Billy Wagner

Yesterday, in between the March Madness games in which both Michigan teams lost (sad face), the roommate and I looked at the professional's predictions of the Major League season. A lot of folks picked the Dodgers, a few picked the Tigers, but there were an overwhelming majority for the Nats (like last year). While we were there on ESPN, we began discussing closers and how the Yankees (someone's selection) lost the best closer ever. Out of the blue, I ask if anyone remembers Billy Wagner. With a nostalgic grin, roomie types in Billy Wagner to Baseball Reference and I quickly learned that this dude needs to be in the Hall of Fame. 

There are not many closers in the Hall. As of right now, Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, and Hoyt Wilhelm are the only ones with more than 300 saves, but they also played in a time where a closer was not a defined role, it was just someone trustworthy late in games. That said, in a few years, there will be plenty of closers to go around. John Smoltz (Cy Young winner, starter and closer, 200 wins, 150 saves) will be inducted. Maybe not first ballot, but he will. Lee Smith is still on the ballot, and then in a few more years when I have a job (fingers crossed), the two greatest closers ever (Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman) will be inducted. My boss at the Hall this summer was the biggest Rivera fan I have ever met and he says if Mo is not a first ballot Hall of Famer, he will give up baseball for life. That's extreme, though I do agree. So all in all, when those two will be in, you can still count closers on your two hands. It's tough for closers to make it, but Billy Wagner deserves it.

Before we get into stats, Wagner is a freak athlete. For only being 5'11", he broke his right arm twice as a young boy and taught himself to throw left-handed. Let me repeat that: he taught himself to throw left-handed. I can't even brush my teeth left-handed without a trip the emergency room (my dad is a dentist, he can attest), let alone learn flawless mechanics to hit 98 MPH from the hill and make people fear you.

Now on to stats, which are not as impressive as his athletic ability. When his career was all said and done, Wagner racked up 422 saves, good enough for 5th all time, and 3 away from sole possession of 4th all time. He also posted a 2.31 ERA and a .998 WHIP, both really, really impressive. The two men ahead of him in total saves, Lee Smith (3rd all time) and John Franco (4th) both suffered in terms of ERA. Smith has a career ERA of 3.03, still pretty good, but a WHIP of 1.25 and a career W/L of 71-92. In his 10th year of Hall of Fame voting, Smith only received 29%, the lowest he's ever gotten. With the ballot filling up with some of the greatest players ever in the coming years, I doubt he'll ever get any more than that.  Franco has a similar issue, with an ERA of 2.89 and a WHIP of 1.333, which is poor for a reliever.  So even though they have more saves, that's just a symptom of more time, not necessarily more skill. Wagner's strikeouts per nine is also ridiculous, with a career of 11.9 (wow). Smith's was 8.7 and Franco's was 7.0. Wagner only pitched 903 innings in his career, putting him 97 short of the qualifier for the career stat. Had he gotten to 1,000 innings and maintained that 11.9 K/9, it would have been the best ever. 

Wagner had two seasons of 40+ saves and 7 more of 30 or more saves. He was very consistent; between 1997-2008, he averaged 31 saves (including an injury plagued 2000 season). Even more impressively, in his final season at age 38, he posted 37 saves. His arm was still as alive and well as ever. The most earned runs he ever allowed was 21, and he still managed to log 39 saves in 2002.

Sure he didn't have as man saves as other guys, but he was more efficient and lethal than most of them. As if that wasn't impressive enough, he did it with his non-dominant hand. A lot of voters for the Hall refuse to elect anyone from the Steroid Era, but doesn't that make it all the more impressive that he was this good?

Give him the vote.

Thanks for reading. 

My Favorite Stadiums

If you all haven't noticed yet, I'm looking to get into stadium operations as a career. If I could draw anything other than a stick figure doing pull ups I would have enjoyed being a ballpark architect, but that just wasn't in the cards. The Stadium Ops team ensures that the field is safe and clean for the guests and most importantly, they can have a good time watching the game. A few of my housemates and good friends are not baseball fans, but are still willing to go to the games for the atmosphere and the hot dog (if you turn down a ballpark hot dog, we need to have a word). That's what my job would be: safe, clean, fun for all levels of fans.

While you're stopping by and talking stadiums with me, I thought I'd share some of my favorite stadiums, both past and present. 

