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Pro Sports Wrap - Sports Personality of the Day:Steven Stamkos

11/24 MLB Rumors: Reliever Rumblings

November 24th 2011 09:48
The New York Times reports that Joe Torre could be interested in owning- mostly partially owning- the Los Angeles Dodgers. While this doesn't seem likely, there is a chance that Torre ends up teaming up with somebody like Rick Caruso to own the team.

The Minnesota Twins are interested in re-signing Matt Capps and implementing him as their closer after Joe Nathan signed with the Texas Rangers. Capps is a slightly below-average closer, but he's the best option they have and will likely be cheaper than making a move like trading for Francisco Cordero or Huston Street.


Speaking of which, there are six teams interested in acquiring the Rockies closer. Street, like Capps, is 28 years old, and he was also the 2005 Rookie of the Year. He's about a league-average closer, and the six teams interested (per Sports Illustrated) are the Red Sox, Jays, O's, Mets, Marlins and Reds. The Reds are also trading their closer, and Street would present a minor upgrade over Cordero. The Jays, O's, and Mets have a huge need at closer, but it is interesting to note that the Mets rejected a previous deal from the Rockies in a proposed Street-Pelfrey swap.


According to the New York Post, Mariano Rivera might retire after the 2012 season. Mo has one year left on his contract, and below are two quotes to mull over. The best closer in history is about to turn 42, and he has saved a record 603 games over his Major League career so far. I don't think he should hang up the spikes now, as he has still been pitching at a very high level. However, he knows his body more than we all do, and I'm sure that the future Hall of Famer will make the best decision for himself.

"I don't know what will happen,'' said Rivera. "I have one year left. I might call it over. I will know more in spring training.''

"Every time I talk it gets worse and worse,'' Rivera said when asked about his vocal chord problems that have arisen this offseason which may require surgery.

There are a lot of replacement-level to average starter middle-infielders who are making bank this offseason, and Jerry Hairston Jr. could be among those guys. Hairston is really just a utility backup guy. Hairston is an above-average defensive outfielder, and he plays at a high level at second. However, he is considered to be mediocre at the hot corner. But with his positional versatility, Hairston is an intriguing option and provides value to a ballclub. He was worth 1.2 WAR in 376 plate appearances, so he is an inexpensive option who would be a solid stop-gap option.

In fact, there are three teams interested in signing Hairston; the Dodgers, Brewers, and Giants all want to sign him. The Dodgers lost Jamey Carroll to the Twins in free agency, the Brewers have a hole at short, and the Giants are obviously in the market for a shortstop with their situation at the position. The 35 year old did get a one-year offer from the Brewers to re-sign with the team, but it seems like the Brew Crew want to get a marquee shortstop. They have also made it clear that signing Yuniesky Betancourt is also an option, although everybody will agree that it's not exactly a good option.

The Nationals are fighting with the Miami Marlins to sign solid veteran free agent starter Mark Buehrle. The Nats have made him their number one priority this offseason Buehrle has been worth over 3 WAR for the past three seasons, and he will definitely bolster this rotation and is worth about 10-12 million on the open market.

Count Sandy Alomar Jr. out of the race for the Boston Red Sox manager opening, as Bobby Valentine has been swooning the Sox brass recently. I expect the Sox to name Valentine their manager, but there are still a couple of candidates remaining.
Will he retire after 2012?
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It's Staind time (I put on Grooveshark as I write). Yo Tim, be sure to correct me if I get some stuff wrong and add in your opinion. Your the history junky who knows this stuff better than I do and enjoys the game as I do.

Harold Reynolds is one of my favorite baseball players of all-time, and he was arguably the best defensive second baseman of the late 80's and early 90's, and he won three Gold Glove awards for his efforts. In 1990, he had an insane season at second defensively, and he was also terrific the season before defensively. The speedy Reynolds stole 60 bases in his second season (1987) and had 250 career swipes.

From 1983-1994, Reynolds played for the Mariners, Orioles, and Angels with all but the last two of those seasons with the Mariners. Although he was extraordinary in the speed and defense departments, Harold Reynolds was a poor hitter. He had very little power and was a career .258 hitter despite having a walk rate that was significantly higher than his strikeout rate. Reynolds's best season offensively was in 1989 when he had 103 wRC-plus and had the best season of his career (defense added) with 4.6 WAR.

The only other season in which the former ESPN broadcaster- yeah, I brought that up- had 4 WAR was in 1990 (4.2) WAR backed by that aforementioned stellar defensive season (20 TZ) with some subpar hitting (92 wRC-plus). It was the only season in which he hit the century mark in runs scored with exactly 100.

In 1987 and 1988, 2.3 and 2.6 WAR respectively, Reynolds was an All-Star. His best award, however, came in 1991 in which he won the Roberto Clemente Award for his character and charitable acts to the community. The career 53 triples hitter is known as having the best range for a second baseman in recent history.
10 seasons with M's

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8/2011 PSW AL Gold Glove Team Update

August 30th 2011 15:05
The statistics used are UZR, DRS, ARM, RngR, and UZR/150, and Fld from www.fangraphs.com.

P Mark Buehrle- He has the best rSB in the AL and the highest DRS as a result of his ability to stop base-runners. That's really the only conceivable asset a pitcher brings defensively.

C Matt Wieters- Again, the ability to snuff out base-runners is the only major asset that a catcher brings to the table defensively. It's definitely the only thing that can significantly separate catchers, and Matt Wieters has been excellent at stopping guys on base.

