New Articles: Beyond the Diamond: March 18, 2008, by Pete Toms

Keep It Down, by Jonathan Hale
Rocco Never Knew Me, But I Depended On Him, by Eric SanInocencio
Arizona Dreaming, by Geoff Young
Alternate Views On Select Prospects, by Rob McQuown
Roger Clemens and the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: The Final Tally, by Gordon Berger
Indy Baseball Chatter: March 10, 2008, by Bob Wirz
Fantasy Baseball Infielders: the Bargains, by Brandon Heikoop
Getting to Know You: Corey Hart, by Matthew Whipps
The 20 Greatest Fluke Home Run Seasons Since 1920, by Voros McCracken

- Visit the BDD Blog for stats analysis, a Top 100 Prospects list, breaking news, John Brattain, Voros McCracken and many other posts…daily!!

- Subscribe to the free BDD Newsletter (simply enter your email address in the appropriate space on the home page) and enjoy:

*The Rundown – a downloadable and printable box score

*Breaking News before anybody else

*Follow all the action on Baseball Digest Daily

- Be sure not to miss top prospect Matt Laporta's first player journal for our site!

- You can visit the Baseball Digest Daily Channel
on YouTube, where you will find three videos from my visit at the Blue
Jays' Bobby Mattick Training Center and also a growing collection of
baseball videos from around the web.

Join the Baseball Digest Daily Facebook and Ballhype groups

The Boston Red Sox players just settled a dispute with MLB about the trip to Japan. If the coaches didn't receive the $40,000 bonus that players are supposed to be paid, the roster voted to boycott the event and not even board the plane.

I could not support the effort more, given the fact that there is no logical reason for the league to be that cheap.  Why not the coaches?

From the Boston Herald blog:

The $40,000 appearance fee in question was a big deal for most of the coaching staff. For example, bullpen catcher Manny Martinez, who would be considered part of the coaching staff on this Japan trip, earns just $30,000 per year.

“They were told they were going to be (paid). For a coach, in some cases, this is two-fifths of their salary for the year. It's a big deal. I don't agree that coaches are second-class citizens. That has never sat well with me, ever, and continues to boggle my mind.”

Over the Monster (Red Sox blog) comments on the situation:

It really seems like Major League Baseball dropped (pun intended) the ball here. First of all, you can't just screw over teams like this. It's not right. Secondly, MLB meets the demands the Red Sox have and then renegs them before heading off to Japan? That doesn't make sense considering the MLB is who wants the teams to play in Japan, not the teams. The MLB is throwing gasoline on the fire because traveling to Japan is already a pain in the ass for these guys, add to the situation that most of them aren't getting paid and I don't blame the Sox for boycotting.

- The MLBPA will examine possible collusion in the case of Bonds and other players that are still available on the free agent market.

After speaking with the Los Angeles Angels during his annual tour of spring-training camps, union head Donald Fehr said his staff will examine possible collusion against Bonds and others.

“We always look at the free-agent markets every year and make judgments about them, and if we come to the conclusion with respect to any player that there's a matter worth pursuing, we'll pursue it,” he said. “But I'm not going to make any suggestions or accusations unless and until we come to that conclusion.”

Fehr wouldn't say whether he found it troublesome that no team has publicly said it wants Bonds.

“I haven't talked to him about it or his agents and I don't want to comment personally about it since I haven't had the opportunity to do that,” he said.

I wrote a little about this situation in the past and it's good to see the union do its job when it comes to protecting its players.  However, why would it question the teams' right not to sign a guy that's currently before the courts for something illegal?

How could they possibly find any fault in that?  As far as I know, it's not a right to be signed by a team when you are a free agent, especially with the Barry Bond's status with the fans and baseball in general.

Can't wait to see the conclusion of that report.

- OF/DH Milton Bradley is scheduled to appear as a designated hitter Friday with the Texas Rangers.  The 29-year-old will try to repeat what he did last year (.306/.402/.545, 153 OPS+), his best season since 2003.  He tore his anterior cruciate ligament during a September argument with umpire Mike Winters and signed a one-year contract with Texas worth $5 M, plus incentives.

BlogHarbor Admin :: Edit Article

The Milwaukee Brewers will be welcoming back RHP Yovani Gallardo, who will be an important part of their quest to win the NL Central in 2008.  The 22-year-old stud underwent an arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Feb. 19.

