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Baby Bomber Recap 7/8/13: Slade Heathcott stays hot in Thunder win

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Five

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W 6-3 vs. Rochester Red Wings

SS Derek Jeter 0-2, BB - reached on an error
C JR Murphy 3-4, 2B, BB - batting .275/.362/.450 over his last 10 games
2B Brent Lillibridge 1-4
DH Randy Ruiz 1-4, 2 RBI, K
1B Dan Johnson 1-4, RBI, K
RF Thomas Neal 2-3, 2B, BB - batting .321 in Triple-A this season
3B Josh Bell 2-4, HR, 3 RBI - fifth homer with SWB this season
CF Corey Patterson 0-4, 2 K
LF Addison Maruszak 0-4, 2 K

Chris Bootcheck 5 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K - four groundouts, four flyouts
Matt Daley 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Chase Whitley 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 WP

After trailing 1-3 in the fifth inning the RailRiders scored four runs in the bottom of the frame to take the lead for good before adding an insurance run in the seventh for their fifth straight win. Brett Marshall starts for SWB today at 12:05 pm.

Double-A Trenton Thunder:W 10-6 vs. Reading Fightin Phils

3B Reegie Corona 1-4, 2B, RBI, BB, K, 2 SB
CF Slade Heathcott 2-4, RBI, BB, CS - batting .371/.436/.457 over his last 10 games
2B Jose Pirela 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K
DH Andrew Clark 1-5, RBI, 3 K - batting .308 with Trenton
SS Carmen Angelini 1-4, HR, 2 RBI - second homer since his promotion
1B Casey Stevenson 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, K, SB
RF Cody Grice 1-4, RBI, K, SB
LF Shane Brown 1-3, 2 RBI
C Jeff Farnham 2-4, E2 - throwing error, fourth of the season

Zach Nuding 6.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K - three groundouts, eight flyouts
Danny Burawa 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB
Tom Kahnle 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB

The Thunder rallied from a four-run deficit with five runs in the sixth and four more in the eighth for their 45th win of the season to finish out the first half of their season. Trenton is now on their All-Star break.

High-A Tampa Yankees:L 3-4 vs. Brevard County Manatees

CF Taylor Dugas 1-3, RBI, BB
LF Ben Gamel 2-4 - batting .281 this season
3B Peter O'Brien 0-4
C Gary Sanchez 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K - 20th double of the season
RF Yeral Sanchez 1-4, 2B, K
2B Rob Refsnyder 1-4 - batting .280 this season
1B Saxon Butler 2-4, 2B, K
DH Jose Toussen 1-3, 2B
SS Ali Castillo 0-4, 3 K

Bryan Mitchell 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 2 WP - eight groundouts, two flyouts
Alex Smith 2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, K

The Tampa bullpen allowed Brevard County to score one run in the eighth and one run in the ninth to complete the comeback after the Yankees jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Alex Rodriguez had the night off. Joel De La Cruz starts for the Yankees tonight at 7:00 pm.

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs: Off

Vicente (Jose) Campos starts for Charleston tonight at 7:05 pm.

Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees:W 7-6 vs. Connecticut Tigers

2B Derek Toadvine 1-4, 2 RBI
CF Michael O'Neill 2-5, 2B, 3B, K
3B Eric Jagielo 1-3, 2 BB, K - batting .412 with SI
DH Kale Sumner 1-3, RBI, BB, K - batting .244/.304/.366 over his last 10 games
SS Jose Rosario 1-3, 2B, RBI, E6 - fielding error, fourth of the season
LF Daniel Lopez 0-4, BB, K, E7(2) - batting .407 this season
1B Bubba Jones 3-4, RBI, BB
RF Mikeson Oliberto 2-4, K, E9 - fielding error, second of the season
C Radley Haddad 1-3, RBI, K, HBP

Caleb Smith 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R/2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K - two groundouts, five flyouts
Philip Walby 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 WP
Andury Acevedo 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R/0 ER, 2 BB, K, WP - three groundouts, zero flyouts
Charles Haslup 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB
Nick Rumbelow 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, WP

Three runs in the eighth set up Staten Island for a walk-off victory in the bottom of the ninth when Jagielo scored on a Jones single for their 11th win of the season. The Yankees take on the Tigers tonight at 7:00 pm.

Notes from the Gulf Coast League:

GCL Yankees 1:

DH Tyler Wade 1-5, 2 K
2B Gosuke Katoh 1-4, 3B, RBI, BB, 2 E4 - both throwing errors
3B Matt Duran 1-3, E5 - throwing error
CF Jordan Barnes 1-4, K, SB

Hayden Sharp 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, K - 12 groundouts, three flyouts
Daury Aquino 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

GCL Yankees 2:

3B Renzo Martini 1-4, K
C Alvaro Noriega 1-3, 2B
SS Thairo Estrada 2-4

David Paulino 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K - eight groundouts, three flyouts
Pat Venditte 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Elvin Perez 3.2 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 4 K


O's Weekly Wrap, July 2nd - July 8th

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Standings

The O's are at 49-41, third place in the AL East. They're 4.5 GB from first and half a game ahead of the Yankees.

Results

The O's had a pretty bad week at 2-5. They went 1-2 against the White Sox, 1-2 against the Yankees, and lost the first game of a four-game set with the Rangers.

Runs Scored

23, or 3.28 per game. Not good. The team as a whole hit .2165/.262/.345a wOBA of .264. That kind of line will lead to a lot of close games and, err, losses.

Runs Allowed

27, or 3.85 per game, which is pretty good. It's not elite, but definitely better than their average coming into this week, even if the eight runs they allowed to Texas don't go down easy.

Best Hitter/Worst Hitter

Among qualified hitters, Nick Markakis was easily the week's best hitter, with a .372 wOBA. That's what 11 hits and 2 walks in 27 PA will do.

Honorable mention: Matt Wieters jacked two dingers and walked twice in 21 PA, which contributed to a .383 wOBA. More of this, please.

J.J. Hardy was the week's worst hitter with a .138 wOBA. Ugh.

Best Pitcher/Worst Pitcher

Scott Feldman was easily the best pitcher for the O's this week. In 6 IP vs. the White Sox, he gave up two earned runs, struck out six, and walked none. Yes, please.

Uhhhhh, but not like this. It's tough to earn the moniker of "worst pitcher" over a soul-crushing blown save vs. the Yankees (*cough* Jim Johnson), but Feldman played Mr. Hyde to his own Dr. Jekyll when he faced the Rangers. His line: 5.1 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 2 K, 1 BB. Yeah, he wasn't fooling anybody.

Crush Davis Update

Chris Davis hit two more home runs to climb to 33 on the year, equaling last sesaon's total with plenty more games to go. However, that's about all he did. His batting line for the week? A lopsided .120/.214/.400. He struck out in nearly 43% of his plate appearances. He also led all of baseball in All-Star Game votes.

Manny's Doubles Update

Manny Machado smacked a double to rise to 39 and made a couple amazing plays at third base. Otherwise, his .242 wOBA for the week was pretty bad. He made the All-Star Game as a reserve.

Adam Jones"The Power and the Patience" Update

Jones homered once, raising his total to 16, and also walked once, giving America a nice birthday present with his seventh unintentional free pass. Since his home run provided the go-ahead run against Mariano Rivera and the Yankees, I'm currently lobbying MLB to see if it can count as six runs. I'll let you know how that goes.

Jones's walk rate is now a minuscule 2.3%, the lowest among major leaguers with 300 PA or more. His OBP is at .314, below major-league average and 21st out of 25 qualified center fielders. He is your AL CF representative at the All Star Game.

The JJs

Jim Johnson blew another save (and lost another game) when he gave up two runs to the Yankees in the bottom of the 9th on Friday. He did get the Yankees 1-2-3 on Sunday, though.

