Building The Perfect Pitcher

But whose brain do we use? Stay away from the Abby-Normal ones…

I’ve seen this sort of exercise done before, usually in difficult-to-quantify terms like “Mental Toughness” or “Stuff” or “Nastiness” or “Poise.” This time I’d rather it be metric-driven, even if the data is based in part on observation and, by extension, is subject to error. I simply wanted to determine who had the best pitches this season or, more accurately, who had the best results from their pitches

Cameron: Moore resisted all offers for “young” veterans Melky Cabrera and Jeff Francoeur

Ô Cameron, Berceau de nos Ancêtres (Frenchy style)

Francoeur and Cabrera, two players who have re-invented themselves and now team with Alex Gordon to form one of the better outfields anywhere in baseball, seem thrilled to be in Kansas City.

And frankly, they’ve both been terrific.

Cabrera is hitting .304, with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs. Francoeur’s numbers are .272, 14 and 62. The Royals have played 108 games, exactly two-thirds of their 162-game schedule – putting Cabrera and Francoeur ...

Brookover: Wade played no favorites in dealing Pence

and all future skid greasing will have no bearing whatsoever! So there!

Amaro did not think that was going to be the case the day before. He feared things were falling apart but said, “I always try to stay cautiously optimistic.”

It helped that he was dealing with Wade, but not because Amaro feels as though he can pull one over on his former boss.

“Obviously I have a familiarity with Ed and I view him as a good friend,” Amaro said. “The one thing you can get from some particular GMs is that ...

Elliott: Robbie Alomar flip a game-changer

This can’t be true. I seem to remember Rich McKinney attempting this once…and ending up in the weeds.

“I was thinking the other day about changes I’d seen in the game since I started playing,” Mike Flanagan said. “The only one I can think of was brought in by Robbie Alomar.

“On a ground ball up the middle, how he’d field the ball and do a back-hand flip to the shortstop on a double play grounder.”

Alomar was the first Flanagan ever saw make the play and without breaking ...

McAdam: Buchholz has stress fracture, likely out for year

No Clay morrow? Anarchy!

With the benefit of hindsight, it’s easy to now understand why the Red Sox spent so much time and energy on finding a starting pitcher at the trade deadline.

Clay Buchholz, who’s been out six weeks, is suffering from a stress fracture in his lower back, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

It’s unlikely that Buchholz will pitch again this season, though a return in the postseason has not entirely been ruled out yet.

Buchholz, whose last start was ...

Rosenberg: Bad behavior tarnishes Tigers-Angels game

Freep Printable Behavior Charts.com has lots of great ideas!

Alas, Angels pitcher Jered Weaver did not. Weaver responded by trying to expand Ordoñez’s vocabulary.

Ordoñez said, “If you get mad because somebody hits a home run against you ... you gotta take it like a man.”

Yes, you do. The Tigers had the moral high ground, and Carlos Guillen promptly pulled them off it. Guillen took Weaver deep, then stood admiring his home run, and stared at Weaver and pointed toward the fence. He did ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 8-1-2011

Pittsburgh Press, August 1, 1911:

Painesville, O., August 1.—Fred White, 18 years old, first baseman for the Mohawks…was struck by a pitched ball which caused his death yesterday afternoon.

White, after being hit, finished a half inning with his team, and was just getting into a wagon to return to his home here when he dropped unconscious.

Fred White: Gamer.

Baker: End of the Erik Bedard and Bill Bavasi era for the Mariners

The fact that Josh Fields will be added in to the outgoing Seattle portion of the deal matters little. Fields never really took in Seattle, where he staged a bizarre early holdout for six figures in additional cash when he could have spent part of the 2008 season with the M’s had he played his cards right.

Instead, Fields becomes the fourth and final No. 1 draft pick from the Bill Bavasi era to be traded out of town by GM Jack Zduriencik. Fields joins Jeff Clement, Brandon Morrow and Phillippe ...

Sullivan: Carlos Pena believes Cubs’ chemistry could be better

It’s Quaderupolarizin’!

While the Cubs’ clubhouse is relatively calm and quiet compared to years past, Carlos Pena surprised the media on Sunday by expressing a desire to improve the team chemistry.

“When you have the right kind of chemistry, it’s just magical,” he said. “That’s exactly what we’re trying to build toward — that chemistry that really just makes incredible things happen. … It’s not something you can just turn on a switch. I know that for a fact. But it does happen. It’s a ...

MLB.com: Pirates trade for Ludwick

A day after adding Derrek Lee, the Pirates acquired Padres outfielder Ryan Ludwick just minutes before Sunday’s non-waiver Trade Deadline for a player to be named.

Ryan Ludwick, like Derrek Lee, is a person who plays professional baseball.  They didn’t cost the Pirates anything, though, and the Pirates have some big holes in the lineup that professional below-average players can fill.