Brewers starter Chris Capuano, who left a start after feeling discomfort in his pitching arm, was finally diagnosed with an inflammation in his elbow.  The team will shut him down for a couple of days and see how he feels after the break.  Manager Ned Yost said he would miss his next start.

- Very good article by Charlie Nobles for The New York Times, about Mike Pelfrey and Orlando Hernandez, both competing for the fifth spot of the New York Mets rotation.

Pelfrey's fastball stayed in the 90s as he went six-plus innings and threw 90 pitches. He gave up a run in the second inning and a two-run homer to catcher Brian Schneider in the fifth, but Pelfrey indicated Schneider's hit should have an asterisk next to it.

Hernández lasted four-plus innings and used his 80 pitches to see what movement they would have in game competition if he did not use his signature high leg kick. He focused on his changeup in one inning and on his fastball in another, and Schneider said that was why his results might look deceiving. Hernández allowed two home runs and, in the first inning, walked in a run against minor league hitters.

- George Sherrill was choosen to be the Baltimore Orioles closer in 2008.  The left-hander was part of the deal that sent LHP Erik Bedard to Seattle.

The 6'0'', 210 pounds hurler had his best season of his career in 2007, posting a 2.36 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.  He was mainly used against left-handed batters last season, but faced his fair share of right-handers and was equally effective.  He uses a fastball-slider combination to dominate lefties and also has a curve ball and change-up (against righties) to keep hitters on their toes.  His fastball tops out in the low-90s.

The Orioles would have liked to present hard-thrower RHP Chris Ray for the role, but he underwent elbow ligament replacement surgery (Tommy John surgery) last season.  The young athlete has saved 49 games in the last two seasons.

- Interesting offering by Sean Deveney, who updates baseball's unwritten rules.

5. Hot dogs. Every fan who enters a baseball stadium is required to consume at least one hot dog. No exceptions. Even if you are a vegan, even if you are allergic to pork products, even if you are descended from pig men and fear you'd be violating cannibalism laws. Further, anyone who puts ketchup on his or her hotdog must be escorted from the stadium. If the game is in Texas, the person will be escorted from the stadium and executed.

8. Stats. It could be that baseball is strictly a game of probability, decipherable through careful and laborious study of statistics. Or, it could be that baseball is a dad-gum, ol'-fashioned game played with heart and dirty uniforms. Who knows? It's probably somewhere in the middle. But know this: There are angry extremists on either side of the stats debate, and they are very boring. So, let's group them by age, just as a general guide. Everyone over 55 hates any statistic, ever. When discussing baseball with someone of this vintage, just say, “Boy, that Stan Musial could hit the ball,” nod and walk away. Anyone 40-54, restrict yourself to stats that appeared on the back of Cesar Tovar's 1962 Topps baseball card. In the 25-39 range, go ahead and get your PECOTA on. If you're talking to someone who is 12-24, run away. These are the guys working on a stat so sophisticated that it not only can tell you what Brad Hawpe will bat in 2011, it can be used to communicate with dolphins, identify alien life forms and launch nuclear weapons.

- MLBtraderumors has a good breakdown of what to expect from the latest Rule 5 picks.

- Excellent report by Jonathan Mayo on High School players expected to be the center of attention next June (with videos).

- MiLB offers another great piece by Kevin T. Czerwinski on Chris Gwynn. who he thinks should really be a scouting director by now.

He's currently performing pro scouting chores for the San Diego Padres, working both the California and Pacific Coast Leagues.

Gwynn has also covered the Arizona Fall League, done advanced scouting at the big-league level and made himself available to do whatever else was asked of him. He's starting his second decade in the scouting business, having spent time scouting the city of Los Angeles, then serving as an area scout before becoming a full-time cross checker.

The former big-league utility man — and brother of Hall-of-Famer Tony Gwynn — has the smarts and the know-how to take on a bigger and more responsible position. The problem is, he's too humble and too nice a guy to ask for it. So, we'll do it for him. Here's a memo to the 30 owners and general managers: Take advantage of what this guy has to offer.