Johnson's now lost seven games for the Orioles. I've decided to not mentally play with our W-L record to see what it'd be like if Johnson had been effective. That would depress me. Nope. Won't do it.

J.J. Hardy looked lost at the plate, going .115/.179/.154 for the week. He is your starting shortstop at the AL All-Star Game.

Jair Jurrjens was optioned to AAA Norfolk on July 1.

The Steves

You'll have to content yourself with some Steve-less action for a little while longer. Steve Clevenger, Steve Johnson, and Steve Pearce are all on the DL.

Misc. Note

Chris Tillman's run of good luck evened out a bit on Saturday when as the Yankees scored five runs against him, all on singles. I say good luck because Tillman is stranding close to 82% of his base runners, far above his career rate of about 72%. He's not pitching much better: compared to his career rates, he's striking out a few more batters and walking them at about the same rate. This leads me to believe he is getting a teensy bit lucky.

Watch for his ERA to rise a bit in the second half unless he reduces his walk rate and/or starts striking out more batters. Unfortunately, I think the former is far more likely to happen than the latter. (If the universe is listening: I will still take an ERA in the mid-4s, though. Thank you.)

Coming Up

The O's play three more against the powerful Rangers (+60 run differential), then host the will-they-or-won't-they Blue Jays (-6) before breaking for the All Star festivities.

Anatomy of a Booing

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I know what you’re thinking: why ask a question with such an easy answer? The fans booed Travis Ishikawa because they’re jerks. But that’s no fun. Let’s delve into the reasoning behind the boobirds making a scene two plate appearances into T-Ishi’s(my creation) Yankee career by looking at why Yankees fans normally boo players.

The player has played for the Boston Red Sox

Ishikawa was drafted by the San Francisco Giants and has spent time with the Brewers and Orioles. No word if he’s a Red Sox fan, though. So this is not a likely reason.

The player makes too much money

One of the "Alex Rodriguez Reasons". Even at the league minimum salary of $490,000, Ishikawa would figure to pocket about $3,000 for his 6 ½ innings of work. Considering the median US income is around $40,000, I guess this could be a reason. But then again, Travis Hafner was even more useless and makes much more money, and he was spared. I'll file this one under "maybe".

The player isn't "clutch"

Both of Ishikawa's at-bats followed leadoff singles by Vernon Wells. He struck out both times. It could be argued that two two-run homers in those spots could have changed the outcome of this game completely. That's pretty unclutch of you, T-Ishi. This is a definite possibility.

The player isn't meeting expectations

If any fans had any expectations of Ishikawa, then they obviously have no idea who he is and have been comatose for the appearances of the other "great" Yankees pickups this year. Very unlikely.

The player isn't a "True Yankee"

It's a simple fact that when you cut Travis Ishikawa, he bleeds red, normal human blood. Not a pinstripe to be found in his veins. That's just unacceptable. This reason is definitely the frontrunner.

So it's all pretty cut and dry, Travis: hit a home run in your next at bat and all will be forgiven. And if you're cut before then, you'll always have the glorious memories of your Yankees debut.

Yankees rumors: Ramirez and Ruggiano unlikely, but Joba to the Phillies?

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In 2013, only the Marlins, White Sox, and Nationals have a worse offense against lefthanded pitching by wRC+ than the Yankees. Collectively, they've hit .234/.305/.341 with a .285 wOBA and a 75 wRC+, and they can only count on the returns of righties Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez so much; they should be able to help, but the injury histories remain concerning. Thus, the Yankees desperately seek some quality righthanded hitters as the trade deadline approaches.

There previously were some rumors connecting the Yankees to the Marlins' Justin Ruggiano and the Brewers' Aramis Ramirez, but neither player no longer appears to be a legitimate possibility. The South Florida Sun Sentinel's Juan Rodriguez learned that Miami "isn't all that motivated to trade Ruggiano at this point." It is understandable from the Marlins' perspective since Ruggiano is 1) still a pre-arbitration player, and 2) not having a very good year at .224/.290/.408 with a 92 wRC+. If someone wanted to overpay for Ruggiano, they would of course listen, but his value is not extremely high right now.

Ramirez has been a name bantered about in the community here and in some MLB rumors, but according to Jon Heyman, the Yankees consider him "too pricey." If they acquired him, the Yankees would have to pay the remainder of his $10 million salary this year, his $16 million salary next year, and a possible $4 million buyout of his $14 million club option for 2015. The 35-year-old has been one of baseball's most consistent offensive third baseman even going back to his younger days with the Pirates and Cubs in the 2000s, but over the past few years, he has missed time due to a dislocated right shoulder, a left thumb sprain, and most concerning, chronic left knee sprains this season. He's on the 15-day disabled list right now with a knee sprain. Ramirez would almost undoubtedly be able to help the Yankees from the right side of the plate, but 2013 just isn't his year on the health front. If the Yankees are going to get another player, it should be someone who is actually healthy since injuries have been their biggest problem.

Recently-released Royals outfielder and negative WAR player Jeff Francoeur has signed a deal with the San Francisco Giants, allowing the majority of Yankees fans to breathe a sigh of relief. Even though Frenchy is terrible on defense aside from his arm and hasn't hit well in two years (.228/.278/.364 with a declining 75 OPS+ and -2.3 fWAR), it seemed inevitable that the Yankees would sign the righty outfielder. Fortunately, the Yankees never seemed to show much interest, and Giants GM Brian Sabean snatched him up. Bullet dodged.

Mark Feinsand offered this bit of news regarding the Phillies' interest in an infamous Yankees reliever:

National League sources say the Phillies are amenable to dealing Michael Young and have expressed interest in Joba Chamberlain, a salary-dump swap that would save Philadelphia roughly $7 million. The sources also say Carlos Ruiz can be had before the deadline, too.

As Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors notes though, it doesn't seem to make much sense from the Phillies' side to rent a reliever if they're possibly dealing away one or both of their position players. It seems unlikely that a straight-up Joba-for-Young or Joba-for-Ruiz deal would occur since Joba has nothing to offer the Phils beyond 2013. There would likely be other prospects involved on both sides, and I don't think many fans of the Yankees or the Phillies want their respective teams trading any kind of prospect for a struggling middle reliever or two over-the-hill players with significant question marks (Young's defense, Ruiz's health and offense).

Feinsand described Brian Cashman's apparent potential interest in Young and Ruiz as "lukewarm," so it appears the Yankees will miss out on acquiring these flawed players unless they can swing a cheap deal. Even then, the thought of Young in pinstripes bobbling crap all around the infield makes me want to Kevin Brown a wall, so hopefully the Yankees will stay away.

On a completely unrelated note, rest in peace, Chase. The Double-A Trenton Thunder's 13-year-old batdog passed away today due to cancer, just a couple days after the Thunder held a retirement ceremony for him. Sad times. I highly recommend checking out the tribute video below. It will probably get a little dusty wherever you are, but it's worth it.

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Shields and Sabathia: Known Pitchers Facing Each Other In a Royals Game

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It doesn't happen often for Royals fans, but tonight the Royals play a high-profile team with eyes on the playoffs and legitimate front-of-the-rotation arms on the mound. The Royals send James Shields--he of the 3.23 ERA, 3.55 FIP, and 3.65 xFIP to contradict his 3 - 6 record--to the bump to face a strangely faceless Yankees lineup that despite their relative anonymity still sport a 48 - 41 record. On their end, the Yankees will hand the ball to CC Sabathia. Sabathia has been hurt thus far by atypically high HR-rates. His HR/9 is sitting at 1.31 this season, 0.39 higher than his career 0.82 mark. His HR/FB is 14.0% right now, a full 5.0 points higher than his career 8.0 mark. To add insult to injury, his K/9 is over a full strikeout lower than his marks in 2011 and 2012. Hopefully Sabathia doesn't rectify the drop-off in Ks in one fell swoop against the discipline-deficient Royals.