Past

Getting really old with this one. The Palace of the Fans in Cincinnati was used only from 1902-1911 but is one of the coolest looking stadiums if you're into Greek architecture. Behind home plate there is a parthenon-style grandstand and extending down the foul lines are bleachers/seats with an overhang supported by (get this) Greek style columns. It is so incredibly innovative but at the same time, it leaves me scratching my head because the sight lines must have been pretty poor for at least a third of the fans. Some of the complaints of the retro stadiums was the huge support beams that stick up right in the middle of the crowd, obstructing the view for certain fans. These pillars are at the forefront of every section, minimizing the vision for a number of folks. It explains why it wasn't around for that long, which is unfortunate, because I think it just looked so darn cool. Another major problem was that centerfield was 510 feet. Eat your vegetables, hitters.

Another great stadium of the past was Ebbets Field. Aside from its massive historical implications (Jackie Robinson, etc), the overlay of this field looks like a square that someone stepped on and they had to make a field out of the acreage. The right field wall is straight as an arrow with no stands anywhere near it, but as it extends towards relatively shallow centerfield, fans surround the field from two stories above; a double-decker format surrounds the field all the way around until it meets back at the right field foul pole. Ebbets is a pretty small field, only extending to 396' in center and 297' in right! I'm a sucker for stadiums with a simple, double-decker construction like this. It makes the stadium look absolutely tiny and could be particularly intimidating for opposing players. When you stare down the pitcher, rather than seeing fountains or a grove or a wall like today, you see thousands of fans, cheering their heads off for their team. Just imagine how much the crowd's noise bounces off of each other rather than dissipating into the open air of most stadiums today. I think it would be so much easier for a fan to be involved when they have nothing to look at but the field. 

As small and intimate Ebbets Field was, Tiger Stadium is as big as spacious. Extending a massive 440' feet to centerfield, 340' to left and 365' to the power alleys. Right field offered a shorter porch, only extending 325' but the second deck spilled over the field about 10 feet and swallowed a number of home runs that normally would have been caught easily at the warning track. Tiger Stadium is like Ebbets Field because of the double decker construction, but it wraps 360 degrees around the stadium. If you were to stand at the pitcher's mound and look up, there would be fans in every direction. And even above that, the lights extended above the famous roof, imposing their power on the game. Unfortunately, it was torn down in the early 2000's and though I did get to see a few games there, I am too young to remember how truly amazing it was. Though it was beat up, decrepit, and basically falling apart more and more every second, it was a special place, with the flag pole in play, the tiny press box, and the huge playing space with the roof towering into the sky. I really wish I could go to a game there knowing what I know now. 

Now for current stadiums (I won't go as in depth). I've only been to a handful of stadiums (Comerica, GABP, Progressive, and Wrigley Field), but have had a fun time at all of them (well of course I have, it's a baseball game). But as far as looks go, these are my favorites:
1) Safeco Field. The roof is such a cool design and despite its size, manages to fit in nicely to the rest of the design. 
2) PNC Park. This is a bandwagon selection, honestly, but you can't beat that backdrop. Tigers broadcaster Mario Impemba tweeted this

picture during the 2013 season and I knew that PNC is a special place.
3) Kauffman Stadium. My favorite attribute of this one is the curved upper deck. It's a unique, almost collegiate feel that most parks don't employ for the sake of symmetry. That along with the fountains and greenery out in center make it a very scenic place for a game.

4) Coors Field. Aside from baseballs flying out of the stadium every game, this is an awesome place. The construction on the outside is boxier and more regimented, giving it a retro feel like some of the older parks that had a square concourse surrounding the diamond. Also, the main entrance behind home plate is rounded off much like the aforementioned Ebbets Field.

This offseason, the Rockies added a party deck in right field to enhance the baseball experience. Combine the new construction with an older design and it makes for a great view: 

Honorable mentions include Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium. Though I've never been to Yankee Stadium, a friend sent me this from right field last summer. It's an awesome view of the House That Jeter built (the first Yankee Stadium was the House That Ruth built). Fun fact: the first Yankee Stadium, built in 1923, was the first stadium to be called a 'stadium' and have 5 decks. 

Thanks for reading, folks! I've included a few links below this (I tweeted them while writing this) of a few helpful ballpark resources. 

http://www.andrewclem.com/Baseball/Stadium_lists.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g7N4uCpdko

Also, follow MLB Cathedrals (@MLBcathedrals) on Twitter for awesome historical pictures of stadiums!

