Watch for Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez

This week, as you might have already saw, has been all about the trade deadline, and Ryan Braun. Alex Rodriguez is probably next, as the MLB continues to hunt down players with alleged PED use.

I want to write about someone before he comes to the big leagues. Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez is the number 1 pitching prospect out of Cuba. Gonzalez is a 6’3’’ 26 year old with a high leg kick and a two time represent of the Cuban national team in the 2009 and 2011 World Baseball Cups. He relies more on dominant pitching rather than moving the ball around. That means that he relies comfortably on his fastball, which is around the low-90’s on average but can bump to 96. He also throws a curve, splitter, and change-up. 

Gonzalez’s agent, Jaime Torres, believes that his client can help a major league team this year and expects to have him sign in the next couple of days. Because he is 26 years old and a declared free agent by Bud Selig, he can go right into the MLB. 

Teams that were interested in him last weekend (in no particular order) was the Dodgers, Cubs,  Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, Phillies, Blue Jays, Twins, and Marlins. Sources tell me that the Twins and Marlins are not the favorites to sign, and are out of contention now. Last weekend, Peter Gammons of MLB Network reported that the Dodgers would offer a five year, $50 million contract to Gonzalez, but now the Dodgers are “not pursuing” Gonzalez. Remember, this Dodger team just took a game and a half lead in first over the D-Backs in the NL West, even though they are only 6 games above .500. Although, also remember that they have pitchers like Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Zack Greinke, as well as just getting Ricky Nolasco from the Marlins. They also still have Chris Capuano, Ted Lilly, and Josh Beckett as well. They may not need Gonzalez anyways, but it could be an added bonus.

Well now we’ve eliminated three of the nine already. Torres has told reporters that Gonzalez has limited his decision to five teams. With the Rangers just getting Matt Garza from the Cubs, and just had an amazing start by him, I think they’ll hold off. That leaves us with the Cubs, Yankees, Phillies, and Blue Jays.

The number one contender? It looks like the Red Sox. Boston president and CEO Larry Lucchino said this morning that the organization is looking “pretty hard” at the Cuban righty. Gonzalez has reported that the Red Sox are one of five teams that he is looking that. The Red Sox would not have to give up anything to get Gonzalez, just money. 

It looks like Gonzalez could be a ready No. 3 or 4 starter, or a long reliever, for any team that wishes to buy him. I can’t wait to hear where he declares, because he can make a huge impact on any team.

Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com with any questions/comments/concerns.

-Evan Boyd

Trade Watch: Alex Rios, and A Look at the Matt Garza Trade

Matt Garza is now gone. He’s moving to Texas to play for the Rangers. The Cubs, however, got some good stuff for Garza. The Cubs are building towards being a contender in 2015, and they obtained pitchers Justin Grimm and C.J. Edwards, as well as 3B Mike Olt and a player to be names later. Grimm is 7-7 in the MLB with a 6.89 ERA. Not very good, but he is only 24 years old, and the young pitching can really help the Cubs. 

Mike Olt used to be the biggest prospect in the Rangers organization, but an injury in Winter ball has hurt his eye vision. He’s like Mark Reynolds; tremendous power with a lot of walks, but a lot of strikeouts too. But who knows, he has shown signs of improvement and could be back up in the big leagues soon. 

C.J. Edwards is probably the centerpiece of the deal. Lightly scouted, he was drafted in the 48^th round from the Rangers. He throws a fastball in the lower 90’s, but can top at about 98. Only 21 years old, he is developing more and more in his command and power. In the A league, he’s 8-2 with a 1.83 ERA in 93 inings. He’s struck out 122 batters and walked only 34, and in his career in the league, he has yet to allow a home run. 

It’s a fair deal for both sides, but the Cubs probably benefit. Garza has been 5-0 with a 1.24 ERA in the last 6 starts, but they will only get about 12 starts from him until he hits the free agency market. With this Rangers rotation though, they have a very good chance to win their third AL West title in four years.

Today’s not about the Cubs, though. We continue our discussion with the other Chicago team, the White Sox! Two days ago before we heard about Braun, we discussed about Jake Peavy, but let’s talk about the other trade bait, OF Alex Rios.

