Tagged: Phillies

The Fightin’ Phillies Finish It

I must say I had the Dodgers winning this one. The Phillies did exactly what they needed to to win this series, that was to shut Manny down and hit the LA pitchers. Kershaw got hit, Kuroda got hit, Broxton got hit, and that is all they needed to win. However the Phillies pitching was outstanding. Cliff Lee was a force. Lidge closed out the ninth. Hamels got the job done. Blanton did okay. Even Pedro joined in with the fun.

This whole series came down to pitching. Even though guys like Ryan Howard, Jaso Werth, Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez, and Pedro Feliez hit the you know what out of the ball. Ryan Howard also ended up winning NLCS MVP.
For me the turning point for this series was game three when the Philllies won 11 to nothing against starter Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda pitched 1.1 innings in which he gave up six hits, six runs (all earned),struck out one, and gave up one home run.
Why did the Dodgers lose that game? Not because of Kuroda but because of this man . . . 
Yep Joe Torre is the reason they lost that series. Torre decided to start Kuroda over all-star Chad Billingsley. Billingsley pitched out of the bullpen that game but he did not do so hot either. In 3.1 innings he gave up two hits, two earned runs, and two walks. However, Billingsley did give up no home runs and struck out three. 
In Billingsley’s case you have to give the man some credit because he did not go through the normal routine that a starter would go through. I think if Billingsley did go through his regular routine and started he would have pitched 6.2 innings giving up 2 runs, six hits, two walks, five strikeouts, and one home run.
Billingsley and Kuroda

(Bilingsley on left Kuroda on right)
In all fairness though the Dodgers got killed by Cliff Lee who gave up no runs , and just three hits, along with no walks while striking out ten. So it is not entirely Torre’s or Kuroda’s fault.
But lets talk abut those Dodger bats for a second. The Dodgers got out scored 35 to 16. Manny Ramirez batted .263 with five hits, three runs, two RBIs, one home run, and an OBP of .300. I think it is fair to say that Manny got shutdown this series.
Another guy the Phillies kept under control was Matt Kemp who batted .250 with five hits, one home run, just two RBIs, and an OBP of .286 in twenty at bats. Kemp to me at times has either been underrated or overrated. I believe this whole playoffs he has been overrated.
However on Dodger’s outfielder who did pretty good was Andre Ethier. Ethier hit .263 with five hits, one home run, three RBIs, two runs, two walks, and an OBP of .333 in nineteen at bats. Ethier was the most clutch hitter in baseball however he did not always get the job done. He did though get the walk which gave the Dodgers I believe the lead in game two.
The Phillies did not win the World Series the Dodgers lost it. Joe Torre did a terrible job managing this series. I know you need to take risks sometimes but Torre might need to learn about a new thing, common since. I don’t care if Ronnie Belliard had a hot bat. Orlando Hudson is the better option every day. 
Having a starter pitch out of the bullpen is a mistake unless they are young and have had pitched out of the pen in say the last four years. Otherwise it messes up all kinds of stuff. cough*cough*Chad Billingsley*cough*cough.
If it was not for Torre’s elite stats I would fire him. No joke. If this was Manny Acta or Bob Melvin or Cecil Cooper he would be fired by me. Maybe that is why I am not going to be a general manager or owner though.
Yet Torre would have a great replacement in his bench coach, Don Mattingly who should have been manager in New York after Torre left. Mattingly is not one of my favorite players as he was a long time Yankee but I believe he would be an amazing manager and I am surprised he did not talk with the Astros or Indians. 
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(Mattingly, left; Torre, right)
blogs.laweekly.com
That
though makes one of two points. One, that he likes LA a lot and does not want to leave. Or two, he needs more ‘training from Torre’. I think it is number one yet I think number two might come into play a little bit.
I think though we also have to mention that this was the second time in two years that these teams have faced off in the NLCS. Yet the Dodgers never had to face Raul Ibanez or Cliff Lee. The Phillies though never faced nearly half of the Dodger bullpen, Orlando Hudson, Ronnie Belliard, Randy Wolf, and Vicente Padilla among other guys in 2008. 
The Dodgers had NO excuse to lose to the Phillies. Yet, they did.
But now lets look at what the Phillies did.
The Phillies won. The Dodgers had home field advantage and the Phillies won. The Dodgers had an all-star closer and the Phillies won. The Dodgers had the best clutch player in baseball and the Phillies won. The Dodgers had four five tool players (Kemp, Ethier, Martin, Hudson) and the Phillies won. The Dodgers had a manager with four World Series rings and the Phillies won. The Dodgers were a better team and the Phillies . . .  won.
Now I am sure the Dodgers are/were upset but think about it this way in third grade my little league team won the wild card and went to the playoffs. First round we beat the best team. I had a friend on that team told me that he would cheer for us because he could say he lost to the champions. And for the record he could as we won the championship! (YAAAAAAAAAH!)
Anyway if the Phillies win the World Series the Dodgers should not be upset. Then they would have lost to the championship.
However it seems one Dodger executive was not so happy as Dodger owner, Frank McCourt fired his wife from CEO of the team. However the twist that most people do not know is that they are divorcing. So it is a little different.
At first when I heard about this I thought, wow and laughed a little. It was not till writing this article that I learned that they were getting a divorce. I really think this was just a way to get his anger out about LA but he claims it was just business. 
Again though maybe that is why I won’t be an executive.