The Unbreakable Record

I remember a few years ago there was a special on Baseball Tonight about the hardest records to break in baseball. After Barry Bonds beat Hank Aaron's home run record, conversation picked up about which records may never be broken. There are tons of records, and after all, they are made to be broken. At the Hall of Fame this summer, on the last day of work, I went up to the third floor and tinkered with their interactive touch screen exhibit, which included every record of offensive, defensive, and pitching categories. You can arrange it by year, position, stat category, etc. It's an awesome exhibit and made me ponder which records are the hardest to break. The really old ones like Cy Young's 511 wins and 749 shutouts, Old Hoss Radbourn's 59 win season, and Will White's 75 complete games in a season will never be touched. That's not to say these guys are so much more skilled than the guys today, but the game has just changed so that won't work. Starters pitch every 5th day and only have 100 or so pitches to work with. It's just not mathematically possible to get 511 wins or 75 complete games. The closest active pitchers are Tim Hudson (206) and CC Sabathia (205). With their increasing age (and Hudson's nasty injury last year), they have an outside shot at 300 wins, but won't hold a candle to 511. So keeping the modernity of the game in perspective, here's what I think. 

Here are a few of the top, but not the hardest to break (in my opinion):
1) Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak. For nearly a third of the season (consecutively), the Yankee Clipper got a hit. That's just amazing. Rain, shine, home, away, no matter who is pitching, he's out there hitting. May 15 to July 16, 1941 you could count on Joe D getting a hit. But I think it will be reached eventually. In 2006, Phillies infielders Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley racked up 36 game hit streaks. They were still 20 games off the pace, but I think a player will eventually make it up to 56, if not 57. As the game progresses, I think the stars will align and some physical freak like Mike Trout will beat it. I would say Cabrera but you need some speed, too, which Trout has. Heck even Michael Cuddyer had a hitting streak throughout all of June. I think it will be done.

2) Hank Aaron's 25 All-Star Game appearances. Hank was a special player, there is no doubting that, but 25 will be hard to beat. When he played, there were 2 All-Star Games per season, so it was a lot easier to rack up appearances, but I think there might be someone to be able to tie it at least. Going back to Trout, he already has 2 appearances and is entering his age 22 season. If he keeps it up, he'd have to play to age 45 to tie Hank. Possible? Soft maybe. Probable? Doubtful.

3) Hack Wilson's 191 RBI's in 1930. No one has even come close to touching this since ManRam collected 165 in 1999. The tough one about this one is that it doesn't necessarily rely on the player as much as it does the tablesetters. You have guys like Chris Davis who smash 55 home runs, but only collect 138 RBI's because of the lineup they were in. He hit 4th or 5th most of the season, after Brian Roberts (.312 OBP), Machado (.314 OBP), Markakis (.329), and Adam Jones. The OBPs of the first three guys aren't great, and if they're in scoring position, Jones most likely will drive them in, so Davis lost out on a lot of chances. Then you have other guys like Keith Hernandez who would barely crack 10 home runs but always between 90-100 RBIs. Again, I think the stars will align, both in terms of talent on team, and someone will get there. 

But the one record I don't think will ever be broken is Cal Ripken's. No, not his games played streak, because as Bill James wrote, there is always someone determined enough to be in the lineup every day. But his consecutive innings played streak. For five straight years, he did not miss a single inning of baseball, totaling 8,264 innings. The active leader right now is Prince Fielder with 505 games but there were multiple times in 2013 that he left a game early. But back to Ripken - June 5th, 1982 (his rookie year) to September 14, 1987. Throughout this span, he wasn't just on the field, he was a major contributor. He won the 1982 ROY and the 1983 MVP, while additionally tacking on 4 Silver Sluggers and an All-Star appearance every year. He wasn't just there taking up space, he was there making plays and earning his spot. My parents got married in 1981 and my sister was born in 1988 - Ripken played almost every inning throughout that span. That is absolutely crazy. 

That September 14th game wasn't pretty. Ripken went 2-4 to boost his average to .251 on the 1987 season, but the Orioles allowed 18 runs to the Jays. So it was 18-3 and manager Cal Ripken, Sr elected to take him out and put in defensive minded Ron Washington for the ninth inning (same Washington that manages the Rangers today). Washington did not get an at-bat, nor did he field a ground ball. Unfortunately, the Baltimore Sun archives only go back to 1990 so there isn't mention of reasons why. However, according to the New York Times on September 16, manager Cal Ripken said "I wanted everybody to stop writing about the streak. I was going to end it sometime, tonight seemed right." On putting in Washington, he said, "What the heck? He wasn't going to hit a 20 run home run." Well, no, he wasn't but the season would be over in 20 games, let your son finish it out and deal with the media after the season. I disagree with Ripken's managerial decision, but we don't know how Junior felt.

