Rumors are like my high school girlfriend. She's everywhere and on everybody...
Sources close to the WS Champion Portland franchise report that the Beaver Cleavers are looking to deal and wheel in the offseason. On the sorta kinda maybe list are AA MVP finalist Del Clifton and catchers Johnny Wilkerson (a former overall #2 pick) and Carlos Tavarez. On Portland's "Don't let the door hit you" list is Lewis Harang.
The same source reports that Portland almost had Washington DC's Johnny Costello, but trade talks broke down at the last minute over Costello's age. Costello wanted to take the trade, but Portland management was concerned about the reason -- apparently, he was a child when Lewis and Clark discovered the territory where the Beavers currently play.
Showing posts with label season four. Show all posts
Showing posts with label season four. Show all posts
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
World Series Preview: Positional Analysis
Don't let me fool you. I did this tonight not out of a sense of duty but as an effort to distract myself from Syracuse University nearly blowing their basketball game against the University of South Florida. And don't get me started on the Sugar Bowl...damn Saban.
Anyhow, the Onion Ball staff put their thinking caps on and came up with a position by position breakdown of the both World Series teams:
CATCHER
Portland's Guy Olson was one of three Portland players to hit .300+ with more than 35 homers. Rookie Grant Gilbert is an up and comer with offensive potential and excellent pitch calling numbers. Boston's Luke Cox hit .305 in the regular season but has lower defensive numbers than his counterparts. EDGE: Portland
FIRST BASE
Portland's Al Mendoza is an an all-world, Hall of Fame player to crushed opponent pitching in his first National League season. Guillermo Rivera hit 22 homers in 83 games for Boston, mustering a .944 OPS. EDGE: Portland. Rivera is competent. Mendoza is the gold standard.
SECOND BASE
In an interesting management maneuver, the Beavers debuted rookie Wendell Clement in the playoffs. And, since rebedwell has made every right decision this season, it turned out well. with Clement hitting .385-3-5 in 26 playoff at-bats. Boston's Howard Lee made the most of his rookie season, hitting .281-34-100 with a .910 OPS. He was equally as impressive in the field, committing just two errors. EDGE: Boston. Age and experience beats youth and ambition.
THIRD BASE
Portland's hottest hand is Philip Thompson, who has 22 hits, nine homers and 16 RBI in 51 playoff at-bats. Translation: 1.442 OPS. Nice! Equally as hot is Greg Lankford. The Sox's leading hitter on the year, Lankford batted .339 with a .968 OPS during the regular season. The trend continued in the post-season -- .392-4-13 with a 1.269. EDGE: Push.
SHORTSTOP
Neither team places offensive emphasis on their shortstops. Boston goes with Bud Rollison and a .294 batting average in 398 at-bats. Portland's Carl McMurray hit .236 in 318 at-bats. EDGE: Push. Rollison's offense is offset by his 22 errors. McMurray's offense is washed out by his two errors.
OUTFIELD
Boston's Hector Pettite hit .329 and reached base at a .399 clip. His outfield mates Tony Trevino and Howie Durham were .250 hitters with less than spectacular extra-base hit numbers. Portland's Darren Thomas had an all-star season -- 302-40-86 with 23 steals. His colleagues in the outfield -- Ken Webster and Josias Veras -- each hit 20+ homers. Webster struck out 140 times. EDGE: Portland, by a hair, because chicks dig the long ball.
DESIGNATED HITTER
EDGE: Boston, as you would expect. It's easier to have a good DH when you plan for it in your everyday lineup. When in use, Jamie Yamamoto will do it for Boston. My guess is that catchers Olson and Gilbert plus Al Mendoza will fill the role here.
STARTING THREE
Boston: Willie Trajano-Groucho Hunter-Raymond Stone
Portland: Octavio Martin-Julian Santana-Preston Mays.
I have a sneaking suspicion that rebedwell is going to drop Larry Dickens (0-0, 4.50 in postseason) for Preston Mays (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 19 Ks in postseason). EDGE: Call me crazy. If he does that, Portland has the best staff. If he keeps Dickens, call it a push.
BULLPEN
Portland's Felipe Balboa has converted all six of his post-season save opportunities, but has a 4.63 ERA in the process. Danny Duran leads the Boston 'pen with a 1.69 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. EDGE: Push. Both relief staffs are sharp.
THE BLOG SAYS: It all hinges on the games in Boston. Portland has a pitcher's park and the higher-seeded Beavers will host the majority of contests this season. The Beaver Cleavers lost one game at home in the playoffs and during the LCS, Philadelphia could only muster six runs in three games at PGE Park. Boston scored over 100 more runs than the Beavers this season. And, they scored significantly more runs at Fenway than on the road this year. Both team were built very well and suited perfectly to their respective leagues. It will be a seven-game series and it will be Portland's to lose. EDGE: Portland in seven.
Anyhow, the Onion Ball staff put their thinking caps on and came up with a position by position breakdown of the both World Series teams:
CATCHER
Portland's Guy Olson was one of three Portland players to hit .300+ with more than 35 homers. Rookie Grant Gilbert is an up and comer with offensive potential and excellent pitch calling numbers. Boston's Luke Cox hit .305 in the regular season but has lower defensive numbers than his counterparts. EDGE: Portland
FIRST BASE
Portland's Al Mendoza is an an all-world, Hall of Fame player to crushed opponent pitching in his first National League season. Guillermo Rivera hit 22 homers in 83 games for Boston, mustering a .944 OPS. EDGE: Portland. Rivera is competent. Mendoza is the gold standard.
SECOND BASE
In an interesting management maneuver, the Beavers debuted rookie Wendell Clement in the playoffs. And, since rebedwell has made every right decision this season, it turned out well. with Clement hitting .385-3-5 in 26 playoff at-bats. Boston's Howard Lee made the most of his rookie season, hitting .281-34-100 with a .910 OPS. He was equally as impressive in the field, committing just two errors. EDGE: Boston. Age and experience beats youth and ambition.