3 In The 13th

What a wild night it was in Philadelphia last night. Every single position player played except all three backup catchers, George Kottaras of the Red Sox and Chris Coste along with Paul Bako of the Phillies. A total of twelve pitchers came in the game and struck out 34 batters. Jon Lester  got eleven while Joe Blanton struck out seven.

The final score was five to two but ended in the thirteenth inning when Boston scored three runs in the top of the inning and then Daniel Bard got his first major league save and Takashi Saito got his second win of the season. Youk and J.D. Drew supplied the power as each hit solo home runs off of Joe Blanton.

The lineup was a little questionable and it was not the only questionable thing Terry Francona did. Here is the line up so you can be the judge.

1- Dustin Pedroia, 2B

2- J.D. Drew, RF

3- Kevin Youkilis, 3B

4- Jason Bay, LF

5- David Ortiz, 1B

6- Jason Varitek, C

7- Jacoby Ellsbury, CF

8- Nick Green, SS

9- Jon Lester, P

Of corse playing at Citizens Bank Park there are not any DH’s so Terry Francona put David Ortiz at first base and moved Youk to third. I liked the move because Ortiz has finally broken out of his slump, hitting three home runs in six games. Ortiz though went one for three with a strikeout before being taking out of the game for Mark Kotsay in the sixth.

The other questionable thing Terry did happened in the ninth. Jonathan Papelbon needed the day off and Takashi Saito had pitched a hard earned 1.1 innings against the Yankees and Francona wanted to give him the day off even though he could have pitched in the ninth. Saito came in and got two outs in the 12th and got the win. Anyway so with Boston up by one run in the ninth Ramon Ramirez came in.

Ramirez had given up back to back home runs in his last outing against the Yankees and with Ryan Howard up Ramirez gave up another home run. Let me just say I would have never put him in. I mean sure he has been having a good year but I would have put in either Manny Delcarmen or Justin Masterson. Delcarmen last pitched Thursday and Masterson came in and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in extra, striking out three. I might have considered Daniel Bard, who later got the save that game but because he is a young kid I can understand Terry not wanting to put him in and then have him give up a home run.

Anyway Ramirez’s ERA is up to 2.10 and he has now given up four home run, seven earned runs, eighteen hits, and has walked ten in 30 innings. I really did not like the Coco Crisp trade even though I agreed he needed to go. Boston could have got a lot more for him. But I am getting off topic. Ramirez is in a slump or whatever you want to call it and before the season started I thought he should be a mop-up reliever. Maybe he should become a mop-up reliever for a little while.

