The Top 10 Fantasy 2B of 2009

These weekly posts of mine will be based on a rotisserie format using a traditional 5×5 scoring system to keep things simple. Personally I prefer more statistics in my leagues (which is why I was the commissioner in one of my leagues), but in order to reach the most readers we will just stick with the basic. But, feel free to either e-mail me or leave a comment in this post if you have specific questions. If I don’t reply to the comment, then ping me in an e-mail, too!

We will go around the horn in this series after skipping the pitcher’s position.

And remember, just because a player had a good fantasy season in 2009, it doesn’t mean he will have another one in 2010 and beyond. Sometimes you need to look into the player’s past and see if he is showing signs of decline over a few years.

Please Note: The 5×5 stats listed below are as follows in this order Runs/HR/RBI/SB/Ave and the number in parenthesis is the player’s age

10 — Felipe Lopez (29) Diamondbacks/Brewers

88/9/57/6/.311

Lopez’s .311 average helps him to hit the top 10 while just edging out Callaspo of the Royals.

9 — Asdrubal Cabrera (23) Indians; also Qualifies at SS with over 20 games started

81/6/68/17/.308

His 17 steals and .308 average gets Cabrera on this list!The fact that he also qualifies at SS is a plus that gives the fantasy owner nice flexibility.

8 — Brandon Phillips (28) Reds

78/20/98/25/.276

Once again Phillips reaches the 20/20 mark, but it’s not enough when the guy just ahead of you reaches the 30/30 mark (even though that guy hit more than 20 points lower in BA). Phillips will always be in the top 10 while he can go 20/20 every year!

7 — Ian Kinsler (27) Ranger

101/31/86/31/.253

Kinsler’s low average keeps him from breaking the top 5 on my list, but the rest of his numbers are Fantasy worthy to say the least as he reached the 30/30 mark in 2009!

6 — Dustin Pedroia (25) Red Sox

115/15/72/20/.296

Pedroia had an off year as his average dipped below .300, but overall you should see these type of number every year from the diminutive one with the BIG mouth. I expect his average to be north of .300 in 2010 with maybe some more RBI with Scutaro hitting 9th.

5 — Brian Roberts (31) Orioles

110/16/79/30/.283

Roberts is the “old” man of this young list at 31 and he had a very typical year. He ranks 5th on this list mainly due to the weak offensive position and his ability to steal bases!

4 — Ben Zobrist (28) Rays; also Qualifies at RF with over 20 games started

91/27/91/17/.297

I’m actually surprised to see Cano higher on this list based upon how high Zobrist ranked in the MVP predictions I previously posted. This was a break though year for Zobrist and I am not sure you can expect him to hit close to 30 HR every year, but he may be consistently good for 20 each year with sufficient playing time.

His ability to qualify in RF is a big plus!

3 — Robinson Cano (26) Yankees

103/25/85/5/.320

These numbers don’t surprise me from Cano, but I still can’t believe he hits these marks with such slow starts every year. They say he’ll win a batting title one of these years, but I doubt that unless he starts a season without being ice cold. He doesn’t typically hit over .300 in a month until around July.

2 — Aaron Hill (27) Blue Jays

103/36/108/6/.286

Not even Utley reached the 100/30/100 mark last year! Where Utley tops Hill is his ability to steal bases and maintain consistency. I doubt we will see numbers like this from Hill again in 2010, but I’m sure he’ll reach most of these numbers, but I doubt he’ll reach 100 RBI again. All this coming off a concussion shortened 2008 season!

1 — Chase Utley (30) Phillies

112/31/93/23/.282

Utley showed no signs of his off season hip surgery in 2009 as his numbers are right on his norm. Need I say anything more about the man with the greasy hair? Probably not! His stats speak for themselves!

Honorable Mentions:

Alberto Callaspo (26) Royals

79/11/73/2/.300

Jose Lopez (25) Mariners

69/25/96/3/.272

The Top 10 Fantasy 1B of 2009

These weekly posts of mine will be based on a rotisserie format using a traditional 5×5 scoring system to keep things simple. Personally I prefer more statistics in my leagues (which is why I was the commissioner in one of my leagues), but in order to reach the most readers we will just stick with the basic. But, feel free to either e-mail me or leave a comment in this post if you have specific questions. If I don’t reply to the comment, then ping me in an e-mail, too!

We will go around the horn in this series after skipping the pitcher’s position.

And remember, just because a player had a good fantasy season in 2009, it doesn’t mean he will have another one in 2010 and beyond. Sometimes you need to look into the player’s past and see if he is showing signs of decline over a few years.

Please Note: The 5×5 stats listed below are as follows in this order Runs/HR/RBI/SB/Ave

10 — Adrian Gonzalez (27) Padres

90/40/99/1/.277

With a better supporting cast where he wouldn’t get walked or pitched around SO much would have put Gonzalez much higher on this list and he may have even hit 50 bombs with over 120 RBI. If he gets traded this off season, his value should skyrocket closer to the top of the 1B list.

9 — Joey Votto (25) Reds

82/25/84/4/.322

Given how many games he was limited to due to that weird injury/illness of his makes this inclusion above Gonzo to be just short of amazing. Where do you think he would be without that time off?!