New Articles: Keep It Down, by Jonathan Hale

Rocco Never Knew Me, But I Depended On Him, by Eric SanInocencio
Arizona Dreaming, by Geoff Young
Alternate Views On Select Prospects, by Rob McQuown
Roger Clemens and the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: The Final Tally, by Gordon Berger
Indy Baseball Chatter: March 10, 2008, by Bob Wirz
Fantasy Baseball Infielders: the Bargains, by Brandon Heikoop
Getting to Know You: Corey Hart, by Matthew Whipps
The 20 Greatest Fluke Home Run Seasons Since 1920, by Voros McCracken

- Visit the BDD Blog for stats analysis, a Top 100 Prospects list, breaking news, John Brattain, Voros McCracken and many other posts…daily!!

- Subscribe to the free BDD Newsletter (simply enter your email address in the appropriate space on the home page) and enjoy:

*The Rundown – a downloadable and printable box score

*Breaking News before anybody else

*Follow all the action on Baseball Digest Daily

- Be sure not to miss top prospect Matt Laporta's first player journal for our site!

- You can visit the Baseball Digest Daily Channel
on YouTube, where you will find three videos from my visit at the Blue
Jays' Bobby Mattick Training Center and also a growing collection of
baseball videos from around the web.

Join the Baseball Digest Daily Facebook and Ballhype groups

Nick Johnson is involved in just one of the many
competition for a spot on the starting lineup
on March 30th (Bill Richardson/BDD)

The Nationals had a very good offseason with the acquisition of high-ceiling players such as Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes, but they failed to significantly upgrade where they needed it the most: the starting rotation.

With LHP Odalis Perez their biggest acquisiton, they put themselves at the mercy of damaged goods in John Patterson and Shawn Hill, expected to be their 1-2 punch at the top of the pitching staff.

Perez is saying all the right things these days, but the end results need to speak for themselves.  With Patterson affected by the flu these days and not having pitched much in the last two years due to pain in his right forearm, he is unlikely to regain his 2005 form when he struck out 185 in 198 innings and established himself as the ace of the Nationals club.  Shawn Hill is also in the same predicament, having pain in his right forearm this Spring.  He threw a side session on Monday, but manager Manny Acta made clear that he would not be with the team for the trip North when they open the season at their brand new ballpark in front of the nation on ESPN (March 30th).

“I don't think Shawn is going to be ready to leave with us (and come) up north,” Nationals manager Manny Acta said. “It's out of the question to me right now.”

But the rest of the lineup is surprisingly strong and the Nationals brass put many players in a situation where their job would be assured….with a good Spring Training.  Nick Johnson and Dmitri Young are battling for the same spot at first base, Ronnie Belliard and Felipe Lopez are competing for the second base opening and the outfield is crowded with Wily Mo Pena (on the shelf for the next month with oblique injury), Elijah Duke, Lastings Milledge, Austin Kearns and Ryan Langerhans all vying for a starting job.

Elijah Dukes has to be the most mysterious man of the group, with a troubled past in Tampa Bay with the Rays, but brought into the fold with the intent to straighten him out with the help of Dmitri Young.  This excellent piece by Barry Svrluga tells the story of this experiment.

If this spring is about Dukes finding comfort — with the Nationals, with his life, with himself — then here was a bit of it, in a deserted batting cage with only those who have proven trustworthy within earshot. No player in the brief history of the Nationals has been monitored as closely as the 23-year-old outfielder who finds himself with a chance to remake his career. The club's hope is that it can help foster relationships in which Dukes feels comfortable, be they with a personal mentor, a teammate, a legendary player or a hitting coach. That, Dukes said, is reviving him even before he revives his career.

“I can communicate now without feeling like I'm afraid to say the wrong thing,” Dukes said. “These guys here, they're willing to listen here. That's it. When you have those ears, you feel much more relaxed. In the past, I don't have people [who wanted] to hear. They hear what they want to hear.”

Since they acquired him in a December trade with his hometown team, Tampa Bay, the Nationals have simultaneously protected and built a support structure for Dukes. Both he and the club are sensitive about a past marked by a litany of transgressions — arrests, drug use, an ugly divorce. All that is cast against a childhood shaped by a father imprisoned for murder when Dukes was 11.

Though they are unwilling to publicly discuss much of how they say they are helping Dukes, it is clear the Nationals began to assemble a team of potential advisers from the day Dukes was acquired. Members of that team hang with Dukes in the clubhouse, help him with his hitting, talk to him about his life. They have met his family and, in some cases, gained his trust.