Jon Lester though was the talk of the game though he gave up just two hits an earned run and walked just two. He also struck out eleven including six straight (the record is ten though in case you were wondering set by Tom Seaver) Lester got Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez to strikeout twice. 

Lester has been on fire his last three starts striking out 34 going two and zero. His ERA for his last three starts has been 1.23 against the Blue Jays, Rangers, and Phillies. Lester has only walked seven batters and given up seven hits. Against teams with guys like Vernon Wells, Ian Kinsler, and Raul Ibanez.

Lester pitched seven great innings but did run into some trouble in the second. After a leadoff single for Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino doubled moving Ibanez to third with no outs. Lester then got Pedro Feliz to ground out but Ibanez scored on the play. Carlos Ruiz would ground out for the second out of the inning but Victorino would move to third. Joe Blanton though grounded out to second as the hits to Ibanez and Victorino would be the last hits he gave up.

Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay and Jacoby Ellsbury went a combined five for 23. The four of them batted just .217. They also combined for seven strikeouts. On a positive note they combined for two RBIs, scored two runs, and did not make an error along with the rest of the team. Youk also had a home run and stole a base like mentioned before. 

Dustin Pedroia did not have such a good game. Mr. MVP went zero for seven and left four runners on base. He did not strike out though. Pedroia said after the game, “I haven’t had the best at-bats, but the balls I hit hard seem to get caught. You hit stretches like that throughout the year. I’m not to concerned. We’ll get in there tomorrow and work on it.”

Even though Youk did hit a home run it was not his best game. Youk went one for five with three strikeouts. Of corse Youk had a run and a RBI. On another positive note Youk played Golden Glove defense at third and then after Mike Lowell came in he played Golden Glove defense at first.

Jason Bay who I think we can officially put into MVP talks did not have his best game either. Bay went two for five with three strikeouts. He did score the first run in the thirteenth inning and have a walk. 

Jacoby Ellsbury was playing his first game back since hurting his shoulder diving for a ball. Ellsbury did not have his best game as he went two for six with an RBI in the thirteenth inning. Ellsbury did strikeout once though. In the field he looked fine same thing running he did not steal any bases or make any diving catches but he does not need to every night. 

The Red Sox mostly played small ball to win this game. Besides Kevin Youkilis’ and J.D. Drew’s home run there were no other extra base hits in that game. The Phillies only had three extra base hits. Even though there where a total of seven runs there where only sixteen hits and eleven of those hits were singles.

Tonight Dice-K faces off against Antonio Bastardo, a young lefty who is two and zero so far this year. Tonight David Ortiz is sitting with Mike Lowell playing third and Rocco Baldelli is in right. I think the Red Sox will get an early lead and keep that lead. I also think Dice-K will pitch like his old self earning the win.

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Mr. Epstein please just Call Up Clay already! Send down Ramon Ramirez because this guy is dominating in AAA with an ERA of 1.75 and he is 4-0! Please call him up and ohh ya this is for you.


AND VOTE FOR ANDRE ETHIER!!!!!!!!!!

Photo Credits

1-makeamemory.com

2- bostonsports.mlblogs.com

Who Will Win What- N.L. East- Phillies

Congrats to my friend over at Short Porch in Right Field for getting a hard one. The question was, “The 1971, 1972, and 1973 Oakland Athletics had three different players with the same last name. What was their last name.” The answer was “Alou”. Today’s question is below.
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Also before I begin I would like to say two things. 1.) I am skipping to the Phillies and the Braves today because they start playing today. 2.) I will continue my predictions and everything as the season goes.