8 — Kevin Youkilis (30) Red Sox, also qualifies (20 game min.) at 3B

99/27/94/7/.306

The formerly nicknamed “Greek God of Walks” (Moneyball) can also be tagged as Mr. Reliable or Mr. Versatile. Reliable because you can always expect to get close to 100 runs and RBIs while hitting close to 30 bombs and all with an above .300 average. Versatile for his ability to play either 1B or 3B ata high level and in emergencies has been know to play in the OF, too just don’t expect him to qualify for the OF in any given year.

7 — Kendry Morales (26) Angels

86/34/108/3/.306

Morales is one of the only surprises to this list if you ask me although some might say that he always had the potential to have a year like this but who would have thought hat would happen so soon? Hitting over 30 HR and 100 RBI while maintaining an average above .300 is always impressive and most valuable.

6 — Derrek Lee (33) Cubs

91/35/111/1/.306

I hereby label Derrek Lee as the comeback player of the year! Who, outside of the biggest Derrek Lee or Cubs fans ever expected the 33 year old to reach such heights again? The question now is, can he do it for two years in a row? Later this offseason I will attempt to answer that question is the numbers allow.

5 — Mark Teixeira (29) Yankees

103/39/122/2/.292

For a player who was considered for the AL MVP award, a number 5 ranking is surprising especially looking at this lists # 4. Now with that being said, these numbers are nothing to sneeze at! One bomb away from 40 with over 100 runs scored and over 120 RBI while hitting close to .300 is impressive and only to be topped by the MLB elite.

4 — Miguel Cabrera (26) Tigers

96/34/103/6/.324

He’s the second youngest player on this list, probably has the most talent, but is probably the most likely to fall from grace (this type of production) before anyone else on this list due to his lack of maturity (his drinking and inability to stay in good shape). That being said, the numbers don’t lie and Cabrera is once again one of the best fantasy players at this position and in 2009 he also qualified for 3B in most leagues.

3 — Ryan Howard (29) Phillies

105/45/141/8/.279

Most of these numbers were expected except for the .279 batting average which fantasy owners of Mr. Howard will most definitely accept! He has been almost a lock for 40+ HR and over 120 RBI batting in this stacked Phillies offense and while he may not hit close to .280 again, the 40/120 are all but a given is he stays as healthy as he has in the past.

2 — Prince Fielder (25) Brewers

103/46/141/2/.299

After orchestrating one of the most unique HR celebrations in recent memory you will find that Prince has put up another strong all around year and almost hit .300 to boot! He may not hit 40+ HR or 140+ RBI every year but you can expect numbers close to those on a regular basis.

1 — Albert Pujols (29) Cardinals

124/47/135/16/.327

He’s the NL’s 2009 MVP for a second straight year, who else were you expecting to be in this slot? Need I say more? The numbers speak for themselves! The year he does NOT sit at the top of this will probably be due to injury given his unworldly consistency.

Honorable Mentions…

Todd Helton (35) Rockies

79/15/86/0/.325

Billy Butler (23) Royals

78/21/93/1/.301

My name is Peter Schiller. I am the creator/owner of Baseball Reflections.com. I’m also a contributing writer. To read more of my work at Baseball Reflections just click HERE!

I am also affiliated with a great cause, a children’s book with a great message called, “A Glove of Their Own”. Everyone who purchases a copy of this great book using the promotional code PIF 129, a $3.00 donation will be made when purchased through the Franklin Mason Press website for Pitch In For Baseball at checkout. You can purchase a copy by following the link at their website http://www.agloveoftheirown.com

Interview With Legendary Pitcher Tommy John

Tommy John and A Glove of Their Own

I recently interviewed former MLB pitcher Tommy John, for those of you who have been under a rock for the past 30 years, Tommy had played 26 seasons, accumulating 288 wins with a 3.34 ERA and over 2200 strikeouts. He played for 6 Major League Teams, including the Yankees twice. By the way, they named a surgical procedure after him, too.

For the record, in my humble opinion, he should be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the veterans committee ASAP! His omission is tragic…26 years!

So I asked Tommy which came first, the chicken or the egg, or in this case, “A Glove of Their Own”, the popular children’s book, or his meeting Bob Salomon? He replied, “Well, the chicken came first. There would be no AGOTO if there was no Bob Salomon. But the book came first and then Bob got involved with it and we just hooked up one time and started talking and he asked me if I would help him with this and get some things started and going. It sounded like a good idea to me.”

But, before he met Bob he stated that in actuality, “the guy that got involved with me was one of my pitchers that I had at Bridgeport named Garrett Berger. Garrett was a first round pick for the Marlins in about 2000, I believe, and ended up having to have Tommy John surgery and was out of baseball, and I ended up picking him up for my independent league team in 2007. He has a company called ifungo.com where he sells sporting equipment over the internet and that’s where he emailed me and asked me. He said it’s really a good project, it’s baseball oriented, the monies go to charity, and I know Garrett very well, so if he says it’s a good organization (then it is).”