This team could reap some seriously impressive rewards for the way it has acquired these talented, but unproven players.  The bat speed, power and overall athletic abilities of Milledge and Dukes would impress any scout, but they need to find a way to channel all this energy into a productive career on the field.

All the drama around their storied past needs to be put to rest and the change of scenery could be beneficial for the club and for these two players.

An outfield of Kearns, Milledge and Dukes (all players that could handle the CF duties) would provide offensive and defensive depth to an organization that is counting on a deep farm system and timely acquisitions to compete with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves in the National League East.

Lastings Milledge is having a great time in Spring Training:
.333/.417/.500, 5 doubles and 1 triple in 42 AB.

- OF Colby Rasmus was sent down to the minor leagues yesterday, opening the way for Rick Ankiel to be the starting center fielder on Opening Day.

Rasmus played in Double-A last season and proved to be everything the Cardinals expected him to be.  His batting line (.274/.380/.550, with 37 doubles, 3 triples and 29 homers) was impressive, but especially his patience at the plate (12.6 BB%.  He has improved that number over his 2006 showing) and his ability to adjust quickly to the way pitchers would attack him.

But the stat that jumps at me is the way he has learned to use his plate discipline to choose his pitch and really lift the ball and profit from his power stroke.  Only 28% of his batted balls were on the ground, another stat that's improved at every level of the minors.

He has power to all fields, but he needs to keep working at using it all during the games.  He has good contact abilities, so the potential is there.

- Yesterday, Bob Costas tried to clarify his comments about bloggers and I cover the 'event' right here.

- Tigers beat writer Jason Beck reported yesterday that manager Jim Leyland has settled on 24 players for 2008.

In other words, he has nailed down one of the open bullpen spots and whittled down to one roster spot to decide. He wouldn't name who it was, but if you look at Saturday's box score for how the relief candidates did, Denny Bautista pitched another 1 1/3 solid innings, and Preston Larrison was roughed up.

With two bullpen spots to fill, you can make an argument it would be hard for Bautista not to make the staff the way he's pitching. You wait for the wild Bautista to show up, the one who can't control the fastball and either gets roughed up for walks a bunch of guys. So far, that Bautista hasn't been seen.

The 28-year-old needs to repeat his performance in the bullpen last season with the AAA club of the Colorado Rockies (Colorado Springs Sky Sox), where he posted a 2.92 ERA in 51 games, fanning 63 batters in 61 innings, but walking 31.  He even was able to keep the ball in the park (only one home run allowed) and induce 52% ground balls.

That's a far cry from the 34% ground balls he produced in the majors with the Rockies, allowing 18 hits in 8 IP.

Bautista should really be a successful pitcher when you consider that he throws as hard as he does (his fastball averages 95 mph), but his control problems always get the best of him.  Hitters site on his fastball (that he throws almost 70% of the time) and you know what they say about fastballs, huh?  They become very hittable when the hitter knows it's coming.  Although the 6'5'', 190 pounds hurler has thrown four seasons in the majors, he is still not a pitcher.  Let's hope he harnesses all this power and becomes one in 2008.

- Blue Jays catcher Brian Jeroloman, who played in High-A Dunedin (Florida State league) last season, is hitting .400 for the club in Spring Training.  I had the chance to interview the on-base king last fall when he played in Hawaii in the offseason and I was impressed with his overall approach at the plate, which essentially consists of hurting the ball, but also of managing the strike zone.  That's something that should be the priority for all young players.  The power will come, but the plate discipline needs to be dealt with first.

He led the FSL last season in walks (85…to go along with only 57 K in 290 AB) and finished second in OBP with .421.  Behind the plate, he is a very good defensive catcher, with a very good arm.

- LHP Francisco Liriano is coming back from Tommy John surgery (15 months ago), but still has work to do.

“I need to locate my fastball and get some people out,” Liriano said. “I need to throw more innings and throw less pitches. I need to throw more strikes.”

The Twins have repeatedly said that they don't expect the pitcher to be completely back to form after such a long layoff from pitching. They've noticed that his stamina isn't quite there yet, and he's working to find that consistency again on the mound.