THIRD BASE
Portland's hottest hand is Philip Thompson, who has 22 hits, nine homers and 16 RBI in 51 playoff at-bats. Translation: 1.442 OPS. Nice! Equally as hot is Greg Lankford. The Sox's leading hitter on the year, Lankford batted .339 with a .968 OPS during the regular season. The trend continued in the post-season -- .392-4-13 with a 1.269. EDGE: Push.
SHORTSTOP
Neither team places offensive emphasis on their shortstops. Boston goes with Bud Rollison and a .294 batting average in 398 at-bats. Portland's Carl McMurray hit .236 in 318 at-bats. EDGE: Push. Rollison's offense is offset by his 22 errors. McMurray's offense is washed out by his two errors.
OUTFIELD
Boston's Hector Pettite hit .329 and reached base at a .399 clip. His outfield mates Tony Trevino and Howie Durham were .250 hitters with less than spectacular extra-base hit numbers. Portland's Darren Thomas had an all-star season -- 302-40-86 with 23 steals. His colleagues in the outfield -- Ken Webster and Josias Veras -- each hit 20+ homers. Webster struck out 140 times. EDGE: Portland, by a hair, because chicks dig the long ball.
DESIGNATED HITTER
EDGE: Boston, as you would expect. It's easier to have a good DH when you plan for it in your everyday lineup. When in use, Jamie Yamamoto will do it for Boston. My guess is that catchers Olson and Gilbert plus Al Mendoza will fill the role here.
STARTING THREE
Boston: Willie Trajano-Groucho Hunter-Raymond Stone
Portland: Octavio Martin-Julian Santana-Preston Mays.
I have a sneaking suspicion that rebedwell is going to drop Larry Dickens (0-0, 4.50 in postseason) for Preston Mays (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 19 Ks in postseason). EDGE: Call me crazy. If he does that, Portland has the best staff. If he keeps Dickens, call it a push.
BULLPEN
Portland's Felipe Balboa has converted all six of his post-season save opportunities, but has a 4.63 ERA in the process. Danny Duran leads the Boston 'pen with a 1.69 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. EDGE: Push. Both relief staffs are sharp.
THE BLOG SAYS: It all hinges on the games in Boston. Portland has a pitcher's park and the higher-seeded Beavers will host the majority of contests this season. The Beaver Cleavers lost one game at home in the playoffs and during the LCS, Philadelphia could only muster six runs in three games at PGE Park. Boston scored over 100 more runs than the Beavers this season. And, they scored significantly more runs at Fenway than on the road this year. Both team were built very well and suited perfectly to their respective leagues. It will be a seven-game series and it will be Portland's to lose. EDGE: Portland in seven.
World Series Preview
EDITOR'S NOTE: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I had Philly playing Cleveland. What the hell do I know?
The Beavers and the Minutemen battle for the fourth Wailing Onion World Series Title. For the first time in the history of the world, neither Kansas City nor Cincinnati will be represented. Instead we have:
vs. 
Meet the contenders
Boston Minutemen
RF Hector Pettitte
SS Bud Rolison
3B Greg Lankford
DH Jamie Yamamoto
C Luke Cox
2B Howard Lee
1B Guillermo Rivera
LF Tony Trevino
CF Howie Durham
*Expect Trevino to sit and Yamamoto to play LF or RF during games in Portland
Portland Beavers
CF Darren Thomas
1B Al Mendoza
3B Philip Thompson
C Grant Gilbert
LF Josias Veras
2B Wendell Clement
RF Ken Webster
SS Carl McMurray
*Guy Olson, Grant Gilbert and Al Mendoza will likely split time at DH when games are played in Boston
BALLPARK NOTES
Fenway Park 2, 4, 0, 1, 0
PGE Park -4, -3, -3, -4, -4
(1B, 2B, 3B, HR LF, HR RF)
The Beavers and the Minutemen battle for the fourth Wailing Onion World Series Title. For the first time in the history of the world, neither Kansas City nor Cincinnati will be represented. Instead we have:
vs. 
Meet the contenders
Boston Minutemen
RF Hector Pettitte
SS Bud Rolison
3B Greg Lankford
DH Jamie Yamamoto
C Luke Cox
2B Howard Lee
1B Guillermo Rivera
LF Tony Trevino
CF Howie Durham
*Expect Trevino to sit and Yamamoto to play LF or RF during games in Portland
Portland Beavers
CF Darren Thomas
1B Al Mendoza
3B Philip Thompson
C Grant Gilbert
LF Josias Veras
2B Wendell Clement
RF Ken Webster
SS Carl McMurray
*Guy Olson, Grant Gilbert and Al Mendoza will likely split time at DH when games are played in Boston
BALLPARK NOTES
Fenway Park 2, 4, 0, 1, 0
PGE Park -4, -3, -3, -4, -4
(1B, 2B, 3B, HR LF, HR RF)
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Season 4 Awards and Playoffs Preview
First, I hope everyone here had a happy holiday, regardless of which one you celebrate. Mine was okay. I got a couple of Wii games, some LL Bean clothes and some really yummy scotch (Johnny Walker Blue Label...if you have never experienced this, you've led a wasted life). Got boxed at Christmas dinner on some expensive British beer. All in all, a good day.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the post-season awards and offer up some predictions...
AL MVP: Call me crazy. but I think that designated hitters should be considered for the MVP as long as their offensive numbers are gaudy. While Eli Reynoso hit well, his run production was meh. There is one player that put it together at the plate and on the field. That's Sammy Carr. While he should win, I think Orber Nieto will win.