He speaks of how Garrett then introduced him to Bob Saloman and “found out that he’s just (the) salt of the earth. He (Bob)really is passionate about what he’s involved in. And, you know, when you read the book, it’s kind of like the baseball book of Dr. Seuss, where it’s all in rhyme, it’s about paying it forward, you know? Doing things for people and having people do things for other people and before you know it, you’ve got a lot of people doing a lot of things for a lot of people.”

Tommy then speaks about how Bob has been promoting the book.

“ Bob’s gone out and he’s gotten a lot of ex ball players and managers and coaches, and I think he just got Bernie Williams to come on board.”

When asked what he and Bob are specifically doing to promote AGOTO and this is what he had to say, “You know, all we can do is let people know what’s out there. We’re kind of like the catalyst, going around with the signs, like the guy behind home plate all the time, holding up the sign John 3:16, you know? Well, we’re that. We’re holding up AGOTO and if you go online, the thing that I like about it is 1. It’s involved with baseball, and baseball is my passion and my love and it’s all the things that I enjoy doing. If you buy the book online, you can go and pick out whatever charity you want $3.30 to go to.”

Tommy then explained that “$3.30 of every book sale goes to charity.” And that the charity he is a strong supporter for “happens to be ALS because of Catfish Hunter.” He and Catfish use to pitch for the Yankees back in 1979.

He later states that they do a lot of “word of mouth” to help promote AGOTO, “that’s what Bob Solomon does. He goes out and contacts people who contact people who contact people. It’s the same thing: paying it forward with word of mouth.”

I asked Tommy if he was given an advanced copy of the story or if it was just told to him in a conversation he had with either Garrett or Bob he told me that he “did a book signing in Somerset, NJ” and “it was the first time I saw the book. I met a couple of the authors, and it was fun. I enjoyed doing it, and I told Bob I would do whatever I can to promote the book and make sure that the people out there got a chance to see what it is and what’s there and how good it is.” He said that aside from the book signing he has also done “about 30 phone interviews for Bob Solomon and the book.”

Then I asked what Tommy sees as the goal of the book and what he hopes to accomplish by having his popular name attached to promoting it.

“Well, one, to get kids involved in baseball and in helping other people out, maybe not in baseball. That’s that the idea of paying it forward is about. And the other thing is the charitable aspect.

Getting money to charity and helping people that are less fortunate than ourselves.”

I then asked him if he could explain the concept of “paying it forward” a little further?

“Well, if you’ve ever seen the movie Pay it Forward, where the little boy does one good deed and that deed to that person then becomes another deed to another person and then to another person. Then it’s two and then four and then it’s 16 and it’s 32 and it just keeps going and it just goes all over. I think the show was shot in Las Vegas and it was really a good show and the little boy ended up getting killed and the final scene was the mother and her boyfriend went out and here were all these people with candles, thousands of them, coming forward to pay their respects to the boy who started paying it forward. You know, if someone does something for someone else, and then that person does it for two people and those two do it for two more people and all of a sudden, you’ve got a whole bunch of people out there doing good deeds for other people.”

When asked if he had AGOTO story from his past that he could share with our readers, but he said, “You know, I don’t. It’s about little kids playing ball and not having the equipment, and a guy comes by and makes sure that they have equipment. You know, growing up, I didn’t grow up in an affluent family by any stretch of the imagination, the most money my dad ever made was $4.65 an hour, and that was right when he was retiring when I was out of the house. So you can see. . . but I had every piece of sporting equipment I could ever want: baseball gloves, basketball, and you know, that’s what I did, and that was the great love of our lives back then: sports.”

Tommy John and His Coaching and Playing Career

When inquiring with Tommy if he was currently managing, he had this to say, “No, I resigned July 8 from the Bridgeport Bluefish, and I took a job with a company out of Murray (sp), Kentucky, and I sell sports scoreboards: football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, all sports scoreboards. I’m the sales rep in the state of Texas, and what we’re trying to is get the coaches and athletic directors to look at our product. We have a good product. The company’s called Sportable Scoreboards out of Murray, Kentucky, and I think I’ve sold 4 so far since I’ve been going at it.”

Getting back to Tommy’s career, we discussed how you don’t hear guys playing 20+ years anymore, let alone 26, especially as a pitcher. Tommy didn’t attribute his longetivity to a workout regimen.

“No, I think it was genes passed down from my dad. I developed a pretty good work ethic from my dad. Other than my elbow, I really didn’t have any significant arm problems. And, I just kept myself in very good shape. Very good shape. Workout regimen? Nolan Ryan had a very good regimen. But his was just as good as everybody else’s. It’s just the fact that in his family, someone gave him the gene to throw the ball harder than anybody else that I’ve ever seen.”

As I mentioned earlier in part one of this interview, Tommy played for a few teams. So I asked him if there an organization that was better to play for, and likewise, was there one that was the worst, or that he least liked to play for?

