Today’s Expos trade of Bartolo Colon and Quadruple-A infielder Jorge Nunez for Orlando Hernandez, Jeff Liefer, Rocky Biddle and an undisclosed amount of cash in a three-way deal with the White Sox and Yankees caps a two-month circus that’s left fans of the Expos and plenty of other teams nauseous. The Yankees dealt Hernandez and $2 million cash to get righty set-up man Antonio Osuna and Triple-A pitcher Delvis Lantigua.
As mentioned in yesterday’s Daily Prospectus, one of the best perks of an Arizona Fall League trip is seeing the players up close. Watching a Josh Karp curve fall off the table or seeing Chip Ambres staying back long enough to drive the ball enhances a fan’s enjoyment of the game immensely.
With that in mind, here are a few player observations from my recent trip to Arizona.
Mark Teixeira’s for real. OK, you probably didn’t me to tell you that. The Rangers’ superstar third base prospect has terrorized pitchers every step of his amateur and pro careers.
But did you know Adam Morrissey has one of the quickest swings you’ll ever see? That Kevin Cash’s defense may be even better than you’ve heard? That Luke Hudson could help push the Reds to the top of the NL Central in 2003? You would if you headed out to Phoenix for the Arizona Fall League season.
When I was little, I thought sportswriters had the coolest job in the world. I couldn’t wait to grow up to become a baseball beat writer, or the next great writer for Sports Illustrated, or an author who could talk about cool stuff like the 1927 Yankees. I wanted to be them.
I hate myself now for thinking that way.
Continuing from Part 1 of the discussion with former major league pitcher Dr. Mike Marshall.
Today Dr. Mike Marshall, who pitched for nine teams over his 14-year career, works as an adjunct professor at St. Leo University in St. Leo, Fla., teaching exercise physiology.
The important thing is to have the right people making these decisions.
With the Twins in the ALCS and these two teams in the NLCS, there are some eerie similarities between today and 1987.
The scene outside Edison Field Saturday following the Angels’ first playoff series win in its 42 years of existence was unlike any I’d ever seen.
Recently, BP’s authors got into a heated debate over the merits of Shea Hillenbrand. Hillenbrand, you may remember, started the 2002 season on fire, setting Red Sox Nation hearts aflutter and confounding statheads everywhere.
After hurting his elbow in 1974, Tommy John’s successful 11-year career with the Indians, White Sox and Dodgers looked like it was over. But Dr. Frank Jobe and his partner Dr. Robert Kerlan parlayed a long-shot procedure (ulnar collateral replacement surgery) into 14 more productive years for John’s left elbow.
Few baseball arguments elicit more debates than comparing players across eras. No matter how much the numbers may suggest otherwise, a fan growing up in the 60s may never be persuaded that Barry Bonds deserves to be ranked alongside Hank Aaron. Likewise, a fan growing up in the 90s may never fully grasp the greatness…
Every year the shrewdest teams reach into the dollar store bargain bin, hoping to find the mint-condition Boba Fett Blaster (still in its original packaging!). Modest success means finding a warm body who will ensure you don’t have to sign the next Kevin Young to a mega-contract. All it takes is finding a player a hair above replacement level and you’ve done your job while potentially saving a few million bucks in the process.
If you’re really smart�and let’s face it, lucky�you find that rare gem who offers a major improvement over your incumbent. Better still, finding a bargain lets a team use its resources for other needs.
The 10 players below all make $4 million or less this year.
We constantly hear teams bellyache about their inability to sign free agents. To a certain extent, they have a point. A team like, say, the Expos, probably couldn’t afford to pay, say, Darren Dreifort $55 million over five years. And boy, could they use a right-handed rehab partner for Scott Downs. Every year the shrewdest…