Oakland – low-revenue Oakland, immortalized in the book “Moneyball,” about winning with a scrimp-and-save payroll – signed a 16-year-old named Michel Inoa on Wednesday. Along with his $4.25 million bonus, Inoa got an Anglicized name, Michael, and a ticket to the Dominican Summer League, where he can add weight to his lithe 6-foot-7 frame, throw his 94-mph fastball, unleash his polished breaking ball and work on his changeup.....
The meeting convinced Oakland to shatter signing-bonus records for a Latino amateur not from Cuba. It’s been nearly a decade since the Yankees gave outfielder Wily Mo Peña a $2.44 million bonus and seven years since the Dodgers gave infielder Joel Guzman $2.25 million. The top bonuses each year since have vacillated between $1 million and $2 million.
My little SABR clique is no less dorky than the rest of the convention, although we trade in knee-high black socks for flip-flops and swap suitcase-sized notebooks for bottles of beer. The bone-white legs remain, sadly. SABR may not like to hear this, but for me the annual convention is merely a reason for various bloggers, Baseball Think Factory posters, and The Hardball Times writers to get together in one place for a few days.
We hang out, goof on each other, go to a game, drink a whole bunch of alcohol, play some poker, and basically just act like we would if everyone knew each other from high school instead of from the online baseball world. We may not have the rugged sex appeal of Oller and certainly none of us can claim to have an exciting job like sports columnist for a second-string newspaper in central Ohio, but if you like baseball and enjoy shooting the #### with some great guys (and a couple girls), it’s tough to beat.
A good story from the Cal Ripken district tourney in the Philly suburbs:
It’s a tale of two balls that I will tell you about today. It’s a tale of a star leading us to heroic triumph. It’s also a tale about how everyone matters.
Yeah, it’s sappy. So what? It’s kids playing baseball. And if you like it, you can also check out chapter one of the Narberth Saga.
Video breakdowns of the likes of Ike Davis and Reese Havens (Mets), Josh Fields (Mariners), Ryan Perry (Tigers), Anthony Hewitt (Phillies), and Daniel Schlereth (D-backs) among others.
An excerpt on Davis:
I’ve seen a lot of reports pegging Davis as a player with 30-homer potential, but I don’t see it. Davis is way too handsy, meaning that his hands get too far out in front of his body. He brings his hands to the ball when he ought to be letting the ball come to him, and in the process he should be turning his hands and hips together....
...By most accounts, Davis has good hand-eye coordination and is able to square up the ball to the bat, but to reach 30 (or even 20) home runs, Davis will need to learn to keep his hands back and let the ball travel deeper.
Less than two weeks after making Tim Beckham the No. 1 pick in the baseball draft, the Rays have reached agreement with the high-school shortstop on a $6.15 million signing bonus, according to a major-league source.
“I was a little hesitant when we first brought him up here for baseball,” Michelle said. “I thought his spirit might be crushed if he got out every time. Then I thought, who am I to micromanage his feelings? He’s going to have to learn how to deal with this stuff.
“The more I shelter him, the more he’ll think, ‘I’m fragile.’ I don’t think I’ll ever tell him he can’t do something.”
At bat, his athletic skill and balance allow him to take a full swing, and he usually makes contact. He hops to first base as quickly as he can. If he’s safe, he uses crutches to run the bases. When he gets thrown out, he hops dejectedly back to the dugout.
...
Adam tried using a prosthesis but didn’t like it because he felt it slowed him down. He is adamant about not using a wheelchair.
There is a video at the site of his playing catcher, hitting, and running the bases.
A couple more scouting reports on two of the draft’s top prospects…
Crow offers a lot to like. A mid-90’s fastball that he commands extremely well, a hard slider many rate as plus, and a change-up that currently rates about average but in which he has shown a pretty good feel for. While his fastball command is better than his command on his breaking stuff, he still has pretty good control of both his off-speed pitches....
...On the whole, Alvarez’s swing is pretty simple. His hip rotation is aggressive and forceful; he doesn’t let his hands get out in front. Rather, he turns his hips and hands together. He could stand to let the ball travel a little deeper, but that may just be a result of this one particular swing.
Stotle apparently gets no sleep. Today he will be running full commentary on the draft (with an Orioles slant) and if they are anything like his scouting reports . . . it should be a great read. I’ve never thought I knew so much about the draft before.