“Well, as long as you’re playing major league baseball, they’re all very good. I particularly enjoyed playing for the Dodgers when Theo O’Malley had the ball club. I thought Walter and his wife Kay and then when he passed on to Peter and his wife and then Peter’s brother in law ran the team. They treated it pretty much like a family. But the best place in the world to play baseball, or in fact, to play sports was New York City. Playing for the Yankees was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me as far as my pro career went because it’s a tough market to play in. The fact that you can go out there and play and go through all the stuff that happens within the organization. . . it’s tough and if you enjoy people and you enjoy doing the things that New York has to offer, you will absolutely love it. If you don’t, it’ll be a very, very tough time for you.” He continued to say, “I absolutely loved every place I played. I know that sounds like a very political answer, but. . . I did! I enjoyed every place I played. I started out in Cleveland and then I went to the White Sox and I spent 7 years in Chicago. That was close to home. I could get home on the weekends or my mom and dad could come up on the weekends. Chicago was great. Los Angeles was outstanding! The weather, the ballpark, the fans out there were great. New York, like I said, it’s the best place to play. I never played in St. Louis for the Cardinals, but that would be a very good baseball town too. I even played in Oakland, too, for a very short time, and I enjoyed Oakland as much as any place I ever played.”

Looking at ballparks: Tommy spoke about which ballparks he pitched well in, and which one that he just didn’t want to pitch in at all.

“Well, I had a tough time starting out pitching at Tiger Stadium. White Sox park was a great park to pitch in back in the early to mid 60’s. The old Dodger stadium, before they moved the fences in, was a great ballpark. Old Yankee stadium was outstanding. You know, when I first went there and played there with Cleveland and DiMaggio and Mantle and Maris, that was a great ballpark. Then they reconfigured it and made it smaller and now they’ve made it even smaller and you know, but back when it was 465, 467, and left field was 407, you could just throw balls and guys could hit ‘em a mile and they were outs! The old ballparks were great! In fact, I even enjoyed pitching at Fenway with the short left field wall because everybody was trying to hit it over the wall, and that made my sinker down and away even better.”

Given Tommy had a good sinker, the line drives he gave up at Fenway that might have been a HR in most ballparks were just line drives there. “(chuckle)Oh yes, I dented the wall many, many times!”

When asked if there were any guys that he just didn’t want any part of pitching to Tommy replied, “Well, I didn’t mind pitching to anybody. There were some guys who hit me better than others. They guy who comes to mind who hit me well was Ken Griffey, Sr. I could get Junior out, because he was only about 10 years old at the time! The other guy, statistically, Ned Yost, the ex-manager of the Brewers, was like 12 for 14 off of me, and I don’t ever recall him hitting the ball like that, but obviously he did.”

Be sure to check back tomorrow for part 3 of my interview with Tommy John. At the end of the third section there will be the complete audio of the interview.

Tommy John and His Thoughts on the Game Today

Swinging back from Tommy’s career to the way baseball is currently played I wanted to get his opinion on a few of the differences since his playing days. But I also wanted to get a feel for his take on who he likes to watch, especially modern pitchers.

“I like to watch Chris Carpenter, Brandon Webb, Peavy, Santana. I like Carpenter because he throws the ball. He gets the ball, gets on the rubber and throws. He throws strikes and he puts the ball in play. He gets it, and he pitches old-time baseball. Brandon Webb has one of the best sinkers I’ve seen in a long time. I like Halladay at Toronto. Santana has some of the best, I call it variance of speed. He goes from 94 mph to 72 or 73 mph and if you as a hitter have to slow your bat down or speed your bat up that much, it makes it very tough to hit. Most pitchers in baseball today are 2 speed pitchers. They may have 3 pitches, but their split and slider are the same speed so, you get something fast, something not as fast. If these guys have something else they can throw that’s slower, they can get guys out on it. You don’t see guys that pitch that have curve balls anymore. Big curve balls. And if you have a big curve ball, you can be very effective. Kershaw with the Dodgers has that big curve ball. And guys are swinging at it in the dirt because they just don’t see it anymore. It’s just not there.”

Seeing that Tommy played in the AL before the DH and also in the NL after the DH so I wanted to get his opinion about pitchers batting and he was very adamant about his views.

“I think pitchers should be able to hit, run bases, slide, take the second baseman or shortstop out to break up double plays, I think they should be able to do all that stuff.”

I wondered if Tommy thought there were any current day batters that he thought would give him a hard time if he were pitching to them todayand he said, “Jeter would. Rodriguez would. Anyone who likes the ball out over the plate. There are some guys that are very good hitters now. Good hitters are going to get their hit. Pitchers are going to give them their hits. You just want to do it without anybody on base.”

Knowing the bond that can be built up between a pitcher and a catcher, I asked Tommy if there was a certain catcher that he just loved to throw to. His response was “Munson, Johnny Oates, and for the Red Sox fans out there, I loved to pitch to Pudge Fisk. I only pitched to him 2 innings in the All Star Game in ’80, but he was very good. Better than what I thought. I knew he was a good hitter, but he was a very good catcher.”

Personally, I don’t think fans in general or even some managers respect the art of a catcher who has the ability of calling a good game. Seeing how strongly Tommy felt about pitchers hitting, which I totally agree with his stance there, I wanted to know how important it is from a pitcher’s perspective.