But with only two weeks remaining until Opening Day, a decision concerning Liriano's ability to pitch in the rotation is quickly approaching.

So what does the team need to see from him to determine whether or not he's ready to head to Minnesota?

“We just want to see him throw the ball and continue working,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “You hope to start seeing more crispness on his breaking balls and a little better command. He spins off a few balls still. But it's just about him pitching.

With the surgery and his delayed arrival to camp due to visa troubles, Liriano is still behind many of the other pitchers in camp. But Gardenhire said on Monday that the decision on whether to break camp with the pitcher will be based solely on if Liriano appears ready and not on how he's done compared with other arms.

“He is different than the rest of the guys,” Gardenhire said. “We have to make a decision on him by what's good for him. We'll see how he does his next couple outings. He looked better today. Hopefully he'll look better the next time.”

- The San Francisco Giants are going to enter the season with a little-known player at shortstop, named Brian Bocock.

“It's a good opportunity for me to see what it's like and play and get a lot of time right now until 'O' gets back,” Bocock said. “I'm going to take the opportunity and try to run with it and see what happens from there. Other than that, I don't really worry about it. I will play hard and do the little things they want me to do as far as hitting, moving runners and bunting.”

He sure is making a good impression with his reliable defence.

Bocock has shown he has soft hands, a quick release and poise beyond his years. Whether he can swing the bat with any kind of consistency is what scouts and others are most wondering about.

“He doesn't play ball, he plays with the ball,” said former San Francisco manager-turned-special assistant Felipe Alou, who meant it as a compliment about Bocock's defensive timing and good hands.

On Sunday, Bocock charged in on a short bouncer over the mound by the Angels' Robb Quinlan. The shortstop hit the ground and released the ball while off balance to just miss making the play at first.

Bochy was impressed by Bocock's ability and athleticism on that tough play. Walker wasn't surprised.

“He's a major league-calibre shortstop right now,” said the reliever, who played with Bocock for a bit last summer for Class-A San Jose while coming back from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery.

His .182/.250/.182 line (with 4 walks and 13 K) in Spring Training could be worrisome for the Giants executives, but then again, they are presenting Bengie Molina as the cleanup hitter in 2008.

- Major League Baseball is carrying a $3.1 B debt into the news season, much less than the National Football League.

The NFL debt figure is far higher than that of other leagues. MLB clubs owe $3.1 billion, according to MLB CFO Jonathan Mariner, though that number does not include the roughly $2 billion in financing for the two pending New York ballparks because that debt, technically, is not carried by the teams. The NBA declined to make public its debt total, but the league's policies limit all team borrowings to $175 million per club. The NHL also declined to discuss any aspect of its debt, but finance sources have previously said that the league allows teams to carry debt up to half of their franchise value.

- Matthew Forney writes about his experience in Beijing during the MLB showcase.

The seventh-inning stretch was also a mystery. Most of the Chinese stayed in their seats and listened to the English-language announcer sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Roy sang along; it's one of the first songs I taught him. The Chinese woman next to us, who paid $100 for two tickets, asked what Cracker Jack was.

“A snack food,” I said. It seemed so inadequate.

“Do they have cheerleaders at games in America?” Roy asked. A squad of bare-bellied cheerleaders, known in Chinese as a La-La Brigade, shook their pompoms at the crowd. No, I told Roy, American baseball games do not have cheerleaders.

No cheerleaders?  I live in Quebec City and we have a franchise of the independent Can-Am League, The Capitales.  Quebec being a hockey town, where cheerleaders serpent the aisles and entertain the crowds, we also have them dancing during innings on the dugouts at the Stade Municipal.  It's always fun to see the difference in the way the product is presented to the fans, even when we are so close to the United States and we pretty much watch, read and listen the same things they do South of the border.

New Articles: Keep It Down, by Jonathan Hale

Rocco Never Knew Me, But I Depended On Him, by Eric SanInocencio
Arizona Dreaming, by Geoff Young
Alternate Views On Select Prospects, by Rob McQuown
Roger Clemens and the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: The Final Tally, by Gordon Berger
Indy Baseball Chatter: March 10, 2008, by Bob Wirz
Fantasy Baseball Infielders: the Bargains, by Brandon Heikoop
Getting to Know You: Corey Hart, by Matthew Whipps
The 20 Greatest Fluke Home Run Seasons Since 1920, by Voros McCracken

- Visit the BDD Blog for stats analysis, a Top 100 Prospects list, breaking news, John Brattain, Voros McCracken and many other posts…daily!!