RedSox.com: Red Sox acquire Bedard in three-team deal

The Red Sox traded four Minor Leaguers in the deal, three of whom—catcher Tim Federowicz, pitcher Stephen Fife and righty Juan Rodriguez—went to the Dodgers for outfielder Trayvon Robinson. The Red Sox then dealt Robinson and outfielder Chih-Hsien Chiang to the Mariners to complete the exchange for Bedard. Boston also acquired Minor League reliever Josh Fields, a right-hander, from the Mariners in the deal.

Rangers get Mike Adams from Padres

Nolan, you’re just encouraging these pampered modern starting pitchers to only go six!

A day after acquiring Koji Uehara from the Orioles, the Rangers added to their bullpen again Sunday by acquiring Mike Adams from the Padres.

Adams, the most sought-after setup man on the market, has a 1.13 ERA in 48 appearances this year for San Diego. He has held opponents to a .453 OPS.

The Rangers paid a steep price for Adams, giving up both Joe Wieland, the pitcher who threw a no-hitter last week for ...

Diamondbacks add Ziegler, Marquis

Feeling they have an even better one on the way, the Diamondbacks traded their starting first baseman to the A’s for a setup man on Sunday.  The three-player deal sent Brad Ziegler to Arizona in return for Brandon Allen and left-hander Jordan Norberto.

Allen had… a .213/.325/.404 line in 178 at-bats with the Diamondbacks over the last three years.  He’s not a surprising A’s target, in that his game is much more about power and walks than batting average.  Unfortunately, he does strike ...

Braves acquire Bourn from Astros

Parturition is such sweet sorrow…

FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports that the Braves have acquired Michael Bourn from the Astros in exchange for four minor leaguers.

The Braves have been wanting an outfielder for a while now, preferably one that hits right-handed, but they’ve instead just grabbed the best one that’s available. Bourn leads all of baseball in stolen bases with 39, has had a great year at the plate (.303/.363/.403) and will give Atlanta a dynamite defensive center fielder. ...

Murray Chass on Baseball: JOURNALISM AT ITS WORST

PORTRAIT OF THE BLOGGER AS A HOOD, MR. PRESIDENT

But here is Peter Nash accusing (Barry) Halper of fraud when he himself was found to have defrauded a memorabilia dealer. Yet the Post ignored that fact, identifying Nash simply as a blogger who writes for haulsofshame.com and is working on a book titled “Hauls of Shame: The Cooperstown Conspiracy and the Madoff of Memorabilia.”

“My article wasn’t about me; it was about an article I wrote on my Web site,” Nash said in a telephone ...

STLToday: Van Slyke critical of Rasmus

“According to what I read, he’s never been happier (being traded) since he’s been a Cardinal,” Van Slyke said. “How can you be happy being traded from the St Louis Cardinals? It’s the most nonsensical thing I could ever imagine.

“I couldn’t have been more upset than when I got traded (to Pittsburgh). It took me a month to get over it.”

...“No wonder he’s never performed the way he should have.

“Then his father says the Cardinals have changed his game. Well, I would hope so,” Van Slyke ...

Red Sox back out of Harden deal

Not so fast on that trade for Rich Harden.

Hours after agreeing late last night on a deal to acquire Harden from the Oakland Athletics, the Red Sox backed out after reviewing the right-hander’s recent medical information, a baseball source confirmed early this morning. Harden, meanwhile, told reporters in Oakland that he expects to start Tuesday night for the Athletics.

Harden, 29, has been on the disabled list 10 times in his career, most recently during the first three months of this ...

Lupica: The Mets have never had an MVP, but Jose Reyes is certainly deserving of award this season

“Mr.” check, “Gooden/Strawberry” check, “batting average” check…can’t seem to find “a player named” in here. I’ll keep searching.

But Monday is Aug. 1, and for now, Reyes is not just still the best player in town this season, he is the MVP of his league. He has the second highest batting average in baseball, after Adrian Gonzalez, who is the MVP for the American League so far. He has scored 78 runs, even though you know what the rest of the Mets batting order has looked like for so much of ...

Report: Giants to get Orlando Cabrera from Indians

2011 World Series MVP?

The Indians are definitely doing more adding than subtracting at the moment, but they’ve decided Orlando Cabrera is expendable and they’re about to trade him to the Giants for outfielder Thomas Neal.

Cabrera had hit just .244/.277/.321 while serving as the Indians’ primary second baseman for most of the first four months… The Giants will likely shift Cabrera back to his natural position of shortstop.  He probably won’t be an everyday guy, but he should be able to ...

Report: O’s expected to ship Derrek Lee to Pittsburgh

Pirates pick up a righty-hitting, aging former star named “Derrek”.  How could this possibly fail?

A source told the Baltimore Sun’s Dan Connolly that it’s “very likely” Derrek Lee ends up with the Pirates, though only after Pittsburgh takes a close look at his medicals.  Connolly reports that the Orioles will likely pick up part of Lee’s salary and get an A-ball prospect in return.

... [Baltimore will] likely give [Chris] Davis a long look at third base, with Mark Reynolds making the ...