It's an East Coast game kiddos. Rush home from work.

Former Frog Update: Updates On All The Diamond Frogs In Pro-Ball This Summer

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TCU Baseball now has 25 former Frogs playing professional throughout different leagues in the United States. By my count, that is the most we have ever had at any one point in program history. These 25 athletes are spread across 18 different major league teams and affiliate minor league clubs, as well as one independent league club.

Wow.

When you talk about trophies on the wall, this is the one I am most proud of. Not Omaha, or super regionals, or conference championships.... What I am most proud of is the talent this program has produced, especially the last 10 years, and how far these guys have pushed their careers. It is truly impressive, and something we should always be happy to boast about.

Scott Atchison


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2013 - Scott Atchison0-0200000018.0201191664.501.44

- Scott came off the DL for one game last month, only to jump right back on it with a different minor injury... He is pitching in the minors right now on a rehab assignment, and is looking to get back to the Mets within the next few weeks.

Matt Carpenter


GABRH2B3BHRRBIBBKSBCSAVGOBPSLG
2013 - Matt Carpenter8333566106254837355113.316.390.487

- Matt Carpenter = 2013 All-Star. A few months ago, Matt was the best kept secret in professional baseball. Now, he is the opposite of that, everybody knows his name. Playing mostly at 2B (66 games) & 3B (30 games), Matt has solidified himself as a steady everyday player for the Cardinals, hitting mostly in the leadoff spot since he got a tryout their in June.

The above stats are pretty awesome, but think about these numbers:
OPS+ of 142 = Good for #1 on the Cardinals Roster
TB of 163 = Good for #1 on the Cardinals Roster
oWAR of 3.3 = Good for #1 on the Cardinals Roster (and equal to approx. $16 million+ in value in salary terms)
dWAR of 0.6 = Good for #3 on the Cardinals Roster
RAR of 36 = Good for #1 on the Cardinals Roster

- In essence, he has been the Cardinals best offensive player so far this year, he is their third best defensive player, and you can attribute at least 17% of the Cardinals offensive success to him so far in 2013... And we are only half way through the season. I can't wait to see him take the field next week for the NL, what a big moment for TCU and their favorite son.

Andrew Cashner


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2013 - Andrew Cashner5-42114000094.1904240826623.821.23

Slowslider_medium

via cdn.fangraphs.com

- It seems like we have been saying the same thing forever... As soon as Cashner is healthy and given a chance to start, he is going to kill it. Well, that is exactly what is happening in San Diego. After getting a spot start back in May, Cash is now a central component in the Padres rotation, and their future plans.

The big difference? Cashner appears to have grown up. He doesn't throw as hard as he can every time, he instead looks to use his solid fastball command and movement to induce a lot of ground balls, only going to the hot stuff and that devastating slider when he needs a punch-out. So long as he is healthy and keeps his walk total down, he will be really really good. Here are some advanced metrics as well: .286 BABIP, 52.9% GB rate, 3.78 FIP, 4.02 xFIP, 0.5 WAR in 2013 so far.

Jake Arrieta


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2013 - Jake Arrieta1-255000023.2251919217237.231.77

- Tough year so far for Jake, who bounced up and down between starting/not before being sent down to AAA in Baltimore. The recent trade for Scott Feldman moved Arrieta to Chicago for a fresh start, but Jake is starting to run out of time and opportunities... He was quickly labeled a reclamation project by Cubs beat writers, which may not be fair, but it does speak to the perspective of those around the game. I hope Jake can get his command down soon, he has a great opportunity to break in with a weak MLB club right now.

Sam Demel

- Demel has had a rough year in AAA for the Yankees, rough as in he was pitching great until he went on the DL in June. The Yankees could be in need of bullpen help soon, you would have hoped that might be Demel. Hopefully he makes it back soon.

Bryan Holaday


GABRH2B3BHRRBIBBKSBCSAVGOBPSLG
2013 - Bryan Holaday4133310001200.231.286.308

- Bryan has been hot lately, hitting above .280 in AAA but still not slugging a whole lot... He is on the 40 man and has spent a fair amount of time in the majors so far this year. He may get a shot at pro ball yet, I am just not sure it will be in Detroit.

Chad Huffman - Stats

- Chad is killing it in AAA for the Cardinals, but so far he has not had any luck breaking into the ML roster... Why? He isn't on the 40 man, and the 40 man trumps all. Still, a nice rebound year for Chad, who still has a chance to make it back to the majors if he continues to fight.

Matt Curry - Stats

- Matt returned to AA Altoona this year, with similar results. Despite a hot start, Curry just can't seem to be consistent at the plate, sporting a slash line of .248/.286/.400 through the end of June. At some point, you hope he heats it up and gets back on track, but it appears the jump to AA (the second hardest level-to-level jump in baseball) may have been exceptionally unkind to Matt.

Greg Holle - Stats

- After getting an early season callup to AA, Greg has been pitching fairly well. He has a 4.42 ERA and a .301 opponents batting average which don't look great, but are mostly influenced by a few really bad appearances. Overall, Greg has done well, and the Brewers continue to show faith in the pseudo-veteran.

Josh Elander - Stats

- All the talk in May/June was, "When is Josh getting called up to high-A" after his crazy performance to start the year. Well, he got the callup, and things haven't gone well so far. But, he only has eight games under his belt as of yet, and the newly minted outfielder still has plenty of room to grow.

Taylor Featherston - Stats

- Not a horrible year for the 2B in high-A so far, but you would expect more offense from a guy at this level and this position. Featherston has always flashed plus offensive potential, and has shown that promise at times in the pros, this year just doesn't appear to be his.

Jerome Pena - Stats

- No such luck for Jerome Pena either... I could essentially copy the Featherston paragraph and put it here, neither guy is killing it thus far at this pro level.

Matt Purke - Stats

- Purke finally got on the mound for the Nationals this year and was quite good through 30 innings in A ball, so the Nationals got aggressive and moved him up to high-A. Two starts in, one good and one bad, Purke still has a ton of promise. After getting his shoulder scoped last year, Purke's velocity, feel, and control have returned, and the lefty appears to be "back." Good news too, the Nationals need to capitalize on their major investment sooner rather than later.

Kevin Allen - Stats

- Allen started the year in extended spring training but has made his way up to A ball for the Royals, where he is doing quite well... Only five games in so far for Allen, but good results to show for it, I wouldn't be surprised if the Royals are also aggressive with this former Frog, high-A could be just around the corner.

Jason Coats - Stats

- Coats has recovered from knee surgery to a successful start in 2013... He has cooled of a bit as of late, but I like what I am seeing out of Coats... He still has a ton of promise, just needs to continue to log innings and ABs in pro-ball.

Kaleb Merck - Stats

- Well, I was going to talk about Merck heading from extended spring training to A-ball in June, but we learned today he has now been given his outright release from the Twins and is a unrestricted minor league free agent... Nothing more to add at this time, I have no idea what his plans are. I spoke with Kaleb Merck today, he is thinking about heading back to school to finish his degree... He also wouldn't rule out a return to pro-ball in the future. Best of luck Kaleb!

Kyle Winkler - Stats

- Kyle has spent time in a few leagues this year, mostly as a starter, as the Diamondbacks continue to work him back into a healthy role. So far so good in A-Ball for Kyle, where he is sporting a 3.90 ERA through 30+ innings pitched. If he stays healthy and continues to get better, the sky is the limit for this kid, his stuff has never, ever been in question.

Paul Hendrix - Stats

- After signing relatively quickly with the Indians, Hendrix reported to the college heavy short season-A ball league, where he is playing quite well so far (through 11 games), primarily at SS. Short was always his future pro spot, he has the most potential there long term... It will be interesting to see how he progresses this fall.