Rios is bound to move in about the next week. The 32 year old has been putting up some good numbers in his career, having a career .278/.325/.444 with 155 homers, 675 RBI’s and 206 steals. Not bad. He is actually batting exactly like his average this year, batting .278/.333/.442. He’s made two all-star appearances and was on the MVP ballot last year. 

Last Friday, manager Robin Ventura benched Rios for what the manager said was a lack of hustle in a loss. Rios wasn’t very happy about that decision, but he had his revenge the next day, having 3 hits, including a grand slam, in a White Sox 10-6 victory over the Braves. 

His sabermetric stats are still pretty good. He has a .311 BABIP and a 2.1 WAR, but that’s not as good as his .323 BABIP and 4.2 WAR last year (all of these are according to FanGraphs). Defensively, he’s pretty good as well, having a 4.8 career dWAR, with a 2.1 dWAR back in 2008 with the Blue Jays.

So far from what I’ve heard, the biggest scouter on him is the Boston Red Sox. I don’t really see why, considering they have the third best OF in terms of WAR. They have Jacoby Ellsbury (.304/.369/.426 with AL best 37 steals), Shane Victorino (.284/.329/.395 but has dealt with injury) and switches with Mike Carp (.317/.378/.612 in 54 games) or Jonny Gomes (.242/.332/.434 in 71 games). Who knows that Boston will do though.

He might be gone from the Sox, but I’d honestly rather keep him. I don’t see any team wanting him that bad, and I don’t see much that they can get from him. He might be the best OF on the market, though. Some other OF’s on the market are Jason Kubel from the D-Backs, Raul Ibanez from the Mariners, and Nate Shierholtz from the Cubs. Also with the Cubs is Alfonso Soriano, but it seems like the Yankees are closing on a deal with him coming back home to New York. Raul Ibanez might be the best offer if a team is looking for power.

I’ll keep you updated with any trades going on in the next week. Hopefully there are more soon, this has been a boring year in trades. Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com with any questions/comments/concerns.

-Evan Boyd

BRAUN IS DONE

Braun is done. After a tough fight with the MLB, he has been suspended for the rest of the season. What’s worse is that he has lied to everyone about it, and he just accepted the suspension this time. It sickens me to find that one of the best players in baseball has been lying about his career and is just a fake. What’s worse is that this is just the beginning of the suspensions. 

Ryan Braun has been a Milwaukee Brewer his entire life, starting out in 2007 and batting .324/.370/.634 to win the Rookie of the Year Award. Of course, he has not stopped his great hitting. After 2011, he was voted in the top 5 for MVP three times, including winning the award in 2011. He has won 5 silver sluggers and has been a 5-time all-star. This year in 61 games he batted .298/.372/.498 with 9 homers and 38 RBI’s. Braun could also steal (130 SB in his career), and could hit for contact just as well.

In December 2011, Braun tested positive for an elevated level of testosterone caused by some performance-enhancing drug (PED), and faced a 50 game suspension. Braun appealed the drug test in January 2012, and actually won in a 2-to-1 vote, and was put back in the game. Braun actually “won on a technicality” because it wasn’t the substance that they tested differently, it was said that the handling of it was wrong. 

Two years later, Braun’s name appeared in records in a Biogenesis clinic in Coral Gables, Florida, which alleged to have distributed performance-enhancing drugs to a number of MLB players who tested positive for banned substances. Two other big names on this list was OF Melky Cabrera and 3B Alex Rodriguez. Cabrera dealt with a 50-game suspension last year, and decided to stay out for the season because he did not want to affect the Giants organization in any way. It was a just statement, and the Giants didn’t need him anyways! A-Rod (or should I say, A-Roid) is in the minor leagues for the Yankees now because of injury, but he’s next for any suspension. 

In early June, MLB began to prepare suspensions for players linked to using PED’s provided by Biogenesis of America, and its founder, Anthony Bosch. In fact, when commissioner Bud Selig was on The Late Show with David Letterman, Selig said that he cannot bring out the information to the public, but they have made a decision on the issue. Thus, just yesterday, MLB suspended Braun for the remainder of the season for his involvement with the Biogenesis clinic. Braun will lose $3.25 million as a result. What’s worse is the Braun did not appeal the suspension. Why? In a statement, he said “I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions.” 