Camden Depot Shadow War Room
Our Draft Board for 1:4 has changed a bit. Word came out last night that Buster Posey is looking for $12mio. While we believe we should take the best talent available, we can’t justify paying twice the price for Posey that we paid for Wieters. Accordingly, he has dropped to sixth on our board. As it currently stands, we rank the players for 1:4 as follows:
1. Pedro Alvarez
2. Tim Beckham
3. Brian Matusz
4. Justin Smoak
5. Aaron Crow
6. Buster Posey
7. Gordon Beckham
Our current projection is that Tampa will be selecting Tim Beckham at 1:1 Pittsburgh will opt for Pedro Alvarez and Kansas City will be choosing between Eric Hosmer and Justin Smoak (Hosmer the likely selection).
After 1:4 has been selected, we will start updating our top 5 for 2:4.
Stephens County principal David Friend apologized this morning to the Georgia High School Association for an incident in the Class AAA championship baseball series Saturday in which Stephens County’s catcher ducked and allowed a pitch to strike an umpire in the face mask.
“It looks bad, and most people who look at it come away with that conclusion,” Friend said. “But there have been wacky things that have happened in baseball and high schools, and all I’m going to conclude is that it does need to be investigated. If we’re found to be at fault, we’ll effectively deal with the situation.”
Scouting the second highest rated shortstop in the upcoming draft…
Beckham has a high leg kick that he gets down relatively quickly. Kind of like speeding up a delivery can improve the velocity for a pitcher, you want to get that leg up and back down forcefully and quickly before rotating your hips. Beckham does this, but he doesn’t do it with the greatest efficiency…
The actions Beckham incorporates with his swing are similar to Alex Rodriguez. However, there are a few differences in which Rodriguez is much more efficient in the way he uses his body.
For instance, as both players stride forward, you can see Beckham’s bat begin to separate from his body, while Rodriguez is able to keep that bat connected with his body as he moves forward.
The significance? Rodriguez has the luxury of waiting before making the committment to swing. Since Beckham has a longer swing, he has to start the bat earlier than you ideally want…
1. Upton had the better swing out of high school because he used his lower body much more efficiently than Beckham.
2. Beckham’s problem is a little different than Upton’s; while Upton cut off a key segment in his swing, he still turned his hips aggressively and swung through the ball. Beckham, on the other hand, seems to be looking to achieve “extension”, meaning he is throwing his hands at the ball and letting his hands get out in front to meet the ball and cutting short the swing’s follow through. Hitting for power is very difficult when one tries to achieve extension with their swing.
Breaking down the swing of the draft’s top first base prospect:
We see the initial hand load as Smoak shifts his weight forward. Notice as he is moving forward, the bat stays connected with his body indicating a relatively short swing. This also gives you an indication of how strong Smoak’s wrists are.
We can also see Smoak firmly plant his front foot and then turn aggressively on that front leg. He lets his hips and hands rotate together as opposed to achieving extension, which is when the batter lets their hands get out in front to meet the ball, sapping the player of much of their power....
...You know what you’re getting with Smoak: a first baseman with plus power at both sides of the plate with the potential to hit between 30 and 40 homers on a yearly basis. He may not get much better, but he is already very good as is.
CALGARY - The storyline seemed too good to be true - former NHL star Theo Fleury, who has battled alcohol and substance abuse throughout his career, looking for a fresh start in a new sport.
A news release from the Calgary Vipers, a minor league professional baseball team, suggested Fleury, who has Stanley Cup rings and an Olympic gold medal from a career which included stints with the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks, was going to attempt to make the team and live a boyhood dream.
Scouting projected top-5 pick Brian Matusz. The below excerpt is relating to a comparison between Matusz and Clayton Kershaw:
What we can also see from the above side shot is the hip and torso separation. At the end of the animation, you have two ovals highlighting each pitcher’s torso and hips once their pitching arm has reached its ready-to-throw position. Which pitcher to you looks like he has created more separation between his torso and hips? In my view, that pitcher is Kershaw.
The significance of this separation is the tension created between the pitcher’s upper body and hips; at foot plant, Kershaw’s upper body is about to uncoil fury toward home plate, bringing the arm along with it. Matusz is much less efficient with his body in being able to produce velocity.
So there is a reason why Matusz, a projectable lefty, has yet to add much velocity to his fastball while in college
1) Buster Posey, C, Florida State: Great bat, has proven to be solid defender.
2) Tim Beckham, SS, Georgia HS: Overall tools package.
3) Kyle Skipworth, C, California HS: Hits, fields, and intuition loves him.