Kyle Von Tungeln - Stats

- Kyle has had a tough year... He has bounced around three different development levels, landing in short season-A ball for the Rockies... The numbers aren't good for the former TCU outfielder, which is disappointing based off of his hot start in the summer of 2012... Hopefully he can get things jump started in the second half of season.

Andrew Mitchell - Stats

- So far so good for Mitchell in the rookie league... The Sox are ramping up his arm, he should report to short season-A ball (or higher) within a few weeks as long as nothing major goes wrong.

Jantzen Witte - Stats

- Just 12 games for Witte so far in rookie ball, but not bad so far. Again, short season-A ball is a likely home in August.

Stefan Crichton, Nick Frey, Trevor Seidenberger

- All have signed (as I reported yesterday), none have logged any innings yet... Frey is hurt of course, but I would expect Crichton and Seidenberger to head off to Rookie ball and short season-A ball in the coming weeks, just as their fellow teammates have.

Joe Weik - Stats

- Joe is playing mostly 1B in the American Association independent league (Amarillo Florida), and he is killing it... So far, Weik is sporting a .337/.386/.492 slash line with 39 RBIs... You have to admire a guy willing to chase his dream this far, I hope Joe gets a shot with a major league team soon.

PROFESSIONAL FROGS

(Name, Team, Separated by current professional level)

Major Leagues
Scott Atchison (Mets) [DL]
Matt Carpenter (Cardinals)
Andrew Cashner (Padres)

Triple AAA
Jake Arrieta (Cubs)
Sam Demel (Yankees)
Bryan Holaday (Tigers)
Chad Huffman (Cardinals)

Double AA
Matt Curry (Pirates)
Greg Holle (Brewers)

High A
Josh Elander (Braves)
Taylor Featherston (Rockies)
Jerome Pena (Orioles)
Matt Purke (Nationals)

Low A
Kevin Allen (Royals)
Jason Coats (White Sox)
Kaleb Merck (Twins)
Kyle Winkler (Diamondbacks)

Low A Short Season
Paul Hendrix (Indians)
Kyle Von Tungeln (Rockies)

Rookie League
Stefan Crichton (Orioles)
Nick Frey (Cardinals)
Andrew Mitchell (White Sox)
Trevor Seidenberger (Brewers)
Jantzen Witte (Red Sox)

Independent League
Joseph Weik (Amarillo Sox [Pensacola, Florida]) - American Association League

ESPN: Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun expected to be suspended after All-Star break

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According to ESPN's Outside the Lines, suspensions could be coming following the All-Star break next week for the players connected to the Miami Biogenesis clinic including Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun. Sources have told OTL that Braun refused to answer questions during MLB's investigative interview with him on June 29. The league has not yet interviewed Rodriguez, but that is expected to take place within the next week.

MLB has been gathering information from clinic owner Tony Bosch since he agreed to cooperate with their investigation last month. The commissioner's office is seeking 100-game suspensions for Braun and Rodriguez, even though neither player has been suspended for steroids in the past. Their justification in that length of suspension is that the players are guilty of multiple violations for steroid usage and lying about it. Obviously, any suspension is going to be tackled head on by the Players Union which will cite the lack of language in the CBA suggesting that such a suspension is possible for a first time offender.

With all the news about threatening lawsuits and attempts at extorting money, it's really unclear which side looks worse in the matter. MLB is trusting a sketchy institution that was only willing to provide documentation when threatened with financial ruin, and then was only willing to sell their evidence to the highest bidder. If this plays out the way that Outside the Lines suggests it will, the next few weeks should be full of appeals and mud slinging on the part of both sides. The real question should be how many of the players who are connected to Biogenesis managed to avoid detection through MLB's drug testing policy. If it's failing so badly in this particular situation, who knows how many countless others are avoiding detection on a daily basis.

Should this report about upcoming suspensions be valid, Francisco Cervelli's name was also reportedly found on Biogenesis documents which could mean more time missed for the Yankees' catcher. After a recent setback forced him back two weeks in his rehab work, a suspension would mean being without him for almost the rest of the season. With so little offensive production coming from third base and the catcher spot in this year's lineup, losing both players would be a big blow to the hope of restoring the offense to an acceptable level over the course of the next month or two.

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MLB Biogenesis scandal: Poorly-timed suspensions worse than juicing

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You'd think the sanctity of the pennant races would matter more to Major League Baseball than retribution for some perceived or actual wrongdoing by individual players, but time and time again, Baseball has put other considerations ahead of the outcome of its championship season. I'm not sure who the Lords of the Game thought they were punishing -- other than the fans, that is -- when they reacted to the 13-day player strike that delayed the start of the 1972 season by simply wiping the lost games off the schedule, regardless of whether the teams would have an equal number of games. Resultantly, the Red Sox lost the American League East title to the Tigers by half a game.

The same arbitrary lack of care affected the weird split-season format decided upon in the aftermath of the 1981 strike, one that left the two National League teams with the best records, the Cardinals and Reds (who had the best record in all of baseball) out of the playoffs, as well as the 1994 decision to abort the remainder of the season and postseason, cowboy Bud Selig riding the fatal A-bomb groundward like some schlubby middle-aged version of Slim Pickens in "Dr. Strangelove," shouting that in order to save baseball he had to destroy it.

On Tuesday evening, ESPN reported that Ryan Bruan, Alex Rodriguez, and "as many as 20 players" could be suspended sometime after the All-Star break. As Mike Bates recently suggested in these pages, these decisions could have a serious impact on the races now unfolding in baseball's six divisions and could raise issues of basic fairness. To name but one example, the Brewers have 12 games to go against the Reds, but only nine against the Cardinals and six against the Pirates. Ryan Braun has already played 10 games against the Cards and hit .300, and nine against the Pirates and hit .351. He's played only three against the Reds and might only have time to get in a couple more before he disappears again. Thus the Reds would face a substantially weakened Brewers team, whereas their opponents had to win against a team that had the former MVP in its midst. Sure, the Pirates have lost only three game to the Braun-ified Brewers, but in a close race, winning that one extra game might against a softer opponent could, hypothetically, make all the difference.

Alternatively, the Washington Nationals, still very much alive in both the NL East and wild card races, would have a very serious hole blown in the side of their chances should Gio Gonzalez abruptly vanish. The Tigers and Rangers, both in tight races, would be similarly wounded by the suspensions of Nelson Cruz and Jhonny Peralta. The Yankees, as much as they might not want Alex Rodriguez to come back on the publicity or payroll side, have also gotten less production out of third base than any team in the American League and would find even the diminished version of Rodriguez who hit only .272/.353/.430 last year a major boost to their chances.

You might be tempted to say, "Hey, players disappear from the races all the time. We call that ‘injuries.'" Yes, injuries do happen, but those are, for want of a better term, acts of God. We have no control over when someone's hamstring is going to tear or their elbow explode. The timing of these penalties are purely discretionary. They can be administered at any time -- in the offseason, for example, when teams and their general managers can arrange adequate replacements for the banished players.

Players have been suspended during pennant races before, in ways that altered seasons. However, a mass suspension like the one apparently contemplated here has really only one appropriate precedent: the banishment of the eight Black Sox, not by Commissioner Landis after their acquittal by a Chicago jury, but by owner Charles Comiskey, who, in the absence of a functioning central authority in baseball, took it upon himself to suspend his own players as of September 27, 1920. The White Sox were then half a game behind the league-leading Indians with three games to play. Without Shoeless Joe Jackson, Hap Felsch, and the rest, they couldn't make it.

Surely that is not a memory Commissioner Selig wants to evoke at this late date, or at any time, during the remainder of his reign. No comparably severe betrayal of the fans has taken place that would allow for Major League Baseball to countenance its own betrayal in kind. Baseball's rules, its Joint Drug Agreement, have been broken, yes, but that is all -- despite the predominant narrative of PEDs and baseball, even if there is convincing proof that the players attempted or intended to cheat, there will never be any evidence that they actually succeeded in doing so.