NL MVP: It comes down to the always reliable Al Mendoza against heavy hitting Greg Ramirez. The latter has big stats, but a sub-1.000 OPS. You expect a little more from a .300+, 40+ home run hitter. Mendoza is playing for a hot playoff team and has been the veteran lynchpin of the club. He takes home the hardware.
AL CY YOUNG: I am, however, not one to award a closer the Cy. I mean, unless we're talking 70 saves or a crop of mediocre starters, the closer just doesn't get the love from me. Take them out of the conversation and we have a winner -- Alvin O'Brien.
NL CY YOUNG: The best pitcher this year was Dustin Keagle. Great OAV, K/9 and WHIP numbers and 18 wins. But, the Cy Young has nothing to do with the best pitcher and everything to do with the voters. Octavio Martin goes home with the honor.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: In the past, I've ripped the rookies for being nothing more than in the way. Like freshmen in high school. Anyhow, two of them made it easy -- Wayne Hardy and Julian Santana.
Bold predictions for the post-season. If I remember correctly, it is 5-5-7-7. I can never remember, you know, since I have never built a playoff team. Sonsabitches. Anyhow...
In the American League:
Boston beats Arizona, 4-3
Cleveland beats Tampa Bay, 4-2
Cleveland beats Boston, 4-2
In the National League:
Philadelphia beats D.C., 4-0
Cinci beats Portland, 4-3
Philadelphia beats Cinci, 4-3
In the World Series, Philadelphia beats Cleveland, 4-2.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the post-season awards and offer up some predictions...
AL MVP: Call me crazy. but I think that designated hitters should be considered for the MVP as long as their offensive numbers are gaudy. While Eli Reynoso hit well, his run production was meh. There is one player that put it together at the plate and on the field. That's Sammy Carr. While he should win, I think Orber Nieto will win.
NL MVP: It comes down to the always reliable Al Mendoza against heavy hitting Greg Ramirez. The latter has big stats, but a sub-1.000 OPS. You expect a little more from a .300+, 40+ home run hitter. Mendoza is playing for a hot playoff team and has been the veteran lynchpin of the club. He takes home the hardware.
AL CY YOUNG: I am, however, not one to award a closer the Cy. I mean, unless we're talking 70 saves or a crop of mediocre starters, the closer just doesn't get the love from me. Take them out of the conversation and we have a winner -- Alvin O'Brien.
NL CY YOUNG: The best pitcher this year was Dustin Keagle. Great OAV, K/9 and WHIP numbers and 18 wins. But, the Cy Young has nothing to do with the best pitcher and everything to do with the voters. Octavio Martin goes home with the honor.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: In the past, I've ripped the rookies for being nothing more than in the way. Like freshmen in high school. Anyhow, two of them made it easy -- Wayne Hardy and Julian Santana.
* * *
Bold predictions for the post-season. If I remember correctly, it is 5-5-7-7. I can never remember, you know, since I have never built a playoff team. Sonsabitches. Anyhow...
In the American League:
Boston beats Arizona, 4-3
Cleveland beats Tampa Bay, 4-2
Cleveland beats Boston, 4-2
In the National League:
Philadelphia beats D.C., 4-0
Cinci beats Portland, 4-3
Philadelphia beats Cinci, 4-3
In the World Series, Philadelphia beats Cleveland, 4-2.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Announcing The Ewads! Part II
First, I've gotten some shit (in the chat and on the forum) about choosing Merritt as the top starter. That's cool. Whatev. I copied six rows of stats on to a piece of paper and thought, who would be the most sought after pitcher if they were all on the market. I had Merritt marked at one and Al Posada as two. If he had run support and a decent bullpen, he'd probably have Posada numbers. No real methodology. Just a glass of Bailey's (or three) and the stats.
Anyhow, the second round of Ewads tonight.
THE KINGMAN AWARD: Given to player most resembling Dave Kingman's offensive prowess. Carlton Miller nudges Wayne Ramsey. Ramsey has more strikeouts, but I take Miller. He has one more home run and a batting average that is 42 points lower than Ramsey's. Plus, he has a dealbreaking .291 OBP.
THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION AWARD: Given to the closer who gives his manager reason to wear a portable EKG. Barry Hubbard takes this one easily. The eight blown saves aren't a league leader, but the 5.36 ERA among closers is.
THE TIM LEARY AWARD: Named after a mediocre pitcher who gave me headaches after going 9-19 in 1990. We're looking for the least effective starter here. Benji Santiago runs away here. 3-18 with a 8.09 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and .900+ OPS.
On to the important hardware...
LEAST VALUABLE PLAYER: Trey Daniels. A .564 OPS, a .249 BA. Then, add in four strikeouts per walk. Adding insult to injury, he has 0 home runs in 603 at-bats.
LEAST VALUABLE PITCHER: Santiago. I like piling it on.
Anyhow, the second round of Ewads tonight.
THE KINGMAN AWARD: Given to player most resembling Dave Kingman's offensive prowess. Carlton Miller nudges Wayne Ramsey. Ramsey has more strikeouts, but I take Miller. He has one more home run and a batting average that is 42 points lower than Ramsey's. Plus, he has a dealbreaking .291 OBP.
THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION AWARD: Given to the closer who gives his manager reason to wear a portable EKG. Barry Hubbard takes this one easily. The eight blown saves aren't a league leader, but the 5.36 ERA among closers is.
THE TIM LEARY AWARD: Named after a mediocre pitcher who gave me headaches after going 9-19 in 1990. We're looking for the least effective starter here. Benji Santiago runs away here. 3-18 with a 8.09 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and .900+ OPS.
On to the important hardware...
LEAST VALUABLE PLAYER: Trey Daniels. A .564 OPS, a .249 BA. Then, add in four strikeouts per walk. Adding insult to injury, he has 0 home runs in 603 at-bats.
LEAST VALUABLE PITCHER: Santiago. I like piling it on.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Announcing The Ewads!