For now, I don't think the innings streak will be beaten. Especially given how many injuries we've seen this spring. They just don't make durability like that anymore.

Thanks for reading today. For your trouble, here's the awesome video of Ripken going yard in his last All-Star game in 2001 - the oldest player to hit a homer in All-Star history and becoming one of four players to ever win All-Star MVP twice. 

The Opening Series

Baseball is back!

Well, kind of. The Dodgers and Diamondbacks played a two-game series down in Sydney, Australia over the weekend to kick off the 2014 season, but it felt like a honeymoon from the winter: seeing sunshine and 84 degrees for some competitive baseball (for the most part). From a fan's perspective, this was just the break we all needed from the Spring Training grind - rather than seeing players weakly run out ground balls and pitchers throwing their pitch counts regardless of how lit up they get (*cough* Joe Nathan yesterday against the Marlins), we got to see hard nosed, focused, regular season baseball. For that reason, it was awesome to see (if you have MLB Network). That said, I had to keep these games at an arm's length because these two teams head back for more Spring Training...and then more Regular Season. I love the idea of projecting the game abroad, but the timing of this is just awkward, but it makes sense. Australia is a doozy of a trip, and asking the players and teams to make that trip a few days before the season would set them off for a long time; with the hectic MLB season, they might never recover from jet lag! My two cents: take two of the more competitive teams that didn't make the playoffs and send them abroad during the playoffs. 

From a future stadium operations professional (knock on wood), the place looked GREAT. The action in a match of cricket takes place right in the center of the pitch with players spread around in every direction, so simply because of where the baseball action is the grounds crew had a lot of work to do. 

The Sydney Cricket Grounds have been in use since 1810 with the first recorded cricket match in 1854, making the oldest standing venue on which a baseball game has ever been played. Today, it is used for the Australian national rugby and cricket teams and have games/matches roughly once every week. So this is not just a major venue that is only used for huge diplomatic events, it's the real deal. It's like when some of the European soccer dynasties like Real Madrid or Manchester United will come to Michigan Stadium this summer or when the MLS All Stars played Chelsea in 2012. It is a generous offer by the Australians to allow the sport of America to play there for a weekend, especially considering the massive landscaping overhaul it required. 

An article from the Sydney Daily Telegraph earlier this month wrote about the logistics required to make this game happen. 250 tons of a soil/clay composite mix was imported from San Diego to make the infield. This same infield (and the warning track) required 3,560 square meters of grass to be torn up so the dirt could go in and make the NL West competitors feel at home. Journalist Iain Payten writes, "it is nothing short of an epic construction." Read his full article here.

Here is a nice graphic showing the layover of the cricket vs. baseball at SCG: 

So the field looked great, and the baseball was pretty much exactly what we expected. Kershaw dominated, Ryu dominated, Goldy raked, the Diamondbacks put up a fight but were ultimately no match for the Dodgers. In my NL West projections, I said the Dodgers have a shot to stay in first place the entire season, and I think that could happen. If they avoid the base running mistakes of Puig in the second game and the botched double play between Gordon and Ramirez (also in the second game), they will be great. Their pitching is absolutely stellar, as we saw, so I think the NL West won't be much of a competition. 

In other news, my patience is running short with Puig. Sure he's talented but he's a punk and a diva. In an anonymous survey of 143 MLB players, 21% voted him the most overrated player, and Don Mattingly is already running out of patience with him, too. He came in to camp with two reckless driving charges as well as being 15 pounds overweight. He'll have to perform at an incredibly high level to avoid the LA faithful calling for his head.

PS - the international exposure of sport works both ways. While Aussies were watching baseball, I was motivated to learn the rules of cricket. Looks like a blast. 

Thanks for reading. If you couldn't see the games yourselves, here are some pictures of the game via the Diamondbacks on Twitter.

PSS - this Buzzfeed article is hysterical: the rules of baseball explained by an Aussie who went to the games but had never seen or watched baseball beforehand. 

Enjoy your Monday, folks. 