2. Philadelphia Phillies 90-72, Wild Card


The 2008 World Champions have a lot of work to do if they want to win another ring. The Mets brought in Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz to help fix their bullpen. The Phillies lost out to Gary Sheffield to the Mets and both teams dissed each other. Like when Cole Hamels called the Mets “choke artist.” So everything is setup for yet another interesting year in the N.L. East. 
The Phillies did not do much this offseason but what they did do was very productive. They resigned Ryan Howard to a three year 54 million dollar contract. They resigned veteran Jamie Moyer. They recently let Geoff Jenkins go. They signed Chan Ho Park to be the fifth man in the rotation. Their biggest move other then resigning Ryan Howard though was signing Raul Ibanez to replace Pat Burrell. 
It will be a very interesting “battle” to see who does better, Burrell or Ibanez. Last year Ibanez hit .293 with 23 home runs, and 110 RBI’s for the Mariners. Burrell will be the D.H. in Tampa Bay. In 2008 Pat the Bat hit .250 with 33 home runs and 86 RBI’s. I think this will be a blowout a Ibanez will have a much better season the Burrell. However June 23, 24, and 25 will be very interesting to watch.
The Phillies have one of the best bullpens in baseball. Led by closer Brad Lidge who was perfect last year except for his blunder in the all-star game. Ryan Madison is always reliable and Scott Eyre is pretty good. Chad Durblin gave up a run about every 2.3 innings of work. Former Red Sox J.C. Romero is a threat out of the bullpen. However Romero will miss the first fifty games of the season for using steroids. Which could distract the Philies a little but Romero is not a household name such as A-Rod.
The Phillies also have one of the best offenses with Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, and Jason Werth. I mean you know your a good team when your first six batters are possible all-stars. In 2008 the teams 2009 1,2,3,4,5, and 6 batters hit 152 combined home runs while Ryan Howard finished second in Nation League MVP voting. In 2009 Baseball Prospectus (my new favorite book) projects them to hit 140 home runs which is twelve home runs less but still fantastic. One thing to watch out for is that Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez are all left handers and come right after each other in the order.
The Phillies have a good pitching staff but in my opinion not a great one. Cole Hamels, the teams ace, will not be starting tonight because of his elbow pain. Brett Myers will fill in for him. If the Phillies want to win the Nation League east then they need another ace. They should have gone out and got A.J. Burnett or Derek Lowe.
Jamie Moyer is 46 years old and has 246 carer wins. I actually see him playing till he turns fifty. Which would give him 300 wins. However I do not see him getting into the hall of fame. Lets just say Moyer gets 300 wins in 2013. That would mean it took Moyer 27 seasons to get 300 wins. Roger Clemens has a higher chance to get into the hall of fame then Jamie Moyer even if Moyer got 300 wins.
Joe Blanton will have all the run support he will need and will benefit from a full season in Philadelphia. Blanton will be interesting to watch and I am not just saying that because he is on my fantasy team. Last year Blanton started 13 games with the Phillies and went 4-0. However his ERA was 4.20. Blanton is not much of a strikeout pitcher and the fact that six out of eight starting position players are at least decent will help him.
the Phillies will barely get second in the N.L. East by one game. However I think that the Phillies are the better team. The only thing the Phillies are better then the Mets at is the rotation and the Braves have the best rotation in the N.L. East. Really the Mets, Phillies, Braves, and Marlins could all take the East. Just one thing is for sure. It will not be the Nationals.
Philadelphia Phillies' Brad Lidge reacts as Carlos Ruiz runs over to hug him during Game 5 of the baseball World Series in Philadelphia. The Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 to win the series.
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All right today’s question is kind of easy. “Who hit the most carer home runs and never won an MVP?”
Photo Credits
1- the1constant.mlblogs.com
2- comerciaappeal.com

Will Curt Get The Call To The Hall?

Well I only got two commenters from yesterday’s blog. 😦 So I am leaving the question open for one more day.