“Well, it’s the pitcher’s responsibility to throw the ball, but you’ve got to have good rapport between the pitcher and the catchers. I would tend to let my catchers call the game. But, I had good catchers, and I didn’t pitch well when I had bad catchers. I was constantly second guessing myself. “should I throw this? He’s not the greatest thinker in the world. What should I do?” I liked to have a great thinking catcher behind the plate. The catchers in the last few years have been offensive, and they catch between at bats.” Likewise, I was eager to ask Tommy for his take concerning the use of pitch counts.

“Pitch counts are like putting a governor on a car because they don’t want the car to go too fast. They put pitch counts on the pitchers to keep the pitchers from throwing a lot of pitches because 1. They have a ton of money invested in them and they probably are on huge salaries and they can get more out of their money if they have a pitch count on him. Back when I played, the starting salary was $7000, and if the guy hurt his arm, he was back selling used cars on his buddy’s lot, but now they have millions invested in salaries, scouting, training. And so the pitch counts, I call them necessary evils. Honestly, though there is no reason why a guy can’t throw 120, 125 pitches, in a ballgame and not hurt their arms.”

I briefly returned to ask Tommy about his managerial days to see if he adhered to pitch counts when he managed.

“Oh yes. When I managed an affiliated team, we had pitch counts and we had to adhere to them. But when I managed in the independent league, there were no pitch counts. Guys pitched 7, 8, 9 innings. If they were still throwing the ball good, they would stay in the game. I just kept asking “how do you feel?” and if they felt good, they could stay out there. If they were getting tired, I’d get someone warmed up…”

My final question to Tommy was to ask him what he saw change from his rookie year to his last year, 26 seasons later.

“Mainly the players were rushed through the minor leagues towards the end. You might have to spend 5, 6, 7 years in the minor leagues before, but you can’t afford to do that now because like I said, they have so much money invested in these guys you just can’t afford to have them in the minor leagues very long. They have to get through the minors and into the big leagues and that’s the way it is.”

I would like to thank Tommy once again for his time and for the interview. Hopefully this will generate interest in the book A Glove of Their Own, too.

My name is Peter Schiller. I am the creator/owner of Baseball Reflections.com. I’m also a contributing writer. To read more of my work at Baseball Reflections just click HERE!

I am also affiliated with a great cause, a children’s book with a great message called, “A Glove of Their Own”. Everyone who purchases a copy of this great book using the promotional code PIF 129, a $3.00 donation will be made when purchased through the Franklin Mason Press website for Pitch In For Baseball at checkout. You can purchase a copy by following the link at their website http://www.agloveoftheirown.com

The Top 10 Fantasy Catchers of 2009

This post is based on a rotisserie format using a traditional 5×5 scoring system to keep things simple. Personally I prefer more statistics in my leagues, but in order to reach the most readers we’ll just stick with the basics. But, feel free to either e-mail me or leave a comment in this post if you have specific questions. If I don’t reply to the comment, then ping me in an e-mail, too!

We will go around the horn in this series after skipping the pitcher’s position.

And remember, just because a player had a good fantasy season in 2009, it doesn’t mean he will have another one in 2010 and beyond. Sometimes you need to look into the player’s past and see if he is showing signs of decline over a few years.

Please Note: The 5×5 stats listed below are as follows in this order Runs/HR/RBI/SB/Ave

10 — Yadier Molina (26) Cardinals

Nothing on this line (45/6/54/9/.293) jumps out at me except for his 9 stolen bases (for a catcher) and his .293 batting average. What makes him a special catcher is his cannon of an arm and a dedication to the lost art of being a defensive catcher in all categories, but that won’t help his fantasy value. He’s still a valuable catcher these past few years with most catchers inability to hit for average anymore.

9 — Mike Napoli (27) Angels

The biggest attraction for Napoli owners was his 20 bombs while in a part time role and his ability to maintain a decent average (60/20/56/3/.272). I’d like to see what he can do with more playing time.

8 — Bengie Molina (34) Giants

Like Napoli at number 7, this Molina brother has value for his HR power as seen in this line (52/20/80/0/.265), but also for his run production on a weak Giants offensive team. He also holds a respectable batting average, too.

7 — A.J. Pierzynski (32) White Sox

A.J.’s value is an above average batting average as all of his other stats are just that…average, but with some pop (57/13/49/1/.300).

6 — Miguel Montero (25) Diamondbacks

Montero made good on his promise due to the unexpected playing time he earned with injuries to the normal D-Backs catcher, Snyder. At just his first year and at age 25 his line of 61/16/59/1/.294 is impressive as players usually grow into their power stroke and to hit .294 in his first look at the major league level is noteworthy to say the least. I expect him to be the number 1 catcher in 2010 and barring injury, should produce a similar numbers.

5 — Jorge Posada (37) Yankees

The old man of this list at 37 years old…wait a minute…that’s not that old! I’m 37. Anyway, where was I, oh yes, Posada had a line of 55/22/81/1/.285 which is why the Yankees will be transferring him to 1B or DH in the coming years where his 20+ HRs, 80+ RBI and average north of .280 will still be of value even to fantasy owners. So with that being said, draft him as a catcher while you still can!