We here at the Onionball blog are bored. It's snowing like a motherfucker out (we live in Syracuse, N.Y. and received 13 inches of snow today...our office closed at 1 p.m.) and they haven't plowed in hours. So, with that in mind, we are going to crown our first-ever position-by-position player of the year awards — the ewads.
For those of you here in season one, you will remember our friend ewad. For our newer friends, let me just say that ewad was the textbook delinquent owner. At one point, he had one healthy starting pitcher -- Julian Nunez -- who threw more than 4,077 pitches.
So, yes, the award is tongue in cheek.
Anyhow, on to the ewads...
CATCHER: The ewad goes to James Gao. Batting .323 with a .938 OPS, including 30 home runs and 113 RBI. Threw out 61 basestealers. Has 44 doubles and has walked (66) more than he has struck out (61). Also nominated: Duke Harper/BUR, Tyrone Thomas/LR and Mark Yamamoto/MIL.
FIRST BASE: The ewad goes Al Mendoza. Hit .321/1.092 with 36 homers and 94 RBI. Walked nearly twice as many times as striking out (80 to 46). A stud. Also nominated: Greg Ramirez/WAS, Wayne Ramsey/CHI.
SECOND BASE: None. No one stood out to earn an award bearing the name of ewad. Nominated: Henry Cust/CHA, David Park/MIL.
THIRD BASE: Greg Lankford. Came over from Washington to hit .334 with 17 and 73. Almost even K:BB numbers. OPS of .955. Nominated: Philip Jacobs/CLE, Hunter Pierre/KC, Ramon Martin/SFE.
SHORTSTOP: Donovan Milligan. This was a toughy. Only hitting .292 with a .931 OPS, but 47 homers and 141 RBI push him over. Had the best defensive numbers of any of the better offensive shortstops. Nominated: Harpo Dunn/SF, Dennis Howell, SF, Gil Matthews/NY.
OUTFIELD: Ralph Ferguson. Had a nice season. Batting .327 with a .883 OPS, 17 homers and 82 RBI. Mixed in 53 steals with a .987 fielding percentage.
OUTFIELD: Orber Nieto. Hard to ignore his OPS (1.027). 44 homers and 119 RBI along with 43 steas put him on the radar.
OUTFIELD: Stubby Simon. Batting .294 with a .901 OPS. Has 35 homers, 115 RBI and 43 steals. Also, a nifty .994 fielding percentage.
Nominated: Nerio Turner/CLE, Andy Porter/MIL, Sammy Carr/LR, Hector Pettitte/BOS.
STARTING PITCHER: Kyle Merritt. Thank God he's in the NL. 13-8 this year with a 2.73 ERA, 216 Ks and a .216 opponent BA.
CLOSER: Tony Dodd. 52 appearances, 48 save opps, 46 saves. Edges Del Holtz/CLE and his perfect record in 42 save opps.
For those of you here in season one, you will remember our friend ewad. For our newer friends, let me just say that ewad was the textbook delinquent owner. At one point, he had one healthy starting pitcher -- Julian Nunez -- who threw more than 4,077 pitches.
So, yes, the award is tongue in cheek.
Anyhow, on to the ewads...
CATCHER: The ewad goes to James Gao. Batting .323 with a .938 OPS, including 30 home runs and 113 RBI. Threw out 61 basestealers. Has 44 doubles and has walked (66) more than he has struck out (61). Also nominated: Duke Harper/BUR, Tyrone Thomas/LR and Mark Yamamoto/MIL.
FIRST BASE: The ewad goes Al Mendoza. Hit .321/1.092 with 36 homers and 94 RBI. Walked nearly twice as many times as striking out (80 to 46). A stud. Also nominated: Greg Ramirez/WAS, Wayne Ramsey/CHI.
SECOND BASE: None. No one stood out to earn an award bearing the name of ewad. Nominated: Henry Cust/CHA, David Park/MIL.
THIRD BASE: Greg Lankford. Came over from Washington to hit .334 with 17 and 73. Almost even K:BB numbers. OPS of .955. Nominated: Philip Jacobs/CLE, Hunter Pierre/KC, Ramon Martin/SFE.
SHORTSTOP: Donovan Milligan. This was a toughy. Only hitting .292 with a .931 OPS, but 47 homers and 141 RBI push him over. Had the best defensive numbers of any of the better offensive shortstops. Nominated: Harpo Dunn/SF, Dennis Howell, SF, Gil Matthews/NY.
OUTFIELD: Ralph Ferguson. Had a nice season. Batting .327 with a .883 OPS, 17 homers and 82 RBI. Mixed in 53 steals with a .987 fielding percentage.
OUTFIELD: Orber Nieto. Hard to ignore his OPS (1.027). 44 homers and 119 RBI along with 43 steas put him on the radar.
OUTFIELD: Stubby Simon. Batting .294 with a .901 OPS. Has 35 homers, 115 RBI and 43 steals. Also, a nifty .994 fielding percentage.
Nominated: Nerio Turner/CLE, Andy Porter/MIL, Sammy Carr/LR, Hector Pettitte/BOS.
STARTING PITCHER: Kyle Merritt. Thank God he's in the NL. 13-8 this year with a 2.73 ERA, 216 Ks and a .216 opponent BA.
CLOSER: Tony Dodd. 52 appearances, 48 save opps, 46 saves. Edges Del Holtz/CLE and his perfect record in 42 save opps.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
S.4 Draft Review
With the number one pick in the draft, the San Francisco Slingers selected...