The Injury Bug

A lot of teams have suffered from injuries early this spring. During the 162+ game season, injuries are going to happen, that's just a fact. But I was watching MLB Network last night and they were marveling at the increased number of Tommy John surgeries required. Just this year, Matt Harvey, Brandon Beachy, Kris Medlen (2nd in 3 years), and now Bruce Rondon are missing 2014 because of the injury. As of 2013, 124 players went under the knife to end their season, and that total is increasing quickly. 

In short, Tommy John surgery is bad news. It's baseball's equivalent to a torn ACL, except in a player's (99% of the time its a pitcher) forearm. The UCL, ulnar collateral ligament, basically acts as the hinge between the upper and lower arm and snaps quickly during a pitcher's windup. If a player has a particularly violent delivery (like Rondon), throws 98-99 MPH, or doesn't take care of himself, they are highly susceptible to tearing said ligament. The procedure takes a ligament from the patient's body and replaces the torn elbow one. The arm then must be set for a long period of time, which sidelines pitchers for the season; they can't throw full speed for 8-10 months after the operation.

Dr. Frank Jobe, the medical mastermind who first performed this surgery on Dodgers pitcher Tommy John in 1974, says its overuse that leads to this type of surgery. With Harvey, that definitely could be true; in only his second year in the league, he pitched 178.1 innings - not a lot by MLB standards but for a rookie, that's a hefty load. Medlen threw 197 innings in 2013, second most on the Braves staff to Mike Minor's 204, but Medlen didn't even come close to cracking the Top 10 in innings pitched. So it may come as a bit of a mystery.

But I have a theory.

I'm no doctor, that is for sure. If anything happens to me, I ice it and call it good. In fact, I iced my face last week when I had a cold. Needless to say, it didn't work, but I still have a theory: the Little League World Series. 

There is so much competition and pressure on the little tikes in the LLWS that the pitchers have developed nasty offspeed pitches to gain an advantage on hitters, as if throwing 72 MPH from 45 feet isn't a big enough of an advantage. And not just knuckle balls and changeups that don't really inhibit the growth of a young arm, but nasty 12-6 curves and sweeping sliders that knock the young guys off their feet. I'll tell you what, that is not healthy. Sure some of these kids are bigger than I am and have 6 raw eggs for breakfast, but their bodies are not completely developed yet. When I played little league, there was an absolute stud on our team. He was 12 years old and over 6 feet, a switch hitter, and threw 65+. I caught back then so I knew full well how hard he could throw. His dad knew his potential but was adamant on one thing: no curveballs. This kid, Matt Conway, now plays for Wake Forest and is a pretty sick player. Again, I am no doctor and have no idea if there is a correlation or causation between young arms and Tommy John surgery, but it's a thought. 

These young kids will do anything to win the LL World Series, including endangering their future arms by developing a curve. Just Google Little League and curveball and you'll see tons of kids with the same grip and arm angles as the pros. This Bleacher Report article shares a similar opinion. 

So kids, drink your milk and develop a changeup, not a curve. And always have a good attitude: Joba Chamberlain, the Tigers reliever, got a smiley face tattooed on his scar after his surgery in 2011: 

While we're on the injury topic, say a prayer for Aroldis Chapman as he recovers from nasty line drive come-backer. 

Thanks for reading.

Spring Training Recap

So who missed me?

**crowd goes wild**

That's what I thought. Thank you, thank you. We got in from Lakeland late last night to the dreary Holland snowy weather. If nothing else, it was nice just to be in warmth for a few days - I'll take 75 and sunny over 6 months of winter any day. Here's my recap of the games we say:

Game 1: Tigers 14, Astros 3

The predictions about the Astros were true as of March 16. After the 2nd inning, the Tigers were up 10-0. Lucas Harrell got pounded, giving up a home run to Ian Kinsler and hobbled home with 9 earned runs (10 total) on 12 hits in 1.2 to suffer an ERA implosion of 10.13. Currently while I am writing this though, he has pitched 4 scoreless innings - so I'm glad to see he's recovered. On the other side, Scherzer (whom we saw at dinner on Tuesday night) pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on some very hard hit balls in the gaps. In a postgame interview he said he was not entirely happy with the start but he did not walk anyone - very good for a strikeout pitcher. After Scherzer, pitchers Blaine Hardy, Ian Krol, Jhan Martinez, and Luke Putkonen all pitched scoreless innings to keep the Astros to 3 runs. Torii Hunter stayed scalding hot, going 2 for 3 with a double, sending his average up to .367 for the spring. Tigers outfielder Tyler Collins continued to turn heads, ending the game a double short of the cycle. Also, I am making the conclusion that Astros first round pick Carlos Correa is just like Starlin Castro: amazingly smooth fielder, but a lengthy swing will create some offensive stagnation in the future. 