4 — Kurt Suzuki (25) A’s

This was a surprise to me as was Montero although Suzuki has more MLB experience. His run and RBI totals are great for most catchers and his .274 average is nice, too. Again, at only 25, there is room to still grow into a 20+ HR hitter. Here’s his complete line 74/15/88/8/.274, let’s see if he can keep it up in years to come!

3 — Brian McCann (25) Braves

Starting with McCann, these next three were expected. A catcher like McCann with 20+ HR power who can knock in 90+ RBI is a catch for any fantasy owner, especially if that catcher consistently hits over .280. Here is his complete line…63/21/94/4/.281

2 — Victor Martinez (30) Indians/Red Sox and Qualifies at 1B

The only unimpressive stat in this line is his stolen base total and with a line that looks like this…88/23/108/1/.310 who cares?! On top of that, he also qualifies at 1B, but his true value remains a a catcher which is where he plays most of his games anyway. Playing a whole season in Boston over the next few years will make this catcher a much have in all leagues!

1 — Joe Mauer (26) Twins and Qualifies at DH

WOW! That just about sums up Mauer’s MVP 2009 season. 2009 saw him find his power stroke with 28 bombs and maintaining an amazing .365 batting average all while being one of the best defensive backstops in all of baseball. Read his line…94/28/96/4/.365 and weep all you who past up on him in this year’s draft. The big question now remains is if he can maintain this power in the years to come.

Honorable Mentions

Miguel Olivo (30) Royals

51/23/65/5/.249

John Baker (28) Marlins

59/9/50/0/.271



My name is Peter Schiller. I am the creator/owner of Baseball Reflections.com. I’m also a contributing writer. To read more of my work at Baseball Reflections just click HERE!

I am also affiliated with a great cause, a children’s book with a great message called, “A Glove of Their Own”. Everyone who purchases a copy of this great book using the promotional code PIF 129, a $3.00 donation will be made when purchased through the Franklin Mason Press website for Pitch In For Baseball at checkout. You can purchase a copy by following the link at their website http://www.agloveoftheirown.com

East Korean Baseball All Stars Dance

Apparently they are dancing to a very popular song by a Korean boy band.

Can anyone fill in the blanks here? What’s the name of the boy band and or the song? Is this a real all star game or just a celebrity game?




Funny – Funny Videos



My name is Peter Schiller. I am the creator/owner of Baseball Reflections.com. I’m also a contributing writer. To read more of my work at Baseball Reflections just click HERE!

I am also affiliated with a great cause, a children’s book with a great message called, “A Glove of Their Own”. Everyone who purchases a copy of this great book using the promotional code PIF 129, a $3.00 donation will be made when purchased through the Franklin Mason Press website for Pitch In For Baseball at checkout. You can purchase a copy by following the link at their website http://www.agloveoftheirown.com

MLB Player Superstitions [Video]

If you ever wanted to hear about the different type of superstitions baseball players have, then you came to the right place!

In this edition of ClubHouseGas from a couple years ago they talk with some Atlanta Braves (when they had Mark Teixeira) about their superstitions.







My name is Peter Schiller. I am the creator/owner of Baseball Reflections.com. I’m also a contributing writer. To read more of my work at Baseball Reflections just click HERE!

I am also affiliated with a great cause, a children’s book with a great message called, “A Glove of Their Own”. Everyone who purchases a copy of this great book using the promotional code PIF 129, a $3.00 donation will be made when purchased through the Franklin Mason Press website for Pitch In For Baseball at checkout. You can purchase a copy by following the link at their website http://www.agloveoftheirown.com

The Business of Baseball as seen on CNBC

CNBC’s Darren Rovell discusses the business of baseball with Bob Dupuy, the COO and president of Major League Baseball. This was aired a day before the 2009 World Series between the Phillies and the Yankees.







My name is Peter Schiller. I am the creator/owner of Baseball Reflections.com. I’m also a contributing writer. To read more of my work at Baseball Reflections just click HERE!

I am also affiliated with a great cause, a children’s book with a great message called, “A Glove of Their Own”. Everyone who purchases a copy of this great book using the promotional code PIF 129, a $3.00 donation will be made when purchased through the Franklin Mason Press website for Pitch In For Baseball at checkout. You can purchase a copy by following the link at their website http://www.agloveoftheirown.com

Sugar: The Movie now on DVD

Back in July I was informed of the DVD release of the movie “SUGAR”, but as life can sometimes be hectic, I haven’t gotten to write about it until now. “SUGAR” came out on Blu-ray and DVD on September 1st. So if you are a fan of the Dominican Republic’s brand of baseball, “SUGAR” give you a brief glimpse inside. For more info on the movie, here’s a snippet from the official press release.

Sugar is a coming-of-age tale that follows Miguel Santos, a.k.a. “Azucar” (Sugar), a pitcher from the Dominican Republic town of San Pedro de Macoris, who grew up poor but talented, always believing baseball was his ticket out of poverty. Playing professionally at the Kansas City Knights baseball academy, Miguel finally gets his break at age 19 when he advances to the United States’ minor league system. Miguel travels to a small town in Iowa corn country, where he and other Latin American teammates are the only Spanish-speaking people and have trouble learning the new language and culture. Despite the welcoming efforts of his host family, Miguel is faced with an isolation he never before experienced. When his performance on the mound falters, he begins examining more closely the world around him, his place within it, and ultimately questions his life’s singular ambition.