JORGE BENITEZ, DH (Unsigned)
So, let's talk about the man, the myth, the legend. Christened as the second coming of Nerio Turner, Timo Phillips and Jesus Christ, wrapped into a 6-2 frame, Benitez projects out to be a 90+ player. He has everything but a glove and speed, but maybe that's moot when you have the ability to park any pitch that comes near you. It's also worth noting that commish mark3313 stunned the world with this pick. I mean, he didn't take a shortstop?2. ROYCE OLIVER, SS (Unsigned)
A five-tool, Timo Phillips-type player, Oliver also boasts at 29 control rating. You know, just in case reigny wants to make him into a pitcher. According to my scouting, Oliver's temper is projected to drop. That could be fun. Wouldn't it be cool to look at a box score one day and see:
Royce Oliver struck out on called strike three. Oliver ejected for punching ump in the nuts.
3. GIOVANNI THOMAS, P ($3.82m; RL assignment)
A power pitcher with Clemensesque temper numbers (I don't know what my problem is...I'm obsessed with the temper rating). Thomas' current rating is better than most of my starting pitchers. Given his ratings, has that Randy Johnson "The Early Years" feel. Dominant velocity but gives up spectacular home runs. With any luck, he'll reach his control projections. Also, has a cheezy mustache.
4. BRIAN TANAKA, P, (unsigned)
I've never seen a sinker-slider-change pitcher with velocity ratings as good as his. I would be a little concerned by the health ratings, but then again, my draft strategy was shit. Has a low temper number, which I'm sure has nothing to do with the fact that he grew up in Center City Philly. Also has cheezy mustache.
5. SCOOTER EASLEY, SS ($3,630,000; Rookie)
Has five-tool potential, but not with the same robust numbers as Royce Oliver. Also could be hampered by overuse of eye black (check his photo). Could be a better centerfielder than shortstop.
6. JESSE JACKSON, CF ($3,540,000; Rookie)
The Reverend...wait a second. They made Jesse Jackson a white guy. That's funny. Anyhow, another guy with five tool skills. What caught my eye was his bunt numbers, of all things. This guy has leadoff written all over him.
7. DANNY PHILLIPS, P ($4,000,000; LoA)
Phillips was the top player on my board, so I'm happy that he dropped to seven. He goes 90+ in stamina, control and velocity, has good health figs and could actually be a gold glove candidate on the hill. He won his debut for me.
8. BARRY HERNDON, P ($3,350,000; LoA)
A finesse pitcher, Herndon has all the makings of a good, reliable pitcher. A Jamie Moyer type. He's at LoA right now and has lost his first two. But, he's got SOOO much room between his current and potential numbers.
9. PASCUAL ALONSO, P ($3,250,000; Rookie)
This guy is all about placement. His velocity numbers are sub-50, but his control numbers could be the best in the draft. He projects 60+ on four different pitchers. And he's a lefty.
10. MATTY ORTIZ, SS ($3,160,000; Rookie)
Ortiz lacks the speed thing. I mean, he's not Benitez slow, but he doesn't have the five-tool speed. But, his glove will keep him in contention with the other shortstops in the top ten.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
New Blog
We welcome back marauders299 this season. He has coverage of his team at our newest member to the Wailing Onion blog family. Hurricane Watch is listed to the left!
OnIoNDEX: Number Two
Not a big surprise here. Check the separation between Phila and Cinci, though...
Arizona Amberwoods 0.738849057
Tampa Bay Hurricanes 0.678313433
Philadelphia Flash 0.677990291
Atlanta Mad Dogs 0.677916667
Cincinnati Motorboaters 0.677628571
Cleveland Wahoos 0.632164706
Charlotte Webs 0.587804878
Colorado Springs Cricket Club 0.5864
Boston Minutemen 0.585763636
Milwaukee Malt Liquors 0.585508475
Washington D.C. Senators 0.58546
Austin City Limit 0.570095238
Portland Beavers 0.5253
Buffalo Hot Wings 0.524
Anaheim Asylum 0.523755556
Kansas City Royals 0.509517241
Minnesota North Stars 0.50775
Augusta Black Bears 0.4622
Little Rock Voodoo Cats 0.446083333
New York Chechakos 0.432029412
Santa Fe Booze Hounds 0.431912281
Burlington Pitch Factory 0.4315
Seattle Steelheads 0.401014706
Pittsburgh Diamond Kings 0.400943396
Memphis In The Meantime 0.400938272
Columbus Come from Behinders 0.386379747
Monterrey Surf Riders 0.386357724
San Francisco Slingers 0.372416667
Los Angeles Stars 0.355186667
Detroit Great Lake St 0.338590909
Chicago Cubbies, of course 0.309318681
San Juan Epsteins 0.309
Arizona Amberwoods 0.738849057
Tampa Bay Hurricanes 0.678313433
Philadelphia Flash 0.677990291
Atlanta Mad Dogs 0.677916667
Cincinnati Motorboaters 0.677628571
Cleveland Wahoos 0.632164706
Charlotte Webs 0.587804878
Colorado Springs Cricket Club 0.5864
Boston Minutemen 0.585763636
Milwaukee Malt Liquors 0.585508475
Washington D.C. Senators 0.58546
Austin City Limit 0.570095238
Portland Beavers 0.5253
Buffalo Hot Wings 0.524
Anaheim Asylum 0.523755556
Kansas City Royals 0.509517241
Minnesota North Stars 0.50775
Augusta Black Bears 0.4622
Little Rock Voodoo Cats 0.446083333
New York Chechakos 0.432029412
Santa Fe Booze Hounds 0.431912281
Burlington Pitch Factory 0.4315
Seattle Steelheads 0.401014706
Pittsburgh Diamond Kings 0.400943396
Memphis In The Meantime 0.400938272
Columbus Come from Behinders 0.386379747
Monterrey Surf Riders 0.386357724
San Francisco Slingers 0.372416667
Los Angeles Stars 0.355186667
Detroit Great Lake St 0.338590909
Chicago Cubbies, of course 0.309318681
San Juan Epsteins 0.309
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
On the DL
With my franchise arm going down on the 60-day today, I thought we'd take a look at the disabled list. I've added a new feature to the DL list. We'll list the player by team with the squad's training budgets. I just need to know that there is a direct correlation.