Game 2: Tigers 2, Nationals 1

Boy what a thriller - even for Spring Training. The Nationals' stadium, Space Coast Stadium, is really cool. Despite there being a strong lack of shade and a visible speedometer for the fans to witness how fast Verlander was throwing, it's a nice place. 

The game itself was exciting. We got there late and couldn't witness the first Tigers run, but got to witness Verlander mow down the Nationals, giving up one hit (to Zimmerman in his last inning of work) and threw fewer than 50 pitches to 16 batters. Incredible efficiency for his first start coming off of oblique surgery, solidifying manager Ausmus' choice to name him the Opening Day starter. The Nationals scored a run on an Evan Reed passed ball, and the game was locked 1-1 for another few innings until Danny Worth laced a double down the left field line, his fourth of the spring, scoring Steve Lombardozzi who had just stolen 2nd and 3rd consecutively against his former team. While it was a nice pitchers duel, the Nationals only collected three hits the whole game (never in the same inning) and struggled to even push a runner past second, confirming my fear that they live and die by the long ball. Similarly, the Tigers RISP woes continue from last year against good pitching, going 1-11 the game. Granted, a lot of the guys playing late will be AA or AAA players but the point rings true. We'll be seeing both of them in October, regardless. The pitching was incredibly high quality. Important note: Don Kelly got an RBI. 

Game 3: Tigers vs. Nationals, cancelled

Though this game was rained out, the Nats took batting practice maybe 30 feet away from where we parked, necessitating these photos: 

Aside from the skies looking ominous, I really enjoyed getting this close to some of the players. Tyler Clippard looks exactly like one of my English professors and Jamey Carroll is a great fielder. The ageless wonder.

Game 4: Tigers 18, Blue Jays 4 (SS) 

Yes, you read that correctly. I was pumped to see the Jays because when you think about it, with a lineup of Reyes, Cabrera, Bautista, Lind, Rasmus, Izturis, they can do some serious damage. Though they did not do any damage today. Tigers starter Drew Smyly had an incredibly efficient 5 innings of work, walking one, allowing two hits, and striking out three. Smyly is growing into his craftiness, finding a comfortable array of offspeed pitches to complement his respectable fastball. Jays starter Ricky Romero had serious control issues, walking 5 batters in 2 2/3 innings of work and allowing an opposite field home run to Austin Jackson (who is also scalding hot this spring). The real woes came in the 5th inning, when Marcus Stroman came in and allowed 7 runs while only getting a single out. Marcus Walden came in to mop it up but apparently did bring a good enough mop, allowing 5 runs himself. I guess they really dislike pitchers named Marcus. The Tigers scored in 6 out of their 8 offensive innings, collecting 17 hits (and walked 11 times) - and they still left 7 men on base. The best part of this game, hands down, is the Don Kelly grand salami in the fifth. I don't think I've ever lost my voice faster than that.  

This game confirmed my suspicions about the Jays - great offense, but bad pitching. Short of Mark Buehrle and RA Dickey, they are stretched thin. Through 19 Spring Training games, they have scored 80 runs (26th in MLB), and have allowed 105 (8th worst) with a team ERA of 5.73 (4th worst). In the AL East, that won't fly. Their only runs came off of a shaky Blaine Hardy 6th inning. 

This was such a fun trip. Not just because of the weather or three Tigers wins, but because of how exciting it is to see that baseball is back and I got a job interview tomorrow! Wish me luck! 

Thanks for reading, folks! The regular season is right around the corner! 

PS - We saw the Lego Movie on Monday when the game was rained out. Do yourself a favor and go see it - I was in stitches. 

How to Stay Updated

In the world we live in, it is nearly impossible to stay 100% up-to-date on your favorite team. All teams are constantly throwing out press releases, media advisories, and other outlets of information that only the biggest of fans (with the most free time) can actually follow to the end. So, what I am doing for you is compiling a list of the best people to follow on Twitter and Interwebs so you can stay with it more than anybody else.

Twitter Folk:
First, find your team's beat writer and follow them. They usually have up-to-date information as well as behind the scenes pictures and other useful items to keep you in the loop. You can find them on this list: https://twitter.com/mlb/beatwriters or just search through your team's "following" list and you'll get a bevy of good names.