In other words, the 2013 season remains honest in every way that matters -- for now.

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Yankees 1, Royals 3: One is the loneliest number

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Dark days have returned to Yankeeland. Tonight's 3-1 loss is their third straight, and they've scored a single run in each game. That six-game winning streak is looking increasingly like a mirage. Worse than all that, the organization failed to win one for Chase That Golden Thunder, the Mariano Rivera of Yankee organization bat-dogs.

The Yankees had Kansas City starter James Shields on the ropes in the bottom of the first, with singles from four of the first five hitters. Sadly, the Yankees stayed true to recent form - all four hits were singles, and they were left with a terrifying (???) bases-loaded, one-out doom scenario. Third base coach Rob Thompson had a chance to send Ichiro on a base hit from Zoilo Almonte, but held him at third. Apparently he hasn't watched a game this season. Lyle Overbay looked completely over-matched in striking out...this came a few seconds after YES announcer John Flaherty posited that Thompson held Ichiro at third because one of "their most effective hitters" was coming up. Eduardo Nunez gave the ball a ride, but center fielder Lorenzo Cain tracked it down and made a fine play. Since the Yankees apparently needed another obstacle in their quest to score runs, Cain would go on to make three other hit-saving plays in center.

Shields gave up his fifth hit in the second inning (erased on an inning-ending double play) and walked two in the second (erased on another inning-ending double play). And that was it - no other Yankee would reach base as what looked to be a rough start from the right-hander turned inexorably into dominance. Shields is notorious for giving up runs early (opponents have scored in the first inning in 15 of his 19 starts), and then settling in. The Yankees played like a team that thought it would have numerous scoring chances. They didn't.

The Royals tied the game in the sixth thanks to a second-deck home run by number nine hitter David Lough. In case you've never heard of him, his name is pronounced "Low", as in "How low can the Yankees sink?" That certainly was the feeling among Yankee fans at that point in the game, but the team would sink even Lough-er next inning, as Billy Butler led off with a go-ahead dinger. CC would give up another run on two doubles in the eighth and pitch a 1-2-3 ninth, bringing his final line to 9 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 6 K. He actually lowered his ERA in this game, to 3.99, so there's that. Two Yankees starters have throw complete games this last time through the rotation, and they nearly lost both of those games, so there's that too.

Miscellaneous: Major League "umpire" Angel Hernandez made his presence felt from the first hitter with a string of iffy ball-strike calls, drawing the ire of both dugouts. He inspired Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long and Royals hitting coach George Brett to put aside their differences and join together to form a cross-dugout comedy troupe, the Anti-Angel Mime-Time Players. They synchronized their "coin flip / shoulder shrug" bit so perfectly that I felt compelled to log onto Baseball Reference and check as to whether or not they were ever teammates. It turns out Long was drafted by the Royals organization, but never made it to the bigs. Is it possible that a rehabbing George Brett met Kevin Long in the minor leagues in the early-nineties, bonded over their hatred of Angel Hernandez, and created that routine on the off chance they might one day become competing hitting coaches? And why won't the lame-stream media talk about this?

The Yankees now need to win their next two to ensure at least a four-game split with the Royals. The Twins can't get here soon enough. In the meantime: go hug your pets, people.

Minor League Recaps 7/9

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Triple-A: Toledo Mud Hens (39-55)

L, 5-3 vs. Louisville. After the top of the fifth inning, the Mud Hens trailed by a score of 5-0 and Toledo could never recover. Argenis Diaz was the only Mud Hen to record multiple hits. Cincinnati’s highly thought of prospect, Billy Hamilton, stole his 50th base of the season during the contest.

  • LHP Pat Misch (L, 3-7): 5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
  • RHP Brayan Villarreal (12 pitches, 8 strikes): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
  • LF Nick Castellanos: 0-4
  • CF Avisail Garcia: 1-4, RBI, 1 K
  • 1B Jordan Lennerton: 1-4
  • C Bryan Holaday: 1-3, 2B (14), BB
  • SS Argenis Diaz: 2-4, R, 2B (26), 1 K
Advanced-A: Lakeland Flying Tigers (36-48)

W, 4-3 vs. Daytona. Lakeland scored all of their runs during the seventh inning, as the Flying Tigers plated four runs to take the lead for good. The four-run frame was highlighted by Luis Alberto Sanz's two-RBI single that scored both Francisco Martinez and Jason Krizan. Jose Valdez logged 1 2/3 innings to earn the save. Lakeland only recorded four hits in the win.

  • RHP Jeff Ferrell: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K
  • RHP Michael Torrealba (W, 1-0): 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K
  • RHP Jose Valdez (S, 4): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K
  • 3B Francisco Martinez: 0-3, R, BB, 1 K
  • 2B Devon Travis: 1-3, R, 2B (2), BB
  • RF Steven Moya: 0-3, BB, 1 K
  • SS Jared Reaves: 1-3, R
  • C Luis Alberto Sanz: 1-3, 2 RBI
  • LF Jason Krizan: 0-2, R, RBI, BB
Class-A Short-Season: Connecticut Tigers (7-15)

W, 7-5 vs. Staten Island. First-round selection Jonathon Crawford started for Connecticut and tossed three hitless innings, striking out two batters and walking one. Austin Schotts was back in the leadoff spot for the Tigers, and Ben Verlander scored three runs. Zac Reininger earned the save by pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

  • RHP Jonathon Crawford: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
  • RHP Johnnie Kirkland (H, 1): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
  • RHP Zac Reininger (S, 1): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
  • 1B Ben Verlander: 1-2, 3 R, 2B (4), RBI, 2 BB, SB (3)
  • CF Austin Schotts: 1-4, R, BB, 2 K, SB (6)
  • RF Raphael Rhymes: 0-4, R, BB, 1 K
  • 2B Dominic Ficociello: 0-4, R, BB, 1 K, SB (2)
  • DH Duncan McAlpine: 3-4, 2 RBI, BB, SB (1)
  • 3B Brett Harrison: 1-5, R, RBI, 4 K, SB (1)
  • C Chris Taladay: 2-4
Rookie: Gulf Coast League Tigers (9-2)

W, 4-1 vs. GCL Yankees. Fernando Perez started for the Tigers and earned the win, as the right-hander pitched six scoreless innings. Dixon Machado continued his rehab assignment and 2-4 with a walk. Ricardo Ciriaco notched his six save of the season to secure the win for the Tigers.

  • RHP Fernando Perez (W, 3-0): 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
  • RHP Joe Flattery: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
  • RHP Juan Falcon: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 K
  • RHP Ricardo Ciriaco (S, 6): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
  • SS Dixon Machado: 2-4, BB
  • 1B Aaron Westlake: 0-3, 2 K
  • C Tim Remes: 1-4, 2B (2), RBI, 1 K
  • RF Samuel Crafort: 2-3, R, 2B (2), RBI, BB
  • 2B Taylor Johnson: 1-4, R, 2B (2), RBI, BB, 1 K
  • LF Jordan Allen: 1-4, R, 3B (2)
  • CF Ismael Salgado: 1-4, RBI

2013 MLB All-Star Game: Freddie Freeman, Steve Delabar lead Final Vote tally; Yasiel Puig in 2nd

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The 2013 MLB All-Star Game is now less than a week away, but fans are still voting in droves for the final two spots in the Midsummer Classic. Headed into Wednesday, Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman leads the Final Vote tally for the National League, while Toronto Blue Jays reliever Steve Delabar is in front in the American League, reports Alyson Footer of MLB.com.

More Midsummer Classic: Your All-Star Game StoryStream

Freeman's place ahead of the pack is a bit of a surprise, as many thought that Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig -- who has had one of the best starts to a big-league career in MLB history -- would run away with the vote. But here we are just a day away from the virtual ballot boxes closing, and Puig sits in second place behind Freeman.

