasner? The former Yankees #4 starter was shuffled aside when Cashman brought in some firepower over the off-season and went where Cheap Trick and other once-great American creations go to eke out a living: Japan.
Unfortunately, he’s n0t doing so great there, either.
Making his first start for the Rakuten Eagles, Rasner coasted through the first three innings against the Nippon Ham Fighters, retiring nine of 10 batters as his team took a 4-0 lead.
But in the fourth, former San Diego outfielder Terrmel Sledge hit a two-run homer. Rasner gave up six straight hits, and was taken out after allowing six runs in 3 1-3 innings.
Rasner was 5-10 last season with a 5.40 ERA in 24 games and 20 starts for the Yankees, who sold his contract to the Eagles in November.
His team rallied to win so, perhaps mercifully, he escaped without the loss.
Source.
Rick Vaughn darrell rasner, japan, pitching, yahoo
The Good Times: Over?
In these tough times, everyone is cinching their belt. Even Chevrolet has been reduced to using a smarmy Howie Long to push their godforsaken cars, over and over again. Baseball teams are no different.
Close to half the teams in the league have cut back their payroll, according to USA Today.
The average salary saw a modest 4% increase, to $3.26 million. But even the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have cut payrolls, based on documents obtained by USA TODAY from the Major League Baseball Players Association, clubs and MLB’s central office. The Yankees still lead with a $201.4 million payroll, but despite committing $423.5 million on three new free agents, their payroll is down $8 million. The Red Sox lowered theirs by $12 million to $121.7 million, dropping them behind the Yankees, New York Mets ($149.3 million) and Chicago Cubs ($134.8 million).
This is why the accusations of collusion to cut veteran salaries were, in retrospect, funny. Ain’t nobody got money.
Source.
Rick Vaughn business, payroll, usa today
McCann: Owns.
What a great game. That was what baseball was all about, right down to a near-heart attack in the ninth inning. I’m torn, though. Lowe was doing so well I think they should’ve left him in. I know innings and you don’t want to wear down your number one guy, but Gonzalez just about choked it up and killed us all, then somehow managed to pull it out. Think I would’ve let Lowe finish the game, personally.
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