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Also remember to vote for me in Max Madness! As of 8:35 eastern time I am winning 53% to 48%. A very close battle indeed!
Gone From The Game . . . For Now
38 Pitches
On Monday the game of baseball had a pitcher leave. That pitcher being possibly the best postseason pitcher of all-time, Curt Schilling.  At 9:37 eastern time Shilling announced his retirement on his blog, 38 Pitches. That one entry has over 1,200 comments (see that’s how many comments I will be getting after I am the closer for the Red Sox.) 🙂 Curt finished his carer with 216-146 record, an ERA of 3.46, and 3,116 strikeouts. He is one of only sixteen pitchers to have over 3,000 strikeouts. In the postseason he was just amazing. He went 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA and 120 strikeouts. Curt made four World Series and won three of them. Curt is a six time all star who played with the Baltimore Orioles, the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Boston Red Sox. In 2004 Curt had a TV add saying that he was coming to Boston to end an 86 year curse and you know what? Curt is an honest man. That year he beat the Yankees (along with his bloody sock) and beat the Cardinals in the World Series. Three years later he did it again. I mean I could write ten entries about his postseason success but I do not have that kind of time. So know two questions remain unanswered. We Curt get the call for the hall? Also will he ever come back to the dugout or go to the press boxes? Well I see Curt making the hall on believe it or not his first try. Every radio dude and most writers I have heard/read have all said they would vote for Schilling but they do not think he will get in. Well I have heard/read probably around 50 guys so that would give him about one tenth of the vote already. Now could we see Curt in the dugout or up in the press box soon? I could see him in the dugout as a manger or a pitching coach, maybe for the Rays or Cubs like he said before. Now there is no way he would be manager for the Rays or Cubs so I guess him being a pitching coach is more likely. Now he also has a good chance of being in the press boxes. As a stated before Curt already has a blog and I think he would be very insightful in the press boxes like Sean Casey is on MLB Network. Both have played with and/or against manny (opps how did that slip in there) of the current MLB players. Now I do not think Curt will work for NESN because we already have two great announcers including the one and only Jerry Remy! Shilling’s last game will be game two of the World Series. That is a thing any kid would dream of once doing.
*UPDATE* I watched some March Madness and now is 10:00 eastern time. I am winning 56% to it 44%.*


curt-schilling-bloody-sock.jpg



Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling


Photo Credits
1- 38pitches.weei.com
2 redsoxgirl46.mlblogs.com
3- espn.go.com
4- search.espn.go.com

************************************************************************************************************All right today’s question is , “Name five MLB players who left for World War II.” This has manny possible answers  so good luck!

Abreu the Angel

I have had it with steroids in baseball. Sure Miguel Tejada didn’t take steroids but he lied about them. From now on the word steroid is banned on this blog unless we are making fun of the Yankees or that the one in a billion chance that David Ortiz took steroids becomes true.

Bobby Abreu
Today outfielder Bobby Abreu signed a one year five million dollar contract. The deal also includes incentives. This deal is a perfect example of the effect the economy is having on baseball. It seemed like yesterday he was getting twenty million! The deal is still pending a physical though. Abreu turns 35 in March will lead an already talented batting order with Torri Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero. The other five outfielders Hunter, Guerrero, Gary Matthews Jr., Reggie Willits, and Juan Rivera (who mostly plays D.H.) are all righties and Abreu is a lefty. Last season with the Yankees Abreu hit .296 with twenty home runs, 100 RBI’s, 22 stolen bases, 180 hits, and a .984 fielding percentage. Abreu has played thirteen major league seasons with the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, and the New York Yankees. In his carer Abreu has batted .300 with 241 home runs, 1,084 RBI’s, 1,946 hits, 318 stolen bases, and a .984 fielding percentage. Abreu mostly plays right field and Vladimir Guerrero is currently the right-fielder. Abreu will most likely move to left making Reggie Willits sit on the bench. Abreu is a two time all-star won a 2005 Golden Glove, the 2005 Home Run Derby (pictured), and a Silver Slugger in 2004. In the Home Run Derby he hit 24 home runs in the first round a record that was broken by Josh Hamilton (28) at Yankee Stadium in 2008. Hamilton though did not win because he lost to Justin Morneau of the Twins in the finals. Abreu hit six home runs in the semis and hit eleven out of the park in the finals. This is going to be a good move by the Angels who I think with this move are the favorites in the A.L. West over the Oakland A’s. The A’s signed Jason Giambi who took ste****** (hey I’m serious about what I said ay the top) back when he played with the A’s before. They also traded for outfielder Matt Holiday this offseason.
Could Bobby Abreu don Yankee pinstripes by the season's end.
Photos
1- mlbfrontoffice.com
2- nytimes.com
3- sportsillustrated.com
4-nj.com