Yankees reliever David Robertson is in second place in the AL tally -- wholly a bullpen arm affair -- but the distance between him and the third and fourth place vote-getters -- Koji Uehara and Joaquin Benoit -- is only 180,000 votes, so the race in the junior circuit appears to be anybody's game.

More than 33.2 million votes had been cast by Tuesday morning, and many more are expected between now and Thursday's 4 p.m. ET deadline. Fans can vote by filling out a ballot on MLB.com or by using the special Twitter hashtags (i.e. #VotePuig) designed for their favorite candidates.

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Lessons in rebuilding

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The Yankees have exceeded both expectations and run differential by being six games over .500 at 48-42 at the time of this post. Yet the dismal offense has frustrated fans to no end during this season, which looks like it is headed more to the 2008 finish than 2009. This possibility of missing the playoffs has many fans fretting that it is time to rebuild the Yankees by trading away the best players on the team, letting crucial members walk in free agency, and sinking the lowest levels for the franchise since the early '90s to get the best draft picks.

There are significant flaws to this idea though, and it was perfectly explained a week ago by site member Let's Talk About Tex Baby:

I just shake my head at some peoples' willingness to give up on YEARS...with an S!

And also at the ridiculous notion that if the Yankees blow this team up, the late 90’s champions will eventually fly out of the ashes.

That’s not how that team was built.

Baseball is a sport where you don’t have to be the best team in the league to make the playoffs…or go deep in the playoffs…or win a championship, for that matter. It’s also a sport where most rebuilds fail because realistically, most prospects fail, especially the type you’d be able to acquire for players who are two months from free agency.

Yes, it’s frustrating to watch Wells, Hafner, Overbay, and co. play game after game, but this team is [TWO GAMES] AND A HALF out of the playoffs with a small army set to return from the DL over the next month. There’s no way of knowing how that will turn out, but you really aren’t willing to let them TRY? You’d rather sell off contributors for middling prospects and guys currently in A-ball?

It seems like the prevailing attitude here is that it’s worse to contend and not be a favorite than it is to not contend at all. I don’t know if that’s a product of us being spoiled over the past two decades and of no one really remembering the early 90’s…but whatever it is, it’s a crappy approach.

Nailed it. Rebuilds are no guarantee. (What is guaranteed is that despite the warts, this team is far from out of the playoff hunt.) It might be difficult for some Yankees fans to grasp this concept since the Yankees have been successful and haven't actually needed a rebuild in over 20 years. Look at the teams that have needed rebuilds and how long they had to wait:

  • Baltimore Orioles (1998-2011): The O's finally got out of the darkness last year when they came out of nowhere to win the American League Wild Card. Prior to that, the fans had to endure 14 consecutive losing seasons and constant abuse by powerful Yankees and Red Sox teams. From all that losing and those high draft picks, only three were central figures on their playoff team--'03 first round pick Nick Markakis, '07 first round pick Matt Wieters, and '09 first round pick Manny Machado. They had their share of disappointing high picks, too, in third baseman Billy Rowell, catcher Brandon Snyder, and starters Adam Loewen and Chris Smith. They had highly-touted pitching prospects Zach Britton, Jake Arrieta, and Chris Tillman all fail them. Brian Matusz was supposed to be an impact lefty starter and he only found his niche as a LOOGY. Closer Jim Johnson was a fifth round pick that anyone could have grabbed without losing 88 games. Everyone else important to that team, like Adam Jones, Wei-Yin Chen, Chris Davis, and Nate McLouth, were all acquired via trades or free agent signings.
  • Arizona Diamondbacks (2003-2010): The D'backs built their 2001 World Series championship team only three years after their first season purely on veterans and aged players, so years of sustained success was not going to happen with that group. After a division title and a sweep out of the playoffs in '02, they fell again to 84 games before bottoming out at an awful 51-111 record in 2004. If the '03 Tigers hadn't lost 119 games the season before, baseball fans would have discussed that putrid D'backs season far more often. Four of their next six seasons were under .500, though they did fluke into the playoffs with a 90-win team in '07 that somehow did the trick despite a -20 run differential. A strong start in April '08 was mitigated by 62-71 record the rest of the way, and Arizona ended the year just two games above .500. It took quite the comeback season in 2011 from a 97-loss year in 2010 to catapult them to the playoffs (with a more legitimate team than '07), and while they finished at only .500 last year, they finally have a young core to potentially lead them to several good seasons.
  • Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos (1995-2011): One of the great injustices of the 1994 players' strike was the loss of a tremendous Expos team. The '94 Expos appeared to be the group that would guide Montreal to its first playoff appearance in 13 years since they had a MLB-best 74-40 record at the time of the strike thanks to the strength of their awesome outfield trio--Moises Alou, Marquis Grissom, and Larry Walker. Unfortunately, the strike ended the dream, and the Expos had to sell off the majority of their best players prior to the delayed-start '95 season. For the remainder of their tenure in Montreal, there wasn't much to smile about, and MLB buying them essentially disabled any hopes they had of contention even though they had decent teams in '02 and '03. When the team moved to the nation's capital in '05, they a .500 season despite a -34 run differential, and then promptly got their asses handed to them for five years. They bottomed out with back-to-back 100-loss seasons in '08 and '09, which fortunately allowed them to snare the two most highly-regarded #1 picks since Chipper Jones in Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. Those two players and '05 #4 pick Ryan Zimmerman helped them reach the top of the NL East, but like the Orioles, both trade acquisitions (Gio Gonzalez and Mike Morse), free agent signings (Adam LaRoche, Edwin Jackson, and Jayson Werth), and later draft picks (Jordan Zimmermann and Ian Desmond) were crucial additions as well. The secret wasn't losing to draft Strasburg and Harper; it was creating a core through different means.
  • Pittsburgh Pirates (1993-2012?): The Pirates are really going to piss their fans off if they finish under .500 this year since no team that was at least 20 games over .500 at any point in a season ever finished below the middle mark. If this does end up finally being the year that rebuild is officially over, then there will be great joy in Pittsburgh. They have not had a playoff team or even an over-.500 team since the days of Barry Bonds and Andy van Slyke. It has been 20 years of awful baseball with far too many disappointing prospects. Remember when Chad Hermansen, J.J. Davis, John van Benschoten, and Bobby Bradley all became household names? Of course not, because they were all top-ten draft picks who did not work out. The Bucs had the top pick in the draft twice through 2010, and they selected Kris Benson, who was more famous for his psycho wife, and Bryan Bullington, who embarrassed the Yankees in August 2010 while with the Royals for his only career win. They finally seem to have got some right in 2011's #1 pick, Gerrit Cole, in addition to solid draft picks Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, and Pedro Alvarez. The pitching staff however, is a collection of vagabonds. A.J. Burnett, Wandy Rodriguez, Jeff Locke, Charlie Morton, Jeanmar Gomez, and Mark Melancon were all trade acquisitions, and both Francisco Liriano and Jason Grilli were make-good free agent signings that turned out shockingly well. The Bucs had to lose for a really long time before getting the right draft picks, and even then, they wouldn't be anywhere if their imported pitchers weren't contributing as well.

These teams are only a handful of examples. So many other teams around baseball are still working on their rebuilding stories. Look across the field tonight--the Royals haven't made the playoffs in 28 years, and they have one over-.500 season in the past 18 years (an 83-79 team in '03 powered by a -31 run differential). Look across the City--the Mets have been abysmal since a brief three-year stretch of solid play from 2006-08. Their history at Citi Field is riddled with horrible players and a .461 overall winning percentage. The Brewers have had two playoff teams in the past 31 years. Indians GM Mark Shapiro mysteriously still has a job even though he's had just one playoff team in his 12 years at the helm. The Astros last made the playoffs in '05, and they're only bottoming out right now with some of the worst teams baseball has seen in consecutive years since the Blue Jays and Mariners were expansion teams. Speaking of those Mariners, they have been awful for a decade with no end in sight. The list goes on and on.