Well what the hell Braun? Earlier in 2011, you said “I am innocent, and I will continue to fight until proven that I am innocent.” So yeah, Braun is just a dirty liar. He lied to everyone, and only cared about himself. I personally think that he should be suspended even more. I think they should suspend him for next season as well, or even better, kick him out! There’s no excuse for a cheater like him to even play the game of baseball. Milwaukee and the organization should be ashamed. Bud Selig should be ashamed too, not because of his dealing with the Biogenesis clinic scandal, but Selig used to be the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. He should have suspected something while he was there, or at least taken action. 

I’m not the only one pissed. Rick Sutcliffe might be the angriest in this situation. In yesterday’s game with the Yankees vs. Rangers, Sutcliffe made two statements that stunned me and the other two people in the booth. First, Sutcliffe told them that he talked the Braun personally before, saying something along the lines of “Hey, I’m not trying to get anything out of you, but did you really take steroids?” and Braun stated no and that he never would. Sutcliffe believed him, along with plenty of other people. 

But then he made a statement about steroids in general and how they have ruined this sport in the last 20-30 years. He brought up Wally Joyner, a first baseman for the California Angels and later the Royals and Padres. Joyner was voted in to the all-star game his rookie year, and was 2^nd on the ballot for Rookie of the Year. However, he never made an all-star appearance after that. Why? That’s simple: Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire were just better. Look at those two players now. How many Wally Joyner’s have there been out there that have been cheated by something like this? There have probably been plenty.

You look at McGwire and Palmeiro, but also Bonds, Sosa, and Clemens. Now it’s Braun and A-Rod, and it’s ruining the performance of every other player in baseball. It drives me insane that the MLB does not have stricter policies, but with A-Rod next, things could really get crazy.

Braun is just another disappointing chapter in the PED saga. I hope they get A-Rod good.

Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com for any questions/comments/concerns.

-Evan Boyd

Trade Watch: Jake Peavy

We have already talked about the biggest trade bait on the market, Chicago Cubs RHP Matt Garza. Chicago has yet another pitcher to offer though. However, we have to drive 8 miles south of Wrigley to find him. That’s right, the White Sox are looking to deal one of their main pitchers. He is not as valuable as Garza, but is probably the second biggest pitcher on the market. Let’s look at RHP Jake Peavy.

Jake Peavy used to be all ever. As a Padre, he had four seasons with an ERA under 3, his best being 2.27 in 2004 (he went 15-6). In 2005 he was just as good, pitching 37 more innings and leading the NL in strikeouts with 216. It wasn’t until 2007 though where he had his miraculous season, where he went 19-6 with a 2.54 ERA, 240 strikeouts, a 1.061 WHIP, and a 9.7 K/9 ratio. All of those stats, including wins, were the highest in the NL. He would end up winning the Cy Young that year, and made his 2^nd of 3 all-star appearances. 

He was traded to the White Sox in 2009, and actually went 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA as a Sox player. In his career with the Sox, he’s gone 35-29 with a 3.98 ERA. The main problem with Peavy is that he’s been injured. In 2010 he only had 17 ML starts, and 18 in 2011. It wasn’t until last year where he went 11-12 with a 3.37 ERA. Don’t let that record fool you, though. He would go on to be an all-star, as well as win the Gold Glove Award for pitchers. 

Injuries still make Peavy on and off though. He was activated from the disabled list last Friday, and as long as his rib is doing ok, he could be some trade bait. Manager Robin Ventura said that he’d rather keep Peavy, but you never know what can happen. The Diamondbacks might be interested in him, as they need a guy like Peavy if they want to keep their playoff hopes. The D-Backs pitching rotation is average, even with Ian Kennedy (3-7, 5.29 ERA) having a horrible season. The White Sox are interested in pitcher Randall Delgado from the D-Backs, a pitcher that the D-Backs have considered dealing before. Delgado, a 23 years old, is 2-3 with a 3.43 ERA. 

 

Peavy has lost some velocity in his fastball. He used to have a 95 mph fastball on average, but now it’s settled to about 91 mph. He then relies on his slider, cutter, and changeup to strike batters out. At times he’ll throw a curveball, but that’ll be on rare occurrence.