- Subscribe to the free BDD Newsletter (simply enter your email address in the appropriate space on the home page) and enjoy:

*The Rundown – a downloadable and printable box score

*Breaking News before anybody else

*Follow all the action on Baseball Digest Daily

- Be sure not to miss top prospect Matt Laporta's first player journal for our site!

- You can visit the Baseball Digest Daily Channel
on YouTube, where you will find three videos from my visit at the Blue
Jays' Bobby Mattick Training Center and also a growing collection of
baseball videos from around the web.

Join the Baseball Digest Daily Facebook and Ballhype groups

- I watched the second game that ended the first official presentation of baseball in China and LHP Eric Stults impressed in the first inning, fanning three hitters and showcasing a great change-up that really falls off the table a few feet from the plate.  Scott Hairston looked bad against that pitch.

The San Diego Padres won that game 6-3, after trailing 3-0 at the end of the third frame.

Mark Zeigler was there and he wrote about the experience:

The Swinging Friar mascot got booted from the lobby of the team hotel – something about children being frightened – and the loudest cheers at Wukesong Baseball Field were for broken-bat ground balls, fans squealing as the jagged barrel of the bat bounced across the infield.

Major League Baseball spent an estimated $2 million on the event, and it certainly didn't make that back in ticket sales, especially since Chinese protocol requires 20 percent of its supply be freebies to government agencies.

- As many of you already know, this is the Dodgers' last Spring Training in Vero Beach and it's tough for a lot of people.

“When I walk around Dodgertown, I think about all the guys that played for me and all the guys that were here before me,” said Lasorda, who has been genuinely touched by the opportunity to send off the place back in uniform, while “real” manager Joe Torre toured China with the other half of the squad. “It just goes to show you how people can remember you and remember what you did. They've made an 80-year-old guy feel real good.”

Legendary broadcaster Vin Scully, eyewitness to almost as much of Dodgertown, calls his spring home for 59 years “my memory factory.”

“This,” Scully said before bidding an early farewell to Dodgertown on his way to China, “is where I stood in place and it seems like half the world came by — players, coaches, managers, writers, broadcasters.”

This is where time still stands still. Strolling down the dusty path from a back field, you come to an intersection where a traffic sign directs pedestrians, “Players, Left,” “Public, Right.” They rub elbows with each other, as they have for over a half-century, passing across Duke Snider Street, Don Drysdale Drive, Sandy Koufax Lane and so on.

“There were times you'd be rushing to get to the park,” said Steve Garvey, the former Dodgers first baseman/icon, “and you'd be signing [autographs] and putting your bat between your legs and walking along through the people.”

- 2008 will be Jeff Conine's last season as a major leaguer and he has decided to spend that time with the Florida Marlins.

The 41-year-old will retire with over 2,000 hits with six different teams.  He was a 58th round pick in 1987 and ranked third in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1993 (he played all 162 games).  His best season came in 1995, when he hit .302/.379/.520, with 26 doubles, 2 triples, 25 homers and 105 RBI.  His 103 sacrifice flies currently rank him 22nd in the major league history.

From the Fishtripes blog:

I could go into all the memorable moments Mr. Marlin provided during his time with the Fish, but that would take forever.  But I will say this: he was my first introduction to the Marlins.

Naturally, being a baseball fan, I followed the expansion draft but after that was over the Marlins didn't come to mind very often.  I didn't live in Florida and never saw the team on television.

However, when the 1995 NL All-Star selections were presented at the game, one man stood out – Jeff Conine.  There he was among the other players, whose uniforms all looked the same.  Oh sure, some had red caps, some black and others blue but not Conine.  He stood out like a sore thumb in that teal cap and sleeveless jersey.

Then he hit what would prove to be the game winning home run for the NL and earning the title of game MVP in the process.  It was truly a sight to behold.  And from that, another Marlins fan was born, so to speak.

- Mike Sweeney is one of the new faces in Oakland and with the news that he is in good shape and that Daric Barton appears ready for the Big Show, that could mean first baseman Dan Johnson is traded before the regular season begins.

The rumors have been going strong that the San Francisco Giants would be a possible candidate for his services and that's exactly the type of guy this offense needs.

After investing a ridiculous amount of money into a #2 pitcher (Barry Zito) and acquiring one single, meaningful bat for their depleted offense (Aaron Rowand), Joe Crede, Brandon Inge and Dan Johnson are all affordable commodity to build upon.  Just imagine:  Crede manning third base, Brandon Inge could play in LF and substitute for Bengie Molina behind the dish, on top of having Dan Johnson at first base.  While this is by no means a best-case scenario for the Giants, it would at least give them a fighting chance AND satisfy a fan base that's still scratching their heads, wondering why the hell the team would invest $127 M in a pitcher, only to let the offense go to waste completely.

When you look at it, all these players could come fairly cheaply, if only for their situation and recent performance.

If Dan Johnson really had his place in the A's lineup, he would command a better asking price by interested suitors, but Oakland would love to have Daric Barton man the first bag, making Johnson expandable, especially with Sweeney in camp.  Jack Cust is firmly implanted in the DH/OF spot, so that's one less opportunity for the 28-year-old.

Crede is having a very bad spring (0.91/.143/.212) and is a few months removed from a back surgery (underwent a microdiscectomy to remove herniated disc particles that were putting pressure on a sciatic nerve).  I can't see the White Sox holding out much longer with their back against the wall like they are now.

Inge wants a trade and you can bet the calls Dombrowski receives do not offer a lot of potential All-Star players when the GMs at the other end of the line know the situation and how bad the Tigers would like to resolve this situation.

The way I see it, the Giants have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Buy low, sell high.  If they can't contend at the trade deadline, Crede will become very interesting for teams looking for a missing ingredient, IF he is having a good year.  Projection systems are not kind so far, predicting an OPS under .800, the same results that he offered in four out of his five years in the majors.

- Rich Lederer does it again with a piece on strikeout and groundball pitchers.

Among batted ball types, we know that infield flies are the least harmful, followed by groundballs, outfield flies, and line drives. In fact, thanks to researchers like Dave Studeman of The Hardball Times, we can even place a value on the run impact of each event. For example, according to Dave's Batted Balls Redux article in The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2007, strikeouts had a run impact of -0.113, infield flies -0.088, groundballs 0.045, outfield flies 0.192, and line drives 0.391 per incident in 2006.

Although groundballs generate more hits and errors than flyballs, their run impact is lower because the hits are usually limited to singles and an occasional double down the first or third base line, whereas balls in the air that turn into hits more often become doubles, triples, or home runs. Not only is the run impact from a groundball lower than an outfield fly or line drive but groundball pitchers give up fewer line drives and flyballs. Conversely, pitchers who don't induce as many groundballs allow more line drives and flyballs. One of the basic truths of maintaining a low home run rate is to keep batted balls on the ground. It is also important to note that home run rates tend to fluctuate more than groundball rates because park effects and randomness play a huge role when it comes to the outcome of long flyballs, especially among pitchers.

Based on the above information, it follows that just as pitchers with high strikeout rates would generally fare better than those with low rates, pitchers with high groundball rates would normally fare better than those with low rates (all else being equal). Furthermore, it also suggests that pitchers who combine higher strikeout and groundball rates will outperform those with lower rates.

With the foregoing in mind, in January 2007, I introduced the idea of categorizing starters and relievers by strikeout and groundball rates. Due to the popularity of this series, I have decided to categorize pitchers based on the 2007 data.

- It took a couple of days for Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek to talk, but now he can explain why he was upset by the release of teammate Doug Mirabelli.

“I'm not going to say I was boo-hoo crying, but there are some levels of trust in this game that you get to, and I had those with him. I'm not saying I won't have that with Cash. I'll give him the same opportunities and everything. But I just felt that with this team, at the time, that it was a hard one for me to swallow.

“I lose a very valuable teammate to me, and, I think, to this clubhouse. I've been through two world championships with him.”

Varitek reiterated that he holds no grudges against Cash, who spent most of last season at Triple-A Pawtucket but was added to the big league roster on Aug. 17 when Mirabelli was placed on the disabled list with a strained right calf.

“I'm not going to sit here and devalue what the other guy brings,” said Varitek.

He added that he was “surprised” by the move to release Mirabelli.