Rebuilding and blowing up the team might sound like an easy solution that will lead to success just a little while down the road, but baseball history shows that it's not a quick fix. Rebuilding does not have a definite expiration date. It never does.

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Yankees trade rumors: Hughes, Joba being shopped aggressively

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The New York Yankees are shopping right-handers Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain to various teams throughout the league, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. An American League executive even went as far as telling Rosenthal that the Yankees are "aggressively pushing" the pair of pitchers and that a trade involving Chamberlain to a National League team could happen soon.

Hughes, 27, is 4-8 with a 4.55 ERA in 17 starts on the season. Because of his impending free agency and the unlikelihood that the Yankees will bring him back this winter, he may appeal to contenders who think he will succeed outside of New York. The Los Angeles Angels have had interest in him in the past, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.

While no teams have been specifically linked to Hughes, people throughout the game believe that the Yankees will receive a significant return for him if they decide to part ways.

Chamberlain, who is 1-0 with a 5.75 ERA in 22 relief appearances this season, is the more likely of the two to be dealt in the next three weeks. He has already drawn interest from the Atlanta Braves, and seems to be the perfect fit for a change of scenery in the National League. Chamberlain is also a free agent after the season, and it is widely known that the Yankees will not have interest in bringing him back.

The Phillies, who were previously rumored to have interest in Chamberlain, are not currently pursuing him, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.

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MLB trade rumor roundup: Matt Garza at 50/50, Indians focused on Yovani Gallardo, Phillies want Joba Chamberlain

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With the July 31 trade deadline fast approaching, we want to make sure you're up-to-date on all the latest happenings around the rumor mill. The last thing we want is for you to be blindsided at the water cooler when Fred tells you that your favorite player is being offered up to your least favorite club. Freakin' Fred...

Tuesday was a pretty active day on the rumor front:

  • The deadline's hottest commodity, Matt Garza, headlined the rumor-mongering once again, as the Cubs right-hander was scouted by several clubs -- including the Rangers, Indians, Pirates, Blue Jays, and Padres -- during his solid seven-inning effort against the White Sox on Monday. Though they weren't reported to be at his most recent start, the Dodgers are also believed to be "heavily scouting" the right-hander. Chicago continues to discuss a long-term contract extension with Garza -- so a deadline trade is not a foregone conclusion -- but the right-hander believes that his trade/extension odds currently sit at "50/50."
  • The Cleveland Indians are in the hunt for a top-of-the-rotation starter and, at the moment, are focusing exclusively on Garza and Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo. No deal is close between the Tribe and either player, but the team seems bent on not settling for a lesser starter. The Indians are listed on Gallardo's limited no-trade clause, so they may have a tough time convincing the right-hander to approve to the move if they're able to come up with a package that interests Milwaukee. Gallardo has one guaranteed year and an option year remaining on his contract, so his asking price is likely to be pretty steep.
  • Speaking of Brewers pitchers, a trio of Milwaukee's relief corps is drawing a lot of interest of late. John Axford, Francisco Rodriguez, and Mike Gonzalez are being scouted by the Dodgers this week, per Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, and have also been scoped out in recent days by the Tigers, Diamondbacks, and Orioles, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports. The D'Backs are also interested in right-hander Jim Henderson, but the Brewers have told teams he's staying put.
  • The Brewers bullpen isn't the only one drawing interest around the league. The Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly expressed interest in Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain, joining the Giants and Braves in pursuit of the right-hander. While Michael Young and/or Carlos Ruiz can presumably be had, Yankees GM Brian Cashman's interest in dealing with Philly is "lukewarm at best," so a Joba trade appears unlikely at the moment.

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REPORT: MLB to Suspend Braun, ARod, Among Others

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According to ESPN's Outside the Lines, Major League Baseball requested to interview Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun to discuss his involvement with Biogenesis and its founder Tony Bosch. Braun is said to have "refused to answer questions" during this meeting. In 2011, he also took a urine test which showed high levels of testosterone which may have been caused by a performance-enhancing drug. Ryan Braun then issued statements in early 2012 claiming he had not done anything wrong and many believe he got away with it because of minor technicalities.

As for Alex Rodriguez, he is expected to meet with the league this week (OTL says Friday) and the Yankees third baseman is, of course, no stranger to these rumors. The fourteen-time All-Star and three-time MVP has even admitted to his use of steroids in 2009, saying he used them sometime during his tenure with the Texas Rangers.

But the names don't end with just Braun and Rodriguez, Outside the Lines' sources have said they are as many as twenty players who are linked to Biogenesis. Some of them are currently in the minors or are free agents. The following are reportedly involved:

Source: ESPN Outside the Lines


Yankees rumors: New York 'aggressively pushing' Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain

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The New York Yankees are "aggressively pushing" right-handers Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain to teams around the league, and an AL exec believes the club may be nearing a deal for Chamberlain with an National League team, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

The 27-year-old right-handers have both seen better days, but the duo still has the potential to be value commodities on the deadline trade market. Both players will hit free agency in the fall, so neither is a long-term acquisition, but the Yankees could still net a decent return for the pair if they're able to corner a team in desperation.

Buster Olney of ESPN reports (insider) that the asking price for Hughes at the moment is "incredibly high," likely a tactic to see if New York can take advantage of a team being overly-aggressive in bolstering its rotation. Olney calls this misguided aggressiveness "Zack Wheeler syndrome," in homage of the trade that sent Carlos Beltran to the Giants in 2011 in exchange for one of the game's top pitching prospects.

It's likely that the Yankees will make Hughes a qualifying offer in the fall if they hang on to him, so they really have no reason to lower his asking price below the equivalent of a compensation draft pick.

Hughes is not the top-of-the-rotation starter New York hoped he would be, but he could be a nice addition to the back end of a contending team's rotation. The right-hander owns a 4.55 earned-run average and 7.4 strikeout per nine rate in 95 innings on the year.

Chamberlain has been tied to the Phillies, Giants, and Braves in the last week, so the NL team alluded to above may be any of those three squads (or someone else entirely). Chamberlain has fallen a long way since the days of "Joba Rules" -- mostly due to injury -- but he's still young enough that he could turn things around in a new environment. Joba owns a 5.75 earned-run average and 9.7 strikeouts per nine over 20⅓ innings this season.

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Derek Jeter's equipment sent to Bronx, Jeter next?

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It's a bit odd to be forecasting the future via someone's luggage, but okay, I guess scrying through Samsonite beats doing so via a crystal ball or picking through chicken entrails, so here we go again playing Steamer-Trunk Cassandra with George King of the New York Post:

Derek Jeter's equipment from Tampa has made it to The Bronx, likely meaning the Yankees captain won't be far behind.

Jeter's equipment coming to New York, as opposed to Scranton where the shortstop will continue his Triple-A rehab tonight, is a very strong indication he will be in pinstripes this weekend for the Yankees final games before the All-Star break against the Twins.

On one hand, this kind of poking about in the ashes looking for burning embers is a fun bit of journalism-as-spycraft, plus it's a legitimately exciting bit of baseball news. Jeter is an all-time great, he's about to end his consecutive-games-not-played streak, and he could be a serious boost to a contender that is bleeding profusely at shortstop. It's so rare that we get to say, "Ladies and gentlemen: Elvis is in the building!"