ARIZONA ($20)
Don Barkley, 60-day, elbow tendinitis
ATLANTA ($16)
Kip Davis, 15, bulging disk-neck
AUGUSTA ($14)
Larry Wilson, 15, strained shoulder
AUSTIN ($20)
Esteban Hernandez, 60, damaged soul
CINCINNATI ($17)
Fausto James, 60, ripped dick (groin tear)
CLEVELAND ($14)
Alan White, season, labrum tear
DETROIT ($11)
Travis Moller, 15, shoulder boo boo
LOS ANGELES ($18)
Sammy Paulson, 15, broken heart
LA (ANAHEIM) ($13)
Rob Mays, 60, ACL
Tanner Howard, season, ACL
Vic Alston, 60, wait for it...knee surgery
MEMPHIS ($16)
Darryl Standridge, 60, the clap
MONTERREY ($8...do you even get ice packs for $8m?)
Brian Atkins, 60, bone spurs
Troy Shumaker, 15, drank Mexican water
SANTA FE ($20)
Morgan Wells, 60, sunburn
Sunday, November 2, 2008
A missive from madmuldoon
Your friend and mine madmuldoon sends this dispatch from the fringe.
It all started out innocently enough. A rainbow sticker here and there .A calender with the dates of our road games with San Fransisco, circled with Red hearts and the words "No MORE TEARS".Then the MR BUBBLES Virus started to take hold and spread like KY Jelley.
Coach Urbina knew we had a problem when the Bullpen dressed up as the Village People and were signing YMCA during the 7th inning stretch.Why Coach did nothing to stop the Virus is still a mystery.
A few weeks ago I walked into the clubhouse and was greeted by the music of Lawrwence Welk and Barry Mannilow wafting from every corner.And the starting RF was sashaying across the room in a megentia and safron ensamble.Then he entered the room where the hottubs are located and i could hear squeals and someone Shouted "Butter UP" And the Giggling was everywhere.
Well I knew I had to do something right away or we would have to change our name to the New York Riverdancers.So we started by yanking {no pun intended] out all the hotubs and sit down toilets [A real man doesn't need to sit to shit].And replaced them with single shower stalls and Urinals.
Then we require all players and coaching staff to attend 2 hours of Video class where we show John wayne movies with Marlboro man Commercials .The only official clubhouse music is a mix of Country Music and Heavy Metal .
After Weeks of decontamination the Virus that Mr Bubbles Unleashed on our club started to disapate .Now the only sign that the pestialence even happened is when occasionally the bullpen dresses up like the Village People ,But then again everyone knows Relief pitchers are crazy to begin with.
So fair warning to all the owners in "the Onion" Mr Bubbles is a real menace and you could be his next victim .
It all started out innocently enough. A rainbow sticker here and there .A calender with the dates of our road games with San Fransisco, circled with Red hearts and the words "No MORE TEARS".Then the MR BUBBLES Virus started to take hold and spread like KY Jelley.
Coach Urbina knew we had a problem when the Bullpen dressed up as the Village People and were signing YMCA during the 7th inning stretch.Why Coach did nothing to stop the Virus is still a mystery.
A few weeks ago I walked into the clubhouse and was greeted by the music of Lawrwence Welk and Barry Mannilow wafting from every corner.And the starting RF was sashaying across the room in a megentia and safron ensamble.Then he entered the room where the hottubs are located and i could hear squeals and someone Shouted "Butter UP" And the Giggling was everywhere.
Well I knew I had to do something right away or we would have to change our name to the New York Riverdancers.So we started by yanking {no pun intended] out all the hotubs and sit down toilets [A real man doesn't need to sit to shit].And replaced them with single shower stalls and Urinals.
Then we require all players and coaching staff to attend 2 hours of Video class where we show John wayne movies with Marlboro man Commercials .The only official clubhouse music is a mix of Country Music and Heavy Metal .
After Weeks of decontamination the Virus that Mr Bubbles Unleashed on our club started to disapate .Now the only sign that the pestialence even happened is when occasionally the bullpen dresses up like the Village People ,But then again everyone knows Relief pitchers are crazy to begin with.
So fair warning to all the owners in "the Onion" Mr Bubbles is a real menace and you could be his next victim .
The onIoNDEX
We're 20 games, so it's the perfect time to run the first power rating for the season.
Again, the formula is pretty simple and rewards scoring and good pitching [Winning percentage + (team OPS-opposition team OPS) divided by runs scored margin.]
No surprises...
1. Cincinnati Motorboaters 0.852511
2. Atlanta Mad Dogs 0.750067
3. Philadelphia Flash 0.702831
4. Washington D.C. Senators 0.695286
5. Arizona Amberwoods 0.687571
6. Kansas City Royals 0.635429
7. Milwaukee Malt Liquors 0.634500
8. Tampa Bay Hurricanes 0.622500
9. Anaheim Asylum 0.605000
10. Charlotte Webs 0.593833
11. Austin City Limit 0.581286
12. Augusta Black Bears 0.578857
13. Cleveland Wahoos 0.572000
14. Colorado Springs Cricket Club 0.564429
15. Boston Minutemen 0.553231
16. Minnesota North Stars 0.549826
17. Portland Beavers 0.494600
18. Santa Fe Booze Hounds 0.486500
19. Little Rock Voodoo Cats 0.479692
20. Monterrey Surf Riders 0.455850
21. Los Angeles Stars 0.425806
22. Columbus Come from Behinders 0.424242
23. Pittsburgh Diamond Kings 0.421000
24. Detroit Great Lake St 0.400375
25. Burlington Pitch Factory 0.367000
26. New York Chechakos 0.354474
27. San Francisco Slingers 0.323000
28. Buffalo Hot Wings 0.303212
29. Chicago Cubbies, of course 0.303189
30. San Juan Epsteins 0.267815
31. Memphis In The Meantime 0.255350
32. Seattle Steelheads 0.253173
Again, the formula is pretty simple and rewards scoring and good pitching [Winning percentage + (team OPS-opposition team OPS) divided by runs scored margin.]