The Past And The Present

The Past

Andruw Jones in actie voor Nederland
Andruw Jones signed a one year minor league deal with the Texas Rangers today worth $500,000. The deal could be worth one million dollars if he gets 620 plate appearances this year. This offseason Jones was rumored to be traded from the Dodgers to the Mets. Jones is a five time all-star who was won ten Golden Gloves. Jones spent eleven outstanding years with the Braves then in 2007 he had a not so good year, batting .222, with 26 home runs, 127 hits, 94 RBI’s, and five stolen bases. That was still a great year just not an Andruw Jones type of year. In the offseason that year Jones signed with the Dodgers. In 75 games he batted .158, with three home runs, 33 hits, fourteen RBI’s, and zero stolen bases. Andruw is still a good fielder though. In 2008 he had a .993 fielding percentage which made his carer fielding percentage .991. This offseason the Dodgers released him after he agreed to defer $16 million of the $21.1 million he is owed. Jones is the third washed up player the Rangers have signed this offseason joining Omar Vizquel and Derrick Turnbow. Jones has some heath problems. Like the fact that he is overweight. Jones is not likely to be the starter in centerfield though because Josh hamilton is already in center. Jones could become the utility outfielder if he has a strong spring training. I think Andruw Jones will have a strong spring training and be the fourth outfielder but will get sent down in the middle of the season do to poor performances. I did take him off the list of possible center fielders I might want for fantasy baseball because when players are sent to the minors they can’t earn you points and because I don’t want a backup outfielder on my team as the starter. This is also some what of topic but would anyone buy my Andruw Jones autographed rookie card that is in mint for maybe thirty dollars. 😉
The Present
"Ryan Howard" Photograph
Ryan Howard signed a three year, $54 million dollar contract with the Phillies avoiding arbitration. Howard will get paid eighteen million dollars a year. Last season Howard took the Phillies to the World Series by batting .251 with 48 home runs, 146 RBI’s, one stolen base, and 153 hits. He did have 199 strike outs last year tying a carer high. He finished second in MVP voting in 2008 behind Albert Pujols. Howard has won many awards in his three year carer including, a Hank Aaron award, a Rookie of the Year, a silver slugger, a MVP, but has only made one all-star game. He did make two home run derby’s and won the 2006 one. Howard has a carer batting average of .279 with 177 home runs, 578 hits, 499 RBI’s, and two stolen bases. Last year in the playoffs he batted .269, with three home runs, fourteen hits, nine RBI’s, and zero stolen bases. Ryan Howard has a lot in common with Adam Dunn. Both strikeout a ton, both hit for power, both are one time all-stars, both can play first base, (but Howard plays it every day while Dunn also plays outfield) both bat lefty, both were born in November 1979 (Howard the 19th and Dunn the 9th) and the list goes on and on. Now I think Dunn will not get Ryan Howard money maybe twelve million dollars if he is lucky. If Ryan Howard wants to get into the Hall of Fame though he will have to cut down on strikeouts. Same thing with Adam Dunn.
Photos
Andruw Jones-honkbalsite.com
Ryan Howard- art.com

Fantasy Baseball Help- Tip 1

I know Cob is starting a fantasy baseball league so I thought for all you first timers I thought I would give you some tips.