He still has plenty of talent though. The Cubs were interested in him in 2009, and they could be adding him to their rebuilding program. I think they are more likely to go after free-agent-to-be David Price as a main ace though. 

Especially with injuries, it’ll be tough to figure out where Peavy will go, if he’ll go. The White Sox could easily trade him in 9 days though. He’s 32 years old, and could make a major comeback from his years in Chicago to a different squad. I'm not done talking about the Sox though, they still have others to deal. Read tomorrow to find out more.

Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com with any questions/comments/concerns.

-Evan Boyd

Some 1st Half Awards, and some Predictions Ahead

Hey hey, we just saw 3 and a half months of awesome baseball, but the end is yet to come. Some teams that have been doing great, while some teams have disappointed. The same goes with players. Today, let’s look at who has done the best so far in each league, and give their respective awards. Let’s start with MVP

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera (Tigers)


There’s no doubt about this one. The reigning MVP and Triple Crown winner is playing even better. Ironically though, Cabrera might not get the Triple Crown. This year he bats .362/.455/.668 with 30 homers and 95 RBI’s. First off, the 95 RBI’s is incredible, he’s the first player ever to hit 30 homers and 90 RBI’s before the all-star break. Second, his batting average, OBP, and SLG have all gone up dramatically from last year. Last year he batted .330/.393/.606 with 44 homers and 139 RBI’s. This year he has 132 hits and 60 walks, both an AL high (last year he only had 66 walks).

His WAR is already at 5.5, but would be higher if he played better defense (his offensive WAR is 6.5). If he doesn’t win the Triple Crown because of Chris Davis, who cares? He still is one of the best players we have ever seen play.

NL MVP: Paul Goldschmidt (D-Backs)

This was a much harder decision for the NL than the AL. I like Goldschmidt because he has tremendous power, has good versatility, and is probably the best defensive first baseman in the MLB (sorry, Votto). Goldschmidt bats .309/.391/.551 with an NL high 77 RBI’s and 21 homers, 2 of them being walk offs. He has a 4.8 WAR, and 874 putouts at first (an NL high). He’s also only 25 years old. He could be the next superstar one day.

AL Cy Young: Bartolo Colon (A’s)

Once again a tough pick. But for this first half, I believe that he pitched some amazing stuff to get where he is. In 19 starts, he’s 12-3 with a 2.70 ERA, a great 4.67 K/BB ratio, and a WAR of 3.6. In June he was practically unstoppable, going 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA, including two wins against the Mariners, and a win against the Cardinals. He went on to win 8 decisions in a row, but would lose his first July decision against the Cubs. He’s not a strikeout pitcher, but for his age and knowledge of the game, he has performed very well. He hasn’t pitched this well since 2005, when he won the Cy Young. Yes I know there are talks about steroids, but keep reading.

NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)

Sorry, Matt Harvey. Kershaw is just too good. His 1.98 ERA and 5.1 WAR just shows that. He leads the NL in ERA, ERA+ (182), WHIP (.908), and H/9 (6.0). There’s no question about it in my opinion.

AL’s Worst: Josh Hamilton (Angels) and R.A. Dickey (Blue Jays)

Now to be fair for Dickey, he’s a knuckleballer and usually has an ERA above 4. But considering the Blue Jays traded the reigning Cy Young Award Winner for a lot of stuff, it’s very disappointing. Dickey is 8-10 with a 4.69 ERA, and a .8 WAR. Last year he was 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA, and also had the most strikeouts at 230. This year he only has 92. I get the idea that since he switched to the AL his numbers will jump up a bit, but it should never go up by that much.

As for Hamilton, what annoys me is that he bats .227/.285/.417. How can you be a power hitter and only have a .285 OBP, a .417 SLG %, and 14 home runs? This is the guy who, in 2010, batted .359/.411/.633 and won the MVP. Last year, he hit 4 home runs in one game. Now, he has a .9 offensive WAR stat, and is on track for a sub .250 average. All for a $17 million salary. Welcome to Los Angeles, Josh.