For a look into how well this movie is being received around Dominican players currently in the majors, here’s what a few players had to say.

Pedro Martinez currently pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies and 3-time Cy Young Award Winner said”It’s very real and has a really good message” and NY Yankees All-Star 2B Robinson Cano called it “A great film!”

For further proof of the DR approval of this film, look no further than the list of players (both current and former major leaguers) who took part in interview sessions on the special features of this release (see below).

Blu-ray™ & DVD Special Features Include:

• Making Sugar: Run the Bases
• Play Béisbol! The Dominican Dream including interviews with MLB players David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez and Sammy Sosa
• Casting Sugar: Interview with Algenis Perez Soto
• Deleted Scenes
• Audio: Spanish (some English)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French

A pre-release (prior to September 1, 2009) YouTube video is provided below for a sneak peak.

To purchase “SUGAR” on either DVD or Blu-ray, please follow this links: Sugar [Blu-ray] or Sugar (DVD)!



My name is Peter Schiller. I am the creator/owner of Baseball Reflections.com. I’m also a contributing writer. To read more of my work at Baseball Reflections just click HERE!

I am also affiliated with a great cause, a children’s book with a great message called, “A Glove of Their Own”. Everyone who purchases a copy of this great book using the promotional code PIF 129, a $3.00 donation will be made when purchased through the Franklin Mason Press website for Pitch In For Baseball at checkout. You can purchase a copy by following the link at their website http://www.agloveoftheirown.com

2 Ladies Playing The Classic Nintendo RBI Baseball

This video show 2 young ladies playing Nintendo’s RBI Baseball on the old NES. They don’t know how to play so the men in the room are trying to tell them what to do.

With the exception of a little bad language…this is a pretty funny video don’t you think?

My name is Peter Schiller. I am the creator/owner of Baseball Reflections.com. I’m also a contributing writer. To read more of my work at Baseball Reflections just click HERE!

I am also affiliated with a great cause, a children’s book with a great message called, “A Glove of Their Own”. Everyone who purchases a copy of this great book using the promotional code PIF 129, a $3.00 donation will be made when purchased through the Franklin Mason Press website for Pitch In For Baseball at checkout. You can purchase a copy by following the link at their website http://www.agloveoftheirown.com

Top 5 Low and High Risk Free Agent Starting Pitchers

The market for starting pitchers is perhaps the most interesting, and arguably the most important market heading into any offseason. While casual baseball fans were given a crash course on Type A and B free agents last year, as there were some very high-profile free agents leaving mid-budget teams, they received the most in-depth lesson from the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers entered the 2008 offseason with CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets both entering free agency.

But in both circumstances, the Brewers were forced to accept lesser compensation, none in the case of Sheets, as he didn’t sign a contract last year. Sabathia signed with the Yankees, who took a wholesale approach in an uncertain economy, locking up Sabathia, and fellow Type A free agents Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett. Teixeira ranked highest among Type A free agents, and rather than receiving the Yankees’ top pick, the Brewers had to settle for their second-rounder. Not many teams have the financial wherewithal to absorb three large, long-term contracts, receiving effectively a compensation discount, albeit one that came with a half-billion dollar price tag.

That wasn’t the only story last offseason. Reclamation projects like John Smoltz, Randy Wolf, Pedro Martinez, and Brady Penny littered the rumor mills, and each pitched to a varying degree of success in their attempt to reclaim past glory. All while a left-handed fire-baller, Oliver Perez, was paraded around the country with super-agent Scott Boras’ hyperbole leading to one of the largest contracts of the offseason.

That stated, as most of the reclamation projects of last year signed on year deals, and with a few additions to that list, starting pitchers will receive two categories: Low Risk and High Risk, in reference to their arms.

Low Risk

1. John Lackey, 31 years old

No surprise, almost every credible media outlet has Lackey atop their list of starting pitcher free agents. Lackey became famous for his World Series Game seven start in his rookie season. He’s since turned into a really good pitcher.

Lackey will come with a price tag likely higher than $100 million, and while he’s the best pitcher available, there are some signs of decline in his production. He hasn’t reached 200 innings in each of the past two seasons, and is on the wrong side of 30 years old.

2. Randy Wolf, 33 years old

One pitcher is 31 years old, one is 33 years old. One pitcher pitched 176.1 innings last season at a 3.83 ERA, the other pitched 214.1 innings at a 3.23 ERA last season. To avoid undue suspense, the better of the two was Wolf.

The two biggest things Wolf has going against him, apart from he and Lackey’s injury concerns, are that he’s pitched his whole career in the National League, which will cause concern for some American League GMs, and that he had his best season in some time, as he’s struggled in recent seasons. However, Wolf will likely sign a far shorter contract than Lackey, at a much lower annual salary.