Draft Players on Good Teams

When drafting your team try to draft great players on average or great teams. The Mariners lost 101 games in 2008 year. In 2007 years ago they won 88 games. In 2007 Felix Hernandez won 14 games an in 2008 he won nine and lost 14. For pitchers run support is key. A baseball team with great sluggers and average pitchers will do fine. In 2007 the Tampa Bay Devil Rays won 66 games. In 2008 the Rays won 97 games. Every single one of their pitchers did better because of run support. When drafting sluggers you can afford to break this rule for a really good player. Playing on a better team for a slugger means more runs, RBI’s, and a higher on base percentage. You get more runs because people will drive you in more. You get more RBI’s, because more people will be standing at third base. Lastly you will get a higher on base percentage because if a pitcher walks someone they will then have to face a better hitter next. Lets use the Mariners and the Rays again. In 2007 Ichiro hit had 111 runs, 68 RBI’s, and a .396 on base percentage. In 2008 he had 103 runs, 42 RBI’s, and a .361 on base percentage. Akinori Iwamura, of the Rays had 82 runs, 34 RBI’s, and a .359 on base percentage in 2007. In 2008 he had 91 runs, 48 RBI’s, and a .349 on base percentage. Sure his on base percentage dropped by .010 but he had a much better year. When you drafted players on good teams their confidence is higher which means a better year most of the time. So my list of teams I would draft from are the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, Twins, White Sox, Indians, Angels, A’s, Rangers, Braves, Marlins, Mets, Phillies, Astros, Cubs, Reds, D-Backs, Giants, and Rockies. I don’t plan on drafting any one from the Rays or Yankees though. Also I left the Brewers and Cardinals off for two reasons their pitchers and the fact that their not that heathy.

Hall of Fame Winners and Losers- Part 6

Dan Plesac- No, Never



Dan Plesac is on the ballot for the first time.  he has a carer record of 65-71, with 158 saves, an ERA of 3.64, and 1,041 strike outs. He made three errors at pitcher. He had a .973 fielding percentage. He played 18 seasons with the Brewers, Cubs, Pirates, Blue Jays, D-Backs, and Phillies. He was with the Blue Jays two different times. Plesac I think is the worst player on the ballot this year, no offense. He doesn’t have 500 saves or even 300 for a matter of fact. He did strike out a pretty good amount of guys. Plesac will get 3% of the vote this year which means he will not be on the ballot next year.

Tim Raines No, Eventually 


Tim Raines is up for election for the second year. Raines hit .294, with 170 home runs, drove in 980, had 2,605 hits, scored 1,571 times, stole 808 bases, and was caught stealing 146 times. He played 23 seasons with the Expos, White Sox, Yankees, A’s, Orioles, and Marlins. In 2000 he did not play. He played with the Expos two different times. He and Andre Dawson could be the last Expos in the hall of fame. Tim Raines was the second best leadoff hitter ever behind Rickey Henderson. Raines will get 30% of the vote this year and will get in with 80% of the vote.

Jim Rice, Yes


Jim Rice is on the ballot for his 15th and final time. He hit .298, with 382 home runs, drove in 1,451, had 2,452 hits, scored 1,249 times, stole 58 bases, and was caught stealing 34 times. He made 66 errors in the outfield. He also had a .980 fielding percentage. Jim Rice played 16 seasons all with the Boston Red Sox. Rice was an eight time all-star, won two silver sluggers, and won the 1978 A.L. MVP. I have this gut feeling that Rice is going barely make it or miss it. Last year Rice missed the hall of fame by sixteen votes, 72.2%. Rice will get 77% this year and finally make it into the hall of fame, where he belongs.  Look out Boston a new retired number is coming your way.