No surprises...
1. Cincinnati Motorboaters 0.852511
2. Atlanta Mad Dogs 0.750067
3. Philadelphia Flash 0.702831
4. Washington D.C. Senators 0.695286
5. Arizona Amberwoods 0.687571
6. Kansas City Royals 0.635429
7. Milwaukee Malt Liquors 0.634500
8. Tampa Bay Hurricanes 0.622500
9. Anaheim Asylum 0.605000
10. Charlotte Webs 0.593833
11. Austin City Limit 0.581286
12. Augusta Black Bears 0.578857
13. Cleveland Wahoos 0.572000
14. Colorado Springs Cricket Club 0.564429
15. Boston Minutemen 0.553231
16. Minnesota North Stars 0.549826
17. Portland Beavers 0.494600
18. Santa Fe Booze Hounds 0.486500
19. Little Rock Voodoo Cats 0.479692
20. Monterrey Surf Riders 0.455850
21. Los Angeles Stars 0.425806
22. Columbus Come from Behinders 0.424242
23. Pittsburgh Diamond Kings 0.421000
24. Detroit Great Lake St 0.400375
25. Burlington Pitch Factory 0.367000
26. New York Chechakos 0.354474
27. San Francisco Slingers 0.323000
28. Buffalo Hot Wings 0.303212
29. Chicago Cubbies, of course 0.303189
30. San Juan Epsteins 0.267815
31. Memphis In The Meantime 0.255350
32. Seattle Steelheads 0.253173
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
From the deeply mad mind of madmuldoon
We'll post your season previews here at Onionball. Feel free to sitemail them my way. This one comes way of your friend and mine madmuldoon, owner of the New York Cheechakos:
Hello again Cheechako fans after 3 years in the Wailing Onion league I can sum up their history in two words.Consistantly Average.The Cheechako's have finshed Year 1) 72-90, Year 2) 73-89, Year 3) 74-88 . At this rate of improvement it may take 20+ years to make the Playoffs.So this Gumshoe reporter went out to ask The management of this obscure franchise, what they have planned for this team.
I caught up with Madmuldoon the only owner this club has ever known at Rolondo's Puffy Tacos in San Antonio were the Cheechako's are playing ST .Mad was sitting in a corner table with his back against the wall staring across a myriad of plates. Some with half -eaten challupas and fajitas swimming in a pool of green chile mole' . He motioned for me to sit to the left of him so that he had plenty of elbow room for the fresh plate of Gorditas that just arrived. Mad then bellowed "Bring a plate for my friend here " and continued talking between bites. "man this team is ready to make it's move this year .I hired a new skipper Alfredo Urbina. He was with Millwaukee last year and seems to know more about balls and strikes than that Kraut we had the last 3 seasons .We also added a bunch of young talent and dropped most of the veterens .They want to many Clams to play a game I'd play for free."he paused and ordered two shots of Blantons Bourbon for dessert then continued. "We brought up SS Cal Matthews from AA who hit .304 belted 68 Homers and 369 Ribbies in 3 minor league years. And also has .940 fielding percentage.Then we moved up 3B Carson Veres. Who is a career .317 hitter and added CF Ryan Holden to back up Dario White who we aquired from the Reigny and his Surf Riders." Mad then downed his shots and ordered two more."On the pitching side late last year we moved up Lonnie Hall ,Wiki Andujar ,Ober Gonzales who are ready for their first full year .Then in the offseason we moved up a Great looking setup guy. Kurt Hill who has a minor league career ERA of 2.47 and 109 WHIP .So I believe we'll give that Boston club a run for their money" .With that Mad excused himself and wobbled out the door leaving me with the check.
So it looks like the Cheechakos are a young team looking to improve for the long haul .Sorry gotta go now I have a bunch of dishes to do!!! how can one man eat that much!!!
Hello again Cheechako fans after 3 years in the Wailing Onion league I can sum up their history in two words.Consistantly Average.The Cheechako's have finshed Year 1) 72-90, Year 2) 73-89, Year 3) 74-88 . At this rate of improvement it may take 20+ years to make the Playoffs.So this Gumshoe reporter went out to ask The management of this obscure franchise, what they have planned for this team.
I caught up with Madmuldoon the only owner this club has ever known at Rolondo's Puffy Tacos in San Antonio were the Cheechako's are playing ST .Mad was sitting in a corner table with his back against the wall staring across a myriad of plates. Some with half -eaten challupas and fajitas swimming in a pool of green chile mole' . He motioned for me to sit to the left of him so that he had plenty of elbow room for the fresh plate of Gorditas that just arrived. Mad then bellowed "Bring a plate for my friend here " and continued talking between bites. "man this team is ready to make it's move this year .I hired a new skipper Alfredo Urbina. He was with Millwaukee last year and seems to know more about balls and strikes than that Kraut we had the last 3 seasons .We also added a bunch of young talent and dropped most of the veterens .They want to many Clams to play a game I'd play for free."he paused and ordered two shots of Blantons Bourbon for dessert then continued. "We brought up SS Cal Matthews from AA who hit .304 belted 68 Homers and 369 Ribbies in 3 minor league years. And also has .940 fielding percentage.Then we moved up 3B Carson Veres. Who is a career .317 hitter and added CF Ryan Holden to back up Dario White who we aquired from the Reigny and his Surf Riders." Mad then downed his shots and ordered two more."On the pitching side late last year we moved up Lonnie Hall ,Wiki Andujar ,Ober Gonzales who are ready for their first full year .Then in the offseason we moved up a Great looking setup guy. Kurt Hill who has a minor league career ERA of 2.47 and 109 WHIP .So I believe we'll give that Boston club a run for their money" .With that Mad excused himself and wobbled out the door leaving me with the check.