NL’s Worst: Matt Cain (Giants) and B.J. Upton (Braves)

I actually think that a HUGE reason why the Giants are struggling is because Matt Cain can’t find his command. He’s had 3 sub-3 ERA seasons in 4 years, and even pitched a perfect game last season. What’s happening now? He just can’t find his stuff. He’s 5-6 with a 5.06 ERA. On the brighter spot, he’s on track for 206 strikeouts, which would be the most in his career.

As for Upton, he’s lucky that he’s on the Braves because they can still win without him. However, it’d be really nice if he could step up to the plate soon. He’s batting .177/.266/.300 with 8 homers and 20 RBI’s. For a guy getting $12 million, that’s absolutely horrendous. Just like Josh Hamilton, he is not getting used to his new team. He’s on track for 200 strikeouts, which would be the worst in his career.

AL Rookie of the Year: Jose Iglesias (Red Sox)

He’s no Mike Trout, but he is something special to watch, and a big help for the Boston organization. In 53 games, he’s batting .366/.416/.459 with a 2.1 WAR. He actually has been in the league since 2011, but did not have enough plate appearances to qualify him as a Rookie before. But hey, he’s a special kid that could bat over .300 by the end of the year. At the end of June, he had over a .400 BABIP as well.

NL Rookie of the Year: Shelby Miller (Cardinals)

He is actually my second pick in this category. I would pick Marlins Pitcher Jose Fernandez, but the Marlins plan on shutting him down after 150-170 innings. He has over 100 innings pitched already. Shelby Miller is just as good, though. He’s 9-6 with a 2.92 ERA and has struck out 112. Miller is only a 3^rd or 4^th pitcher for the Cardinals, but that’s because the Cardinals’ pitching rotation is scary good. He could be an ace to any other team, especially in the future. I don’t see the Cards trading him though.

AL Manager of the Year: John Farrell (Red Sox)

What this guy has done to the organization is amazing. See my recent post on the Power Rankings with the Red Sox for more proof. When you change a team from a 69-93 record to a 59-39 record and on track to win 96 games in just your first game is amazing. Having old David Ortiz perform just as well is great, getting Clay Buchholz to pitch magic, and reviving a collapsed bullpen by putting in Koji Uehara, who’s been unstoppable. That’s how you coach.

NL Manager of the Year: Mike Matheny (Cardinals)

If the Pirates keep it up, it’ll be quite close with Matheny and Clint Hurdle. I’m picking Matheny in case the Pirates collapse like usual. One stat that has astounded me is the Cardinals batting average with RISP. It’s absurd, around .330. That, and with a solid pitching rotation that’s comprises of a Tommy-John ace (who’s pitching great) and some young talent is all you need. Matheny can coach even with a great team though. Bringing in Edward Mujica to close, or making random decisions on placing guys has worked. That’s exactly why they have the best record in the league.

Now hold up. All of these guys won’t hold up, will they? My answer is no. The only one that I can guarantee a spot is Miguel Cabrera. If I had to change two answers from above, I’d change these two:

NL MVP: Paul Goldschmidt Yadier Molina (Cardinals)

As much as I love watching Goldschmidt, Molina will have a better year consistently. Goldschmidt has a chance to have his batting average fall under .300, while Yadier Molina has a better probability of keeping it around .330. Right now he bats .340/.387/.491 with 111 hits and 51 RBI’s. Not only that, but he’s been the best catcher in the National League for years. He’s won 5 straight Gold Glove Awards, and is on his way to get his 6^th. Greatest Molina to play baseball? So far, I think so. Sorry, Bengie.

AL Cy Young: Bartolo Colon (King) Felix Hernandez (Mariners)

King Felix has been under the radar the entire season, but has still been dominant. He’s 10-4 with a 2.53 ERA, is on track to have 280 K’s (by far a career high), and is actually one of the greatest pitchers in this current era. It’s because he plays for the Mariners that he doesn’t get much credit. Right now he has a 4.7 WAR, which is tied for what he had last year. He and Hisashi Iwakuma have been a strong duo in Seattle, and will continue that way until the end. He pitched a perfect game last year, and although I don’t see another one of those in him, I see another Cy Young Award in his career. Bartolo Colon will not last as well as Hernandez.

Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com if I missed anyone good.

-Evan Boyd