Non-team specific:
-Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) the man, the myth, the legend - arguably the greatest one to follow. Very short tweets, few links, just straight up information about the most recent things. 
-Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal): Similar to Heyman, both contribute to MLB Network and break a lot of big things. Rosenthal is also known for an awesome collection of bow ties. 
-Jon Morosi (@JonMorosi) Fox Sports 1 blogger and contributor, credited with breaking a lot of the big trades as well as more interesting things like polling Toronto/Montreal how they would feel about the Jays wearing throwback Expos uniforms. 
-Keith Law (@keithlaw) Law tweets a lot, but it's worth it. A lot of them are pretty funny but also informational. He'll use current in-game info and add a comedic twist. 
-Jesse Spector (@jessespector) Blogger for SB Nation, so not a lot of his things are completely serious but its a solid follow. 
-Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) ESPN writer, a lot of his tweets are links to his column. Not to say they aren't good reads, though. 
-Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) ESPN writer, really good with contractual information and potential deals. The only thing about Buster is when someone disagrees with him via reply on Twitter, he will publicly chastise them. I think it's unprofessional and just plain awkward. Although the repliers are foolish to rattle Buster about baseball anyway.
-Tim Kurkjian (@Kurkjian_ESPN) It's Tim Kurkjian, how can you not?
-Peter Gammons (@pgammo) Still kicking. Posting great information as well as links to other beat writers and bloggers.


Organizations:
-BBWAA (@officialBBWAA): mostly used for the Hall of Fame election, so they're a good follow from November to February and then they get pretty quiet. As of today, they haven't tweeted since Jan. 24. 
-MLB Stat of the Day (@MLBStatOfTheDay) Self-explanatory. Fun and interesting, though they rarely post once a day - more like once a week (nothing since November 15).
-SB Nation (@SBNation) Don't take it too seriously. That's why they're awesome. 
-FanGraphs Baseball (@fangraphs) SABRmetrics freaks - this is for you. A lot of it is over my head, but it's great for visual learners. 
-Eye on Baseball (@EyeOnBaseball) CBS platform, more of a traditional news media than team insight. Example, they posted a picture of Kevin Youkilis in Japan. 
-Buzztap (@buzztap) they also have buzztap for any team (e.g. @tigersbuzztap) that compiles all the links, articles, and blogs into one Twitter. They do clog your timeline like none other. 
-MLB Public Relations (@MLB_PR) Compilations of every team's behind the scenes work. For example, a lot of it has recently been teams re-sodding their fields.
-MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) - everything you need regarding if your favorite player or team is going anywhere or not. 

Other Fun Ones:
-You Can't Predict Ball (@cantpredictball) Random and crazy stats that you never thought were possible - for example, David Wright has more doubles than Mickey Mantle. Can't predict ball.
-MLB Memes (@MLBMeme) They love Juan Pierre. I'll leave it at that.
-Cespedes Family Barbeque (@cespedesBBQ) - hilarious college blogger that is obsessed with Backyard Baseball. 
-This Date in Baseball (@ThisDateinBBall) - for the history nerds that gives you fun trivia to stump all your friends.
-Ballpark History (@MLBCathedrals) - probably one of my favorites. Old pictures of legendary stadiums like The Baker Bowl, the Palace of the Fans, Shibe Park, Forbes Field, etc. Stuff you can't find on Google. 

I hope you find these useful. If you're ever in need of more, go to your team's "following" and they usually have many front office employees that post really cool stuff that you can't find anywhere else. Thanks for reading! 

More Predictions (Lucky You)

With the divisional races and postseason awards handed out, I think now is the time to determine the postseason. Here's what the scene looks like with my predictions right now:

AL East: Boston 100-62 (1 seed)
AL Central: Detroit 95-67 (2 seed)
AL West: Oakland 92-70 (3 seed)
AL WC 1: Cleveland 93-69 (4 or 5, depending on their head-to-head with Tampa in the regular season - for sake of argument, I think the Indians will be 4)
AL WC 2: Tampa Bay 93-69 (5; see above)

ALDS 1: Tampa over Boston, 3-2
ALDS 2: Detroit over Oakland, 3-2
ALCS: Detroit over Tampa, 4-1

I think Tampa will take the play in game. David Price in clutch situations is just too much to handle, unless Jason Giambi steps up big time and has yet another walk off home run. They're just deeper at every position except manager, and playing in a stronger division, they'll be battle tested compared to the Indians, who get 40 games against the White Sox and Twins.