So it looks like the Cheechakos are a young team looking to improve for the long haul .Sorry gotta go now I have a bunch of dishes to do!!! how can one man eat that much!!!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
On the Books: Hitting
A look at the career hitting records that will be in play this season:
Career
Batting Average
1. Timo Phillips/SJ: .363
2. Pat Saunders/KC-CHA: .357
3. Al Mendoza/KC: .352
4. Hector Pettitte/BOS: .344
5. Mark Yamamoto/SFE-CIN-MIL: .341
Hits
1. Pat Saunders/KC-CHA: 657
2. Joe Stein/AUS: 606
3. James Gao/AUS-CSP: 600
4. Dave Adams/CSP: 596
5. Edwin Underwood/COL-ANA: 579
Home Runs
1. Nerio Turner/CLE: 174
2. Felipe Hernandez/MIL: 169
3. Donovan Milligan/CLE: 164
4. Len Heiserman/MIL-SEA: 162
4. Wayne Ramsey/CHI: 162
RBI
1. Al Mendoza/KC: 454
2. Nerio Turner/CLE: 434
2. Tanner Howard/COL-ANA: 434
4. Felipe Hernandez/MIL: 429
5. Donovan Milligan/CLE: 427
Stolen Bases
1. William Saitou/PHI: 290
2. Chul Tabaka/DET: 289
3. Ralph Ferguson/LA-NAS-TB: 229
4. Trey Daniels*/MNT-POR: 179
5. Mule May/WAS-PIT-KC: 168
*: Player is unsigned for season four
Career
Batting Average
1. Timo Phillips/SJ: .363
2. Pat Saunders/KC-CHA: .357
3. Al Mendoza/KC: .352
4. Hector Pettitte/BOS: .344
5. Mark Yamamoto/SFE-CIN-MIL: .341
Hits
1. Pat Saunders/KC-CHA: 657
2. Joe Stein/AUS: 606
3. James Gao/AUS-CSP: 600
4. Dave Adams/CSP: 596
5. Edwin Underwood/COL-ANA: 579
Home Runs
1. Nerio Turner/CLE: 174
2. Felipe Hernandez/MIL: 169
3. Donovan Milligan/CLE: 164
4. Len Heiserman/MIL-SEA: 162
4. Wayne Ramsey/CHI: 162
RBI
1. Al Mendoza/KC: 454
2. Nerio Turner/CLE: 434
2. Tanner Howard/COL-ANA: 434
4. Felipe Hernandez/MIL: 429
5. Donovan Milligan/CLE: 427
Stolen Bases
1. William Saitou/PHI: 290
2. Chul Tabaka/DET: 289
3. Ralph Ferguson/LA-NAS-TB: 229
4. Trey Daniels*/MNT-POR: 179
5. Mule May/WAS-PIT-KC: 168
*: Player is unsigned for season four
On the Books: Pitching
A quick check of the major career records that will be in play this season:
Wins
1. Lon Costello/CIN: 64
2. Benny Pujols/ATL-KC-DET: 61
3. Midre Navarre/KC-BUF: 57
4. Mel Petersen/DET: 56
4. Ugueth Neruda/KC: 56
ERA
1. Lon Costello/CIN: 2.42
2. Mel Petersen/DET: 2.66
3. Louis Paul/SEA: 2.72
4. Rico Johnson/CSP: 2.91
5. Kyle Merritt/CHA: 2.93
Strikeouts
1. Kyle Merritt/CHA: 775
2. Ugueth Neruda/KC: 670
3. Floyd Brock/NAS-TB: 664
4. Garrett Collins/CHA: 655
5. Lon Costello/CIN: 623
Saves
1. Gregory Rando/CSP: 128
2. Jose Bonilla/ATL: 114
3. Miguel Tavarez/CSP-CLB: 113
4. Duke Monroe/PHI: 106
5. Earle Edmonds/DET: 105
Wins
1. Lon Costello/CIN: 64
2. Benny Pujols/ATL-KC-DET: 61
3. Midre Navarre/KC-BUF: 57
4. Mel Petersen/DET: 56
4. Ugueth Neruda/KC: 56
ERA
1. Lon Costello/CIN: 2.42
2. Mel Petersen/DET: 2.66
3. Louis Paul/SEA: 2.72
4. Rico Johnson/CSP: 2.91
5. Kyle Merritt/CHA: 2.93
Strikeouts
1. Kyle Merritt/CHA: 775
2. Ugueth Neruda/KC: 670
3. Floyd Brock/NAS-TB: 664
4. Garrett Collins/CHA: 655
5. Lon Costello/CIN: 623
Saves
1. Gregory Rando/CSP: 128
2. Jose Bonilla/ATL: 114
3. Miguel Tavarez/CSP-CLB: 113
4. Duke Monroe/PHI: 106
5. Earle Edmonds/DET: 105
On The Move: The Trades
In case you missed some of the trades during the off-season, here are a few of the faces wearing new hats in season four:
Among the preseason tradeds:
From Colorado Springs to Seattle
From Santa Fe to Portland. I know...improbable. How do we keep letting Ralph and Mark get all the good players?
From KC to Charlotte for three BIG ceiling minor leaguers.
From Portland to Tampa Bay
From Memphis to Milwaukee. Arbitration sucks.
Among the preseason tradeds:
From Colorado Springs to Seattle
From Santa Fe to Portland. I know...improbable. How do we keep letting Ralph and Mark get all the good players?
From KC to Charlotte for three BIG ceiling minor leaguers.
From Portland to Tampa Bay
From Memphis to Milwaukee. Arbitration sucks.
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