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Having said that, at this point, I am required to reiterate what is by now my Standard Jeter Disclaimer:

WARNING: Derek Jeter is a 39-year-old shortstop, which is, by definition, a contradiction in terms. Thirty-nine-year-old shortstops who did not have good range at 29 are unlikely to display improved range when playing on one leg after missing more than half a season. Although Derek Jeter has never bothered to do so, it is considered standard practice for shortstops to field balls hit more than a half a yard to their left. Excess balls in play allowed to sneak through the infield may result in runs which your offense will be hard-pressed to compensate for, even if your shortstop plays to his .313/.382/.448 career norms. Players who were massive threats to hit into a double play may be even more likely to do so after suffering a serious leg injury. If double plays persist, discontinue usage and consult a doctor immediately.

Again, I'm not saying it won't be good to see Jeter back. As one who had to watch Bobby Meacham play shortstop for the Yankees, I'm looking forward to it. There's just a lot we don't know about his ability to play at this point.

Anyway, that's the news: the Yankees have Derek Jeter's luggage in their possession. At the very least, this means that when Jeter next visits the Bronx there should be a clean change of clothes waiting him, maybe a toothbrush. As for the rest, it reminds me of the episode of "The Twilight Zone" where an airplane lands at the airport, only there's no one on it -- no passengers, no crew, no pilot -- just Derek Jeter's equipment. Spooky, huh?

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Yankees lineup vs. Royals & Derek Jeter's equipment shipped to New York

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Having scored three runs their last 27+ innings, the Yankees will try to salvage a split against the Royals tonight with Ivan Nova on the mound. They'll be facing another former AL East foe in Wade Davis, who gets the start for Kansas City.

Ichiro Suzuki is the Yankee in the lineup with the best career numbers off Davis. Ichiro has a .526/.526/.895 line with a home run, a triple, and two doubles off of the former Tampa Bay Rays pitcher. Brett Gardner has picked up six hits in 13 at-bats off Davis and Lyle Overbay is the only Yankee to have multiple home runs against Davis with two.

When asked whether Joe Girardi had considered shuffling his lineup, the Yankees' manager seemed to suggest his patience with the question was wearing a bit thin.

Unfortunately, he's right. There isn't any way to hide all the holes in this lineup. Batting Travis Hafner that high when he's hitting the way he currently is, though, is pretty insane. If Girardi hasn't considered benching him, which was reported yesterday, the least he can do is not bat him cleanup.

According to George King of the New York Post, Derek Jeter's equipment has been shipped from Tampa to the Bronx, which could signal a weekend return. The Yankees could desperately use his bat in their lineup, but it seems like they put a rush order on his return a bit. At his age coming off a scary injury with his ankle now mostly made up of metal, you have to hope that they aren't rushing him back too soon again.

Following up on my article from this morning, Aaron Judge is reportedly on his way to Tampa, which likely signifies that the two sides have come to some sort of agreement.

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Home Run Derbiers first home runs, in video form

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In their usual helpful way, our friends at MLB Productions have created a compendium of first home runs. Which first home runs, you might helpfully ask? Why, the first home runs hit by this year's Home Run Derby participants, of course ...

and now, my helpful annotations:

1. David Wright - 7/26/2004 (0:12)
It seems like the Expos left Montreal forever ago, doesn't it? But David Wright is only 30 years old, and he hit his first homer in Montreal! Granted, it was the Expos' last season in Montreal, but we're hardly looking at ancient history here. And I'll bet if you're a baseball fan in that neck of the woods, it still seems like yesterday.

2. Robinson Canó - 5/24/2005 (0:30)
The Yankees sold more than four million tickets that season, but if someone tells you he was in the Stadium for Cano's first home run, you have every reason to be skeptical. Even if he's got a ticket stub and everything. The attendance for that game was more than 37,000, but with the Yankees ultimately beating the Tigers 12-3, the great majority of those fans were gone when Canó led off the bottom of the eighth with his homer. This is why you stay for the last pitch, sports fans.

3. Prince Fielder - 6/25/2005 (0:45)
Quote: "Career home run No. 1 for the man who is Prince, but will soon be King."

I'm not sure what that means, but it sounded pretty good at the time I'll bet.

4. Michael Cuddyer - 7/20/2002 (1:02)
Oddly, this was also Cuddyer's last home run, so far anyway. (We kid National League Home Run Derby Captain America David Wright because we love him.)

5. Bryce Harper - 5/24/2012 (1:22)
Moon shot. Straightaway center fielder. Quote: "There's No. 1! And several more hundred, we hope."

6. Yoenis Cespedes - 3/29/2012 (1:40)
Is this the earliest first home run for any player, ever? Nah, probably not. But it's fun to think about.

Quote: "Uh-oh. He got into that one. Gone."

7. Chris Davis - 6/27/2008 (1:53)
Opposite-field blast. Maybe Rick Reilly's on to something after all ...

8. Carlos Gonzalez - 6/20/2008 (2:15)
For me, the most jarring thing in the entire video was seeing Carlos Gonzalez in the Athletics livery. It's going to take a long time before that makes any sense to me. In Billy Beane's defense, I will mention that Gonzalez finished that season with exactly four home runs in 302 at-bats. He was terrible. And then he was great. Baseball.

Yankees 1, Twins 4: Offense just watches as Hughes gets burned

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Phil Hughes' outing was pretty decent for the first six or so innings. But the offense couldn't get any run support for him, and Hughes' meatball tendencies eventually showed up, leading to the Twins coming away with a 4-1 win.

Hughes started the game well by getting three quick outs, and then the Yankees struck quickly in the bottom half of the first. After Brett Gardner grounded out, Ichiro Suzuki doubled into center field. Robinson Cano came up next. He hit one that looked to be headed up the middle, but it deflected off Twins' starter Samuel Deduno's heel and over the shortstop into left field. Ichiro came around and scored from second to make it 1-0. That would be all they got in the first, as Vernon Wells grounded into a double play to end the inning.

That lead didn't last long though, as Phil Hughes served up a solo home run to Trevor Plouffe in the top of the second, which tied the game.

After those two runs, the game turned into a pitcher's duel with both offenses trying to out-inept each other. Through six innings, Hughes had allowed just two hits. The Yankees had gotten five hits and walked three times against Deduno, but did not push another run across.

The Yankees' offensive struggles would soon put them in a very '2013 Yankees' deficit. With one out in the top of the seventh, Ryan Doumit hit a home run that just cleared the wall in right field. The Twins recorded just three hits against Hughes and found themselves with a 2-1 lead.

The Yankees threatened to get that run back in the bottom of the seventh, but failed. Travis Hafner hit a one-out pinch-hit double, but both Austin Romine and Garder couldn't bring the run around, keeping the score at 2-1.

In the top of the eighth, Aaron Hicks led off the inning by bunting his way on. Clete Thomas came up next and he grounded a slow roller down the first base line. Hughes fielded it and his throw to first hit off Thomas' back. Thomas was called out on interference, and Hicks was sent back to first. It was a call that looked close enough to go either way. Twins' manager Ron Gardenhire got himself ejected for arguing the call.

After all that, there was one out with a man still on first. Hughes then proceeded to serve up his third home run of the day, as Pedro Florimon took a pitch over the right field wall to make it 4-1 Twins. Hughes was pulled after that. Phil went 7.1 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and one walk, while striking out ten. Through six innings, it was a really good start by Hughes, but it got messy towards the end. And with the Yankees' offense, they couldn't afford that.

The Yankees couldn't do anything in the top of the eighth, despite Ichiro leading off with a single. Joba Chamberlain came into pitch the top of the ninth, and somehow allowed just one walk in a scoreless inning.

It was left up to the offense to try and do something against Glen Perkins in the bottom of the ninth. Zoilo Almonte led off the inning by grounding one to third. Plouffe's throw to first was off and Zoilo had himself a infield single. Luis Cruz came up next but he could only hit a shallow fly to left for the first out. Eduardo Nunez popped out, which left the game up to Romine. He could only ground out to end the game, and the Twins came away with a 4-1 win.

CC Sabathia takes the mound in the series finale against the Twins tomorrow. First pitch is at 1:05 eastern.

Box score.Graph thingy.

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