Hall of Fame Winners and Losers- Part 5

Dale Murphy No, Never



Dale Murphy is on the ballot for the eleventh time. He hit .265, with 398 home runs, drove in 1,266, scored 1,197 times, had 2,111 hits, stole 161 and was caught stealing 68 times. Murphy played for 18 seasons with the Braves, Phillies, and Rockies. If he does go in it will be as a Brave. In just an eight span Murphy won two MVP’s, along with six golden gloves, four silver sluggers, the Lou Gehrig  award, and the Roberto Clemente award. In that same span he was elected to seven all-star games. This year he will get 15% of the vote and at his best 45% of the vote.

Jesse Orosco No, Never


Jesse Orosco is on the ballot for his first time. He has a carer record of 87-80, with an ERA of 3.16, and 1179 strike outs. Orosco, a relief pitcher is the all-time leader in appearances. He played 24 seasons with the Mets, Dodgers, Indians, Brewers, Orioles, Cardinals, Twins, Yankees, and Padres. He played with the Dodgers two different times. He made four errors at pitcher. He had a great .984 fielding percentage. Orosco is my favorite player on the ballot to not play for the Red Sox because in 2003 in 15 games for the Yankees he had a 10.38 ERA. Orosco will get 7% of the vote this year and his high will be 45% of the vote.

Dave Parker, No, Never


Dave Parker is on the ballot for his 13th year. He hit .290, with 339 home runs, drove in 1,493, scored 1,272 times, had 2,712 hits, stole 154, and was caught stealing 113 times. He made 144 errors at first, second, and in the outfield. He has a .966 fielding percentage. Parker played 19 seasons with the Pirates, Reds, A’s, Brewers, Angels, and Blue Jays. Parker if he goes in will go in as a Pirate. He won two batting titles, three golden gloves, three silver sluggers, and a MVP. He also was elected to eight all-star games. I think Parker should go in. He just missed 3,000 hits and had great stats otherwise, but I don’t think he will. Last year he got 15.1% of the vote I think this year he will get 17% of the vote and his best will be 24.5% of the vote back in 1998. 

Hall of Fame Winners and Losers- Part 2

David Cone, No, Never



David Cone is up for election for his first time. His carer record is 194-126, with an ERA of 3.46, and 2,668 strike outs. He played 18 seasons with the Royals, Mets, Blue Jays, Yankees, and Red Sox. He played with the Mets two different times and the Royals two different times. If Cone does go in he will probably go in as a Met. Cone was traded twice in midseason. After playing with Boston in 2001 he didn’t play again till 2003 with the Mets. Cone won a Cy Young and four World Series. Cone was pretty good but only 194 wins as a starter. Yes, he was a relief pitcher his first few years in the bis but still. he doesn’t have 3,000 strike out or an ERA under 3.00. Cone will get 5% of the votes this year and at his best 25% of the votes.

Andre Dawson, No, Eventually 


Andre Dawson is up for election for his eighth year. He hit .279, with 438 home runs, 1,591 RBI’s, had 2,774 hits, stole 314, and was caught stealing 109 times. Dawson had 93 carer errors in the outfield with a rocket for an arm. He played 21 years with the Expos, Cubs, Red Sox, and Marlins. He will probably go in as the last Expo in the hall of fame. If not an Expo then a Cub. In 1987 he hit 49 home runs, with 137 RBI’s, and 178 hits as a Cub that year. That year he also won MVP. Dawson was so close to 500 home runs and 3,000 hits. Last year he got 65.9% of the vote this year he will get around 70% of the vote. In 2010 he will get in with 76% of the vote.

Ron Gant, No, Never


Ron Gant is up for election for his first time. He hit .256, with 1651 hits, 321 home runs, drove in 1,008, stole 243, and was caught stealing 102 times. Gant played 17 seasons with the Braves, Reds, Cardinals, Phillies, Angels, Rockies, A’s, and Padres. He played with the A’s two different times. Gant was a great hitter before the dirt bike accident where he broke his leg before the 1994 season then he never was his old self again. Gant had back to back 30-30 seasons joining Willie Mays and Bobby Bonds as the only players to do that. Gant will probably get 5% of the votes this year and at his best 15% of the votes.