4) Gordon Beckham, SS, Georgia: Love him almost as much as Posey.
5) Justin Smoak, 1B, South Carolina: Best college bat but not as valuable defensively as Posey and Beckham.
6) Aaron Crow, RHP, Missouri: Stock has dropped just a hair but still looks great to me.
7) Brian Matusz, LHP, San Diego: Could easily flip with Crow.
8) Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Vanderbilt: Injury knocks him back a couple of notches but still elite.
9) Eric Hosmer, 1B, Florida HS: All reports look great. Signability?
10) Yonder Alonso, 1B, Miami: Another bat impossible not to love.
We’ve had a few threads here in the past on what should be done at the macro level to build or maintain interest in baseball among the kids. This article happens to touch on some of the micro-level stuff.
Little Jacob Garcia takes performance enhancers to a whole new level…
Jacob Garcia will return to the lineup for the Mariners today.
Five days after the 12-year-old Vancouver boy was told he could not play Little League baseball because he wears an oxygen tank, his baseball career is back on track thanks to a decision by the governing committee of Little League.
If knuckleballin’ Jon Secrist can give it a shot...what’s holding Bobby Tiefenauer back?
“I really feel good, and I’ll give it my best,” Secrist said before it was eventually announced the weather was forcing the Saints to push the tryout until 9 a.m. today. “I’ll be ecstatic if I make it. At my age, it’s a one-in-a-million chance just to try out and a one-in-a-billion chance to make the club.”
He’d received a sniff here and there from a scout or two, but never the call he’s been waiting for. Until Saints part-owner Mike Veeck, who has contacts in Los Angeles, rang in December.
“Having grown up in the era of Hoyt Wilhelm, it seemed like it would be fun,” Veeck said. “This is the stuff legend and lore is made of.
“I admire people who believe and take shots. If there’s something here, we could all have a lot of fun with it.”
… you will now ask why I’m sucking up to you Yankees fans? It’s because I’m about to say this.
Seriously, have you people lost your freaking minds?
I cannot remember a more stupid controversy than this LaTroy Hawkins number thing. Really. Ever. Maybe I’m missing something. Maybe there is some angle to this thing that I just have not quite gotten my thick brain around.
...But, um, come on. Oh, I said that already. Do you seriously find yourself struggling to imagine anyone ever being good enough to wear PAUL O’FREAKINGNEILL’S NUMBER? I mean, you had Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Ford, Stengel, Reggie — throw Mattingly in there if you want — and you’re really booing and ripping a guy trying to honor Clemente because it offends your PAUL O’NEILL SENSIBILITIES?
I’m just in awe. I am. And then I read that Jeter and others may be trying to get Paul O’Neill’s number RETIRED? Has the world gone mad?Is there some sort of flu going around the Bronx? Will they retire Bernie Williams number since he was a better player? How about Tino’s number? You know, Brosius had the huge hit. What number did he wear? What the hell is going on over there?
Is this funkooler than ‘Grandpa’ Al Lewis screaming #### THE FCC!!! during Stern’s anti-censorship rally ...it might be, it just might be.
I have been writing this blog so I could referee the official Scott Raab vs. Pat Jordan Swear-Off.
Now is the time when you can hide the kids. As you may have noticed on the last blog, I wrote that some people are good at swearing and some people, like myself, are not. In there, I wrote that Pat Jordan was the best swearer in journalism today. And I wrote that my good friend, Esquire’s Scott Raab, was second best. I will admit now that I did not really consider the ramifications of that statement — in other words, I badly, badly underestimated Scott’s singular pride for the expletive.
He wrote this comment, which I’m sure you have already seen:
“All due respect, but I’d kick Jordan’s ancient, bony, hairless ass in a curse-off any day of the ####### week (Except on Shabbat, when I go to synagogue and pray for Joe Borowski’s piece of #### right arm to fall off.“
At this point, as you have no doubt guessed, it was only a matter of time before Pat Jordan responded:
”Polski, tell Raab i got more muscles in my ####### hair than he has in his ####### body. Also, i stopped shaving my body when i stopped competing in bodybuilding contests when I was 53. I’ll bury the ####### wimp in a curse-off. i got mine the old fashioned way, in the locker room. Where’d he get his, the ####### press box?“
The coach of Kawamoto technical high school threw in the towel to spare his pitcher’s arm with his team losing 66-0 with just one batter out in the bottom of the second.