The Rays made a compelling argument last year to beat the Red Sox in the ALDS but couldn't quite complete the upset. I think this year is their year - with Price back and now Grant Balfour at their back end - look out. On the other side, we'll see the third straight Tigers/A's ALDS and get another Tigers berth in a thrilling series. Detroit however is a much stronger team offensively than the Rays, making them my choice to go to the World Series. The Rays one win will come from Price.

NL East: Atlanta 94-68 (3 seed)
NL Central: St. Louis 102-60 (1 seed)
NL West: Los Angeles 98-64 (2 seed)
NL WC 1: Cincinnati 94-68 (4 seed)
NL WC 2: Pittsburgh 93-69

NLDS 1: St. Louis over Cincinnati, 3-1
NLDS 2: Los Angeles over Atlanta, 3-1
NLCS: St. Louis over LA, 4-2 
So other than the Wild Card game, this is identical. I really don't see this happening any other way, I mean maybe the Nationals can squeeze into a playoff spot but they won't get past the DS - they're too streaky, and it all depends on how hot they are at the end of the year. I'm not putting my money on anyone but the Cardinals this year.

World Series: 2006 rematch, Tigers vs. Cardinals. We don't know who will have home field advantage until July of this year, and I think that will play a big factor. If the Tigers want to have a shot, they'll need to have home field and win the first two in the Motor City. Without home field, it will be nearly impossible to win - last year, the Cardinals went 54-27 at Busch Stadium, the best home record in the MLB. 

My prediction: Cardinals over Tigers, 4-2
I'm a Tigers fan. This kills me to say, but the Cardinals are just too good. Flawless defense, deep hitting at every position, and a deep pitching rotation led by the unflappable Adam Wainwright. Sure the Tigers are great too, the best hitter in the game and 2 of the last 3 Cy Young winners, but their role players just can't quite get the job done. Especially in an NL park, the bench players need to be able to shine in a pinch - I don't have a lot of faith in Steve Lombardozzi or Andy Dirks with the game on the line. The Cardinals were two wins away last year.

The Tigers were four. 

If this matchup plays out, then expect very low scoring, toughly fought, gritty and scrappy baseball games. It will be a battle of two of baseball's oldest and most historic teams battling it out for yet another crown. St. Louis is looking to add to their NL record 11 championships, and the Tigers are seeking their first since 1984. It should be one of the most exciting ones in recent history. 

I'm excited, but also heartbroken by this. I hope I'm wrong. 

What are your thoughts? Thanks for reading!

Living My Dream (Just Not How I Thought)

What little kid doesn't dream of playing baseball professionally? I was no exception. As you guys have already seen, I was (am) a huge Derek Jeter fan and owned more Yankees paraphernalia than I did actual clothing. All joking aside, I wanted nothing else than to play baseball professionally. I had the tools, I just needed to be 3 inches taller, run faster, field better, hit harder, and throw further - I was that close! Otherwise you'd see me in the pros right now. 

Seriously though, throughout high school, I knew I wasn't going to go pro. I figured I could try to play ball in college. I applied all over the midwest looking at places where they could accept my respectable bat, aggressively average glove, and sputtering-jalopy speed. I settled on Hope College, but quickly into the second semester of my freshman year got the axe. My career was over, and so I thought was my personal relationship with baseball. Aside from being a fan, I had no connection to the game anymore.

Until now.

It took three years for me to make it happen, but now I am finally living my dream of college baseball - I just won't be playing. 

This year, I'll be the Boeve Stadium Manager for Hope College, a microcosm of what I want to do for the rest of my life. My long term goal is to be a Stadium Operations Manager for a professional team somewhere, and my educational endeavors of English and History aren't exactly what you expect to see in the sports world. 

I'm so pumped to start this. I'll finally get to be around baseball every day - not just reading my MLB At Bat app, or scouring over the box scores, or watching the highlights of the previous day. I'll actually get to walk on a field, be in the press box, and be a part of the game. I'm not as important as the closing pitcher or the umpires, but hey, I count! Without me, who would raise the American flag, and where would we look singing the National Anthem? See, it would be just be unadulterated chaos.

It was always my dream to continue my baseball career after high school. And now, I am - it just wasn't how I thought it was going to work out. In a way, I'm not continuing my career, I'm just starting a new phase or segment of it. I'll be