3. Joel Pineiro, 31 years old

Pineiro comes from a long line of pitchers who owe their career-threatening injuries to former Mariners pitching coach Brian Price. Price coached several Mariners pitchers—now injury-prone pitchers—to throw sliders at higher frequency, and different, more detrimental sliders.

In Pineiro’s last season with the Mariners he threw his slider more than 20 percent of the time. He blew out his elbow, but has since revived his career. Last season he threw his fastball a career-high 71 percent of the time, and his slider 12.4 percent of the time, the lowest since 2003, when he pitched 211 innings at a 3.83 ERA. Pineiro learned a two-seam fastball that has allowed him to throw his fastball more often, and more effectively (Groundball percentage: a career-high 60.5 percent).

4. Vicente Padilla, 32 years old

The biggest concern with Padilla is his alleged poor clubhouse presence. However, he set the NL West on fire when he was picked up by the Dodgers, and has had a lot of success in the National League throughout a career that became productive in Philadelphia.

Padilla struggled before exiting the National League, and continued to struggle in Texas. Arlington has done-in better pitchers than Padilla, as it’s a hitter’s haven. As a Dodger though, he went 4-0 in 39.1 innings, with a 3.20 ERA spread over eight appearances (seven starts), struck out 39 and had a 1.220 WHIP.

5. Jarrod Washburn, 35 years old

Washburn, with the help of perhaps the best defensive outfield in baseball, had an excellent first half. The same guy who the Mariners had tried to give away as the 2008 trade deadline approached suddenly had some value, and the team was able to acquire his essential clone in Luke French.

However, things went south for Washburn away from the pitcher-friendly confines of Safeco Field, and an outfield that included Ichiro Suzuki, Franklin Gutierrez and a combination of rangy left fielders. Buyers should beware of Washburn, but teams with large outfields and rangy outfielders may be able to recreate his first half success.

High Risk

1. Rich Harden, 28 years old

Apart from Aroldis Chapman, Harden is the youngest pitcher on this list. He’s a flame-thrower with a career K/9 ratio of 9.35. In the past two seasons, Harden has posted 11.01 and 10.91 K/9, respectively, in a combined 289 innings pitched and 51 starts.

The risk with Harden, however, is his propensity for injury. From 2006 to 2007, Harden pitched only 16 games at the major league level, starting 12. He averages less than six innings per start for his career, but has really struggled to reach the sixth inning the past two seasons. He pitches too cautiously in almost every outing, but his stuff makes him the free agent with by far the highest ceiling.

2. Brad Penny, 32 years old

Penny’s alleged “injury history” is far overblown. While he pitched only 19 games in 2008, he did so as a result of shoulder tendonitis, not structural damage. Furthermore, in 2009 Penny actually set a career-high for average fastball velocity (94.0 miles-per-hour).

Penny struggled at the start of 2009, then a member of the Boston Red Sox, but after his release he found success in San Francisco. The two home ballparks are fundamental opposites, and Penny’s skill set is much better in San Francisco or a ballpark similar to AT&T Park, than it is in Fenway.

3. Ben Sheets, 31 years old

Early in Sheets career, it appeared he was ready to be one of the league’s top workhorses. He pitched 200 or more innings in each of the three seasons after his rookie season, including a 2004 season when, were it not for the poor Brewers team he played on, Sheets could have made a strong argument for Cy Young Award candidacy (he finished eighth in the voting).

Injuries derailed his workhorse status. His most recent injury, a flexor tendon tear at the end of 2008, kept him out of the entire 2009 season. However, with almost a year-and-a-half off from pitching, Sheets figures to be at full capacity at some point in the 2010 season, as elbow injuries usually require a year of rehab for a return to the game, and another year to return to form.

4. Justin Duchscherer, 32 years old

At one point in 2008, Duchscherer and Cliff Lee were in a close race for the American League Cy Young Award. Duchscherer would suffer an injury, though remain effective, but Lee would go on to post one of the best seasons in history (only to be topped by Zach Greinke in 2009).

Duchscherer has become the “Oh Yeah, I remember him” guy, as several other injured pitchers litter the free agent market. However, Duchscherer was supposed to pitch in 2009, and would have were it not for his diagnosis of clinical depression. Duchscherer’s physical health is presumably adequate, but his mental health will play a large factor in his signing or lack thereof.

5. Aroldis Chapman, 22 years old

Chapman is arguably the most revered Cuban free agent to defect, and come to America since the Cuban Trade Embargo of 1962. He has an electric arm, reportedly reaching triple-digits with his fastball, and is developing off-speed pitches from the left-hand side.

However, Chapman’s contract may be too large for many teams, and many scouts question the impressive lefty’s mechanics. The real question regarding Chapman is this: When it comes to mechanically unsound lefties, is he Randy Johnson or Oliver Perez, and on the injury spectrum, is he Johan Santana or Francisco Liriano?

Casey is a super-sophomore at Green River Community College, where he retired from his post as Editor-in-Chief at the school’s newspaper. He’s a featured columnist for the Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks at Bleacher Report. He does a sports radio show on www.kgrg.com, his college’s radio station on Saturdays from 7-10 PM PST. He can be contacted at caseymgreer@gmail.com.