1B Adrian Gonzalez- A-Gone has clearly been the best defensive first baseman in baseball, and he has the best UZR and ErrR. Only Mark Trumbo has better range, and Gonzalez is the only American League first baseman with a double-digit UZR/150. The metrics say Tex is the second best, and Trumbo follows him at third. It's a pretty tight race between those two at two and three.

2B Dustin Pedroia- Although Howie Kendrick, Ian Kinsler, and Ben Zobrist have been excellent, Pedroia has been in a class of his own. Nobody can match his range at second, and his defense is what has vaulted him into the MVP discussion.

SS Alexei Ramirez- Watch out guys, a new A-Ram is in town. Alexei Ramirez has been a force in the field, and it has definitely made up for some below average hitting. While a case can be made for Alcides Escobar, I don't see how Ramirez doesn't win this award.

3B Adrian Beltre- With all due respect to Mr. Longoria and his fine season in the field, Adrian Beltre is the man to man this spot on the Gold Glove team. His fine defensive career has continued with another terrific display in 2011, and he still has incredible range out there at the hot corner.

LF Brett Gardner- Most left fielders can't play any D, but that description definitely does not hold true when you look at Brett Gardner. Even though Dustin Pedroia has been exceptional defensively this season, Gardner has been the best defensive player in 2011. He has an accurate arm, and range that no outfielder in the game can dream of possessing. He is far and away the best defensive player at his position, and I don't think anybody- save Pedroia- can compare with him defensively.

CF Jacoby Ellsbury- Poor Peter Bourjos, his wonderful season in the outfield spent chasing flyballs pitched by Jered Weaver will not net him a Gold Glove award. Unfortunately for him, Jacoby Ellsbury has been even better this year. His defense has cemented his status as an MVP candidate, and he is certainly making up for lost time last season. Even though Bourjos does have the better arm, Ellsbury is more consistent and has even better range. That's not so say that Bourjos is a slouch in the range department, it's just that Ellsbury is such a beast.

RF Nick Swisher- Before the season started, it would be crazy to name Nick Swisher as a Gold Glove candidate. But here we are at the end of August, and I am sitting here and telling you guys that Nick Swisher is my pick for the Gold Glove winner in right field. He has the arm, the range, and Swishalicious is probably one of the most consistent outfielders in the game. The highlight shows don't reward this kind of consistency enough, but the metrics do.
AL Gold Glove SS
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8/2011 MLB Power Rankings

August 26th 2011 11:24
1. Red Sox
2. Yankees
3. Phillies
4. Braves
5. Rangers
6. Diamondbacks
7. Brewers
8. Angels
9. Giants
10. Tigers
11. Rays
12. Cardinals
13. Reds
14. White Sox
15. Blue Jays
16. Indians
17. Rockies
18. Mets
19. Dodgers
20. Nationals
21. Padres
22. Marlins
23. Cubs
24. Athletics
25. Pirates
26. Royals
27. Twins
28. Mariners
29. Orioles
30. Astros
Offseason acquisition has Cubs highest WAR this year
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8/2011 Center Fielder Rankings

August 6th 2011 14:07
One of the premier positions in baseball is center field. First off, it is the second most important position on the diamond- after shortstop- and many of the game's greats were center fielders. Below are my rankings of the center fielders in baseball today. (Minimum 750 plate appearances as a center fielder since 2009)

1. Rangers Josh Hamilton


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5/2011 Starting Pitcher Rankings

May 22nd 2011 14:01
1. Tim Lincecum
2. Roy Halladay
3. Josh Johnson


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The Diamondbacks brought in an assorted group of solid players that included JJ Putz, Armando Galarraga, and Zach Duke. However, they lost their second best player in Mark Reynolds in what was a terrible deal that was a steal for the Orioles. Adam LaRoche had a nice year in 2010, but he's gone as well. The D'Backs also lost injury prone ace Brandon Webb, who could turn out to be monstrous if he can get healthy again. The Diamondbacks got a little bit worse this offseason, thanks to the loss of Reynolds. That won't bode too well for a team that finished in last in the division last season. Expect another dismal year in Zona.

Reliever David Hernandez was the only useful player they got in the Mark Reynolds deal. Juan Gutierrez make up a boom or bust set-up man duo. Closer JJ Putz is another boom or bust player at closer. If he reverts to his old form, the D'Backs might actually have a solid bullpen. If Putz gets injured or does poorly, then this bullpen will be quite awful. If he only does okay, I would still consider the pen to be a liability


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2011 Season Preview: Tampa Bay Rays

February 17th 2011 15:47
The Tampa Bay Rays lost a lot of talent this offseason because the team needed to shave some payroll. They lost their best player, Carlos Pena, Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and five good relief pitchers. Their bullpen is completely different, and they lost key players and leaders. The fact that Crawford and Soriano- two of their best players- went to their division rivals in Boston and New York respectively only adds to the pain in Tampa. This team lost a ton of talent and the guys they added were Manny, Damon, Joel Peralta, Kyle Farnsworth, Casey Kotchman, and Felipe Lopez. The losses far outweighed the arrivals.

I really don't like this team at all. I can't tell you where I think they will be until I do my full breakdowns and final predictions in March. What I can tell you is that you shouldn't be shocked to see this team fall off. They are lucky that the Blue Jays lost quite a bit of pitching talent, but I could still see them in a tough battle with those two teams. It will certainly be tougher than what they have been used to in the past three seasons


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