The hapless hurler had already sent down over 250 pitches, allowing 26 runs in the first inning and 40 in the second before Kawamoto asked for mercy.
“At that pace the pitcher would have thrown around 500 pitches in four innings,” Kawamoto’s coach was quoted as saying. “There was a danger he could get injured.”
As Furman Bisher rubs his hands...* (*Editor’s Note)
LONDON (AP)—Baseball’s 2009 World Cup is being shifted from Cuba to seven European nations in an effort to bolster the sport’s bid to get back into the Olympics.
Cuba agreed to the move, the Italian baseball federation told The Associated Press on Monday.
Italy will host the final, and games also will be played in six other European nations. An announcement was to be made in Rome on Tuesday, the federation said.
Will it be enough to convince the IOC, the world’s largest group of traditionalist, elitist, Euro-centric, male white guys to put Baseball back into the Olympics? Doubt it. Still a far better idea then playing it in Cuba.
I’m not sure if I find this King Kaufman piece (with video) sad or uplifting...but then again, I’m still waiting for the N.Y. Rocker to give me a call.
The Golden Baseball League, a minor league unaffiliated with Major League Baseball, held tryouts in San Francisco last week for its 2008 season.
This is as far away as it’s possible to get from the big leagues in professional baseball, and a collection of players with college and minor-league experience showed up to try to reach for that bottom rung.
...Last week’s tryouts weren’t quite open. Players had to have recent experience in college or pro baseball. The league has an age limit of 29, though that’s waived if the player has played as high as Double-A—two steps below the majors—or in any country’s top professional league.
The level of play in independent ball is usually described as comparable to Single-A ball in the affiliated minors, though Matthew Parris, the pitcher who appears in the video, says it can vary widely.
“There are guys here who are better than guys in A or even Double-A,” he said, “and then there are guys who you wonder how they got a job.”
No-hit through six, down 5-0 through six, win 8-7 in 10.
Chris Duncan’s two-out single in the top of the 10th inning gave St. Louis a wild 8-7 win over the Giants at AT&T Park on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals rallied from a 5-0 deficit, then let a 7-5 lead get away in the bottom of the ninth before finally finishing things off.
Through six innings, the Cardinals not only trailed by five, but they had been held hitless by Matt Cain. But Albert Pujols’ double ended Cain’s chance at history, and Adam Kennedy and Rico Washington hit RBI singles to get the Cardinals on the board. Duncan hit a solo homer and Rick Ankiel a two-run shot in the eighth, and Ryan Ludwick hit a go-ahead jack in the ninth.
Who says it’s too early to look at the ‘09 draft class? I couldn’t ignore one of favorite talents in the country, Kyle Gibson, for much longer. I’m a firm believer that Gibson will be one of the first few picks in the ‘09 draft. Of course, it’s crazy to think we can know that for any degree of certainly right now, but who doesn’t like look down the road a little? I saw quite a few of Gibson’s Cape Cod performance and couldn’t come away much more impressed and most of the other scouts around me appeared to agree.
There is a stereotype given to strikeout pitchers that says they use more pitches (which they do) and somehow aren’t as efficient as pitchers who pitch to contact. But, have you ever wondered which pitchers achieve their positive outcome (an out in play or a strikeout) in the most efficient manner? Example: A pitcher who struck out every batter he faced on three pitches and induced outs in play on the first pitch would be considered extremely efficient. Obviously that is an extreme example, but you see my point.
Wearing No. 60, lifelong Yankees fan Crystal got his chance a day before his 60th birthday.
Derek Jeter followed Crystal in the lineup, with Alex Rodriguez, Bobby Abreu and Robinson Cano among the other regulars also playing.
Johnny Damon was scheduled to take over the DH job from Crystal later in the game. Damon was in the spirit, saying it was fine that he sat at the start in place of Crystal.
‘’He’s been around longer,’’ Damon said. ‘’He’s got credibility.’’
I hope I’m not overdosing the college news but this is a situation that could be the biggest story for the upcoming draft. Vanderbilt 3b Pedro Alvarez, considered the #1 draft prospect, broke his hand, somehow, in his first at-bat of the season. He missed the rest of the weekend with what was called merely “soreness” but now we get this news. Wrist/hand injuries can be horrible for hitters, especially sluggers like Alvarez, but he will probably go in the first couple picks anyway however I guess there is a small chance he and Boras could turn this into some LaPorta situation. It’s a story worth watching.
(78 - 11:36am, Jul 04)
Last: jonathan (Joseph HannaCust)