Well, as the saying goes, know thy opponent.
The Red Sox have signed Sean Casey to back up Kevin Youkilis in 2008. The Mayor could probably still be an everyday player if he wasn’t a first baseman. However, as a first baseman, having absolutely no power or pop could definitely be a detriment to your cause. No matter, though. Casey’s still a pleasure to have around any team’s clubhouse and, if anything, he provides Francona with a solid backup player.
Rob Neyer at ESPN has a Joe VS. Joe, managerial debate going on. This one is tough for any Yankee fan. In terms of in-game decisions, and baseball acumen, we can hope that Girardi will be better than Torre (especially with the pitching staff).
One thing that stood out to me was the following exchange:
Nathan (Brooklyn, NY):My biggest two beefs with Joe Torre: Not bunting on Curt Schilling during the bloody sock game and not pulling the players off the field during Midge-gate. Otherwise, I’m a big, big fan of his. They’ll both thrive, but I think Torre will have a bigger impact on his team than Girardi will.
Rob Neyer: Of course, what’s funny is that both managers will be credited or debited for whatever happens, even though we know that 90-some percent of whatever happens is beyond their control. I do think Torre’s in a better position because he’ll be lionized if the Dodgers just make the playoffs. Girardi has to win the World Series.
First and foremost, when talking about Schilling’s infamous bloody sock game in 2004 and the midge incident in 2007, those two blunders are truly big enough to warrant a new direction for the club (in terms of the managerial position). That’s what I think and that’s what I’ll always think. I just don’t understand them and I can rant for hours and hours about Joe Torre’s foolishness during these situations. However, Torre did great things beyond these two particular incidents, therefore, regardless of how I feel about them, I can look past it and appreciate what he did for the team.
Now, about what Neyer had to say, do I think that Girardi has to win the WS in order to prove himself? Not at all. As long as he maintains the course (winning) and is able to sustain the club’s dominance (offensively), then he’ll be fine. Context is a big part of this situation. Everyone knows that Girardi is coming into a club that is currently transitioning and rebuilding. That’s not to say that Girardi can do no wrong. Yes, if he bombs and the team finishes third in the AL East, he’ll have a problem, but again, as long as he has a good showing and makes the playoffs, he’ll be fine (even if our payroll is huge).
It’s all about long-term with Joe G. The Yankees got him to lead the club, not only now, but in the future, as their younger players (and pitchers in particular) continue to develop and become household names. That’s kind of how I see it.
Santana’s new deal with the Mets may surpass the $150 million mark. This could truly change the market for pitchers for a long, long time. Granted, Johan Santana is the best there is, but, eclipsing Barry Zito’s stunning deal (around $120 millio) will definitely have an effect on other ace-type starters (like Sabathia, after the season) who reach free agency or are traded due to financial concerns.
It is believed the players union has been pressing Santana’s agents, Peter and Ed Greenberg, to beat the $150-million threshold, as Santana is setting the standard for pitchers and will likely affect the salaries of other top-of-the-line starters. The Mets, who originally hoped to keep the package to five additional years, have been hoping to keep the total compensation below $150 million.
In a market where Kyle Lohse is looking for over $10 million a year, you really have to wonder about the state of things, and how they will ultimately change. If things continue this way, who knows what may happen with salaries (or caps) in the future.
From the NY Times:
After getting a two-hour extension from the Minnesota Twins, the Mets completed negotiations Friday with Johan Santana on what is expected to be a contract worth nearly $140 million. The pitcher is now set to take a physical before finalizing his move to New York.
The deal is an average of $22 million per year, for six years. Finally, it’s done. Jon Heyman at SI.com, has some more details on the contract’s breakdown.
According to sources, the deal is believed to be for $150.75 million total — $137.25 for six years on top of the $13.25 million for 2008 his Twins contract called for. It is believed about $7 million of the new money will be paid as a signing bonus, bringing Santana’s ‘08 take-home pay to about $20 million.
I was at MLBTR a few moments ago, and I saw that the Brewers are seriously considering locking up some of their younger players. Two of those players are the highly regarded Prince Fielder (who had a phenomenal season, but his attempted scoop in the All-Star Game was one of the funniest thing ever) and Rickie Weeks (who had a tough season). Another name on this (talent-filled) list is Corey Hart, the Brewers 25 year old OF.
Hart was another one of the guys I learned about through fantasy baseball. I read a lot of scouting reports, projections and player profiles and, being an AL type of guy, it was cool to read about Hart, who’s truly a tremendous talent for Milwaukee. He’s got all sorts of tools, whether it’s speed, power, batting eye, athleticism, it’s all there. He’s an outfielder that plays right (predominantly), but has also played CF and LF a bit (at the ML level). In the minors he played 1B and 3B until settling on the OF.
Due to crowding (I believe) in Milwaukee’s OF, Hart didn’t get regular time until this year, and even then there was hesitation to play him (for whatever reason, I don’t know). He nabbed a starting gig later on in the season and still got his 500+ AB’s in. His line is great, hitting .295/.353/.539. He slugs like an animal and gets on base, as his career minor league numbers indicate that concept in spades (.855 OPS in 7 seasons). His OPS this year was even better than that and he should continue to produce.
It’s a shame that Hart couldn’t get some more playing time before the age of 25 (he was good enough). Either way, he made the most of it this year, hitting 24 HRs and swiping 23 bags (becoming the first in Milwaukee to accomplish such a feat). Expect more from Corey Hart, and, depending on who you’re in a league with, he could be a huge sleeper. With categories like OBP, SLG, SB, included in fantasy leagues, Hart can easily help you, although I’m not sure where his RBI totals may stand (depends on how the lineup looks). If you’re in need of an OF, draft him before someone figures him out.
Chuck Knoblauch met with Congress’ Oversight and Reform Committee today. His lawyer stated that Knoblauch would release a statement later on, and that the meeting was “fine.” When asked if he answered questions about other players (e.g. Clemens, Pettitte, etc.), Knoblauch told reporters–after the interview–that he “only knew about himself.”
Knoblauch probably didn’t even mind the interview, but to go out in public and actually see that the sun still shines? Hell, I bet that was the hardest part.
From the NY Times:
While the pending trade of Johan Santana to the Mets has shaken up Major League Baseball, a relatively unknown, submarine-throwing farmhand who might never reach the big leagues has also spent the week rattling his sport’s economics.
Randy Newsom, a reliever last season for the Cleveland Indians’ Class A and AA affiliates, set up a Web site through which fans and other outsiders could purchase a piece of his future major league earnings. Through Thursday, Newsom had sold about 1,800 shares of himself at $20 apiece. Each share afforded the bearer .002 percent of his career pay, uniting his goals with investors who hope he makes it big.
Dozens of minor leaguers had expressed interest in also going public through Newsom’s new company, Real Sports Investments, he said. Unfortunately for Newsom, however, his plan did not exactly thrill M.L.B., the players union or the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Offerings shopped over the Internet must be registered with the S.E.C., and Newsom’s was not. After speaking with a lawyer for M.L.B. on Thursday afternoon, Newsom decided to table his idea to work with authorities on a venture they would approve and perhaps even support.
How great is that (for everyone involved)? The only negative I see is that it firmly demonstrates baseball’s capitalist concepts. It’s nothing but a business now and I guess we should all know that, as baseball players and big money brokers are uniting as one. But, who am I kidding? Sign me up (really, please).
If the guy could lower his walks and increase his K’s, I’d be interested.
All Santana, all the time. I recently bought a PS3, and, although I no longer have enough money to pay my rent, I would like to say that the online play is great (especially with MLB: The Show 2007). It’s so great, in fact, that I just played it for 3 hours. Yikes.
More to come tomorrow. I think I’ll be headed to the movies tomorrow to see The Eye. Yes, it looks terrible and Jessica Alba isn’t a great actress… but, hell, I could really use a good laugh.
For Fantasy Baseball in 2007, ESPN had a pretty sick projection for Morgan Ensberg. The following was said about Ensberg’s abilities and output:
Ensberg was trade bait all offseason but there were no takers. He suffered a serious injury to a shoulder in June, and his offense collapsed. If healthy, expect a power rebound, making him Top 3 3B in NL-only and Top 10 in mixed.
The following are Morgan Ensberg’s projected numbers for 2007 (by ESPN).
85 29 84 3 .273
These are pretty superficial and are not necessarily the most complex data you can find. The projection of 85 R, 29 HRs, 84 RBI, 3 SB, and a .273 average, is a great projection though, and is obviously based on something. Ensberg’s 2007 numbers were well below these figures, but what happened to his offensive production?
In 2005, Ensberg put up a line of .283/.388/.557 and hit 36 HRs while driving in 101 runs. He pretty much came out of nowhere, and we were all wondering if his success would last. We got our answer shortly after. In 2006, he fell apart. Granted, the shoulder injury was a big problem for him, but he was also hitting .236 into mid-July. In fact, in his last 57 games before he was placed on the DL, Ensberg was hitting .194.
Ensberg’s injury, characterized as a “right shoulder contusion” did not warrant any surgery, and did not feature any structural damage. However, his shoulder injury which first popped up in early June (and held him out of the lineup for a few games), was still serious enough to keep him out of the Astros’ lineup until the end of July (in 2006).
Worried about their stagnant offense, the Astros acquired Aubrey Huff. Ensberg then rejoined the team on the first day of August and hit .202 for the month, but only had one HR in the end. Although he had fewer AB’s in the second half of the season, Ensberg’s power was nonexistant, slugging .369 with 4 HRs, when he had slugged .500 in the season’s first half (with 19 HRs). It seems as though his shoulder injury was truly a problem, and he had never fully healed.
In August, the manager Phil Garner, even stated outwardly that he was worried about Ensberg (after he had returned).
“I am concerned,” Garner said. “He’s just not hitting the ball well consistently. Morgan’s a guy that we’ve seen in the last couple of years who goes to the plate, takes a mighty swing and gets results. To me, it looks like he’s searching for the ball; he’s just not letting it go. He’s swinging not to miss it as opposed to swinging to hit it. We’ve talked about it numerous times, but he’s struggling a little bit.”
In 2007, if healthy, Ensberg had the chance to be productive once more. However, he again fell apart and never gained footing in Houston. He hyperextended his left ankle towards the end of April and from that injury, he lost a lot of playing time to others (notably, Mike Lamb and Mark Loretta). Then the Astros got Ty Wiggington, and traded Ensberg to the Padres (where he promptly hit .224/.308/.483.).
So, what should we expect from Morgan Ensberg? Ensberg had great numbers in the minors, which could mean that his power and OBP were never really flukes or anomolies (career minor league OPS of .870). However, the minors are a far way off and Ensberg is 31 now. He was clearly effected by injuries and the impotent Astros lineup, which desperately tried to get something going with a variety of players.
If healthy and if he’s past his injuries (mentally and physically of course), Ensberg could regain form and be a sleeper for first base. His playing time became erratic in Houston, and if given a fulltime position, he could be something more than a bench player. He’s still relatively young although he’ll be 32 in August. Even if relegated to the bench, he’s a righty that hits well against lefties (career .936 OPS) and could push Shelley Duncan (although Duncan was really good against lefties last year…308/.338/.606).
Ensberg’s situation will ultimately depend on Jason Giambi. If Giambi goes down early on, the Yankees are clearly too afraid to try Damon or Matsui at first (Ensberg’s signing demonstrates that). They could try Duncan at first or Ensberg at first, or even platoon with Wilson Betemit. Shelly Duncan cannot hit against righties (he can’t even get on base against them) so Ensberg could be a regular option for the club.
When you think of it this way, it’s a pretty smart, low-risk signing.
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