Jim Duquette: Some scouts amazed at the haul the Orioles brought back in Uehara deal

And from the Melewskian comments…(Chris) “Davis has an Adrian Gonzalez skill set.”

“I think the value is great,” Duquette said. “I was surprised. I have called a couple of scouts in the industry checking on what they are hearing (about deadline deals) and it was three different scouts I spoke with and they too were amazed at the haul that the Orioles brought back.

“You are talking about an eighth-inning guy in Koji and I think the Rangers are counting on his option vesting for next year. But, ...

Rafael Furcal approves trade to Cardinals

But Tony said that Corey Patterson has “the talent to be a No. 1 hitter”!

As expected, shortstop Rafael Furcal has agreed to a trade to the Cardinals. This according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

No word yet on what the Dodgers will be getting in return.

Furcal has been plagued by injuries for most of the 2011 season and has hit just .197/.272/.248 in 37 games, but the Cardinals are optimistic that he’ll be able to get back to his career norms with a change of scenery.

A’s send Rich Harden to Red Sox

With Hiroki Kuroda and Ubaldo Jimenez coming off the trade block Saturday, the Red Sox had to resort to a lesser addition. They got it in the injury-prone yet very talented Rich Harden, from the A’s. The Red Sox are sending Lars Anderson and a player to be named later to Oakland (Kevin Goldstein via Twitter).

Harden, 29, has long been one of the more talented pitchers in the majors, but his arm has deteriorated over the years due to many injuries. He went 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 89 ...

Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez traded to Indians

McBride goes westbound and up.

According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Rockies have agreed to trade right-handed starter Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians for pitching prospects Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, and 26-year-old minor league first baseman Matt McBride.

Joe Girardi thinks double headers ruin the quality of baseball

We’re set for a split doubleheader. Joe Girardi is not high on the concept, or on straight doubleheaders for that matter.

“I don’t like either one,” Girardi said. “I would vote for two seven-inning games, or you increase the roster for doubleheaders, just because it’s so hard on your team physically. It’s one thing if you have a day off after a doubleheader, but if you don’t, it’s really hard on you physically. I think it takes away from the quality of the game sometimes in ...

Rangers acquire Uehara for [Chris] Davis, [Tommy] Hunter

And Jeffrey Hunter was traded for a package including Uhura.

Right-hander Koji Uehara of the Orioles have reportedly been traded to the Rangers in exchange for corner infielder Chris Davis and pitcher Tommy Hunter (Baltimore Sun via Twitter)...

Uehara, 36, is pretty underrated—likely due to playing for the non-contending Orioles. He has a 1.72 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 62 strikeouts in 47 innings this season. He’ll fit quite nicely in Texas as an eighth-inning bridge to Neftali Feliz.

Davis, 25, has ...

Neyer: Moves at Trade Deadline Can Be Great Deal of Trouble

The most important thing to know about baseball trades made in July is that most of them do not amount to much. Few of the stars traded to contenders will be the difference between winning and losing, and few of the young prospects traded for stars will become stars. Still, we have had a flurry of activity leading to Sunday’s deadline for nonwaiver trades (don’t ask), with stars like Carlos Beltran, and numerous lesser lights changing teams and kindling hope among their new teams’ fans. ...Read More...

bobm Posted: July 30, 2011 at 08:22 PM | 14 comment(s)
  Beats: athletics, blue jays, cardinals, cubs, history, mariners, mets, nationals, rangers, red sox, twins

Royals trade Aviles to Red Sox

Yamaico no problem!

Mike Aviles might have just talked his way into first place.

The Royals traded Aviles to Boston Red Sox on Saturday for utilityman Yamaico Navarro and minor-league pitcher Kendal Volz. The move came one day after Aviles publicly expressed his displeasure at being a utility player…

Aviles, 30, was the Royals’ player of the year as a rookie in 2008 and batted .304 last season after returning from major elbow surgery… He departs with a .222 average, five homers and 31 RBIs in ...

Tigers acquire Fister, Pauley from Mariners

Fister? Furbush? WTF…

The Tigers, in need of fortifying their starting rotation, acquired starter Doug Fister and reliever David Pauley from the Seattle Mariners Saturday, a high-ranking Tigers’ official confirmed. The official was not authorized to speak publicly.

The Mariners will receive left-handed pitcher Charlie Furbush, minor league third baseman Francisco Martinez, minor-league outfielder Casper Wells and a player to be named, according to the official.

Fister, 27, has been a ...

Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain slighted by Phils’ Manuel

If Alvin Cash were still around…I’m sure we’d have a The Philly Freak-ish follow-up.

In an out-of-left-field comment following Thursday night’s 4-1 Giants victory, Manuel put down winning pitcher Tim Lincecum (and Matt Cain), correcting a reporter who suggested the Phillies struggled against these “great” pitchers, who together held them to one unearned run in 13 innings in the series.

“They’re good pitchers. You say they’re great pitchers? To me, I don’t know how great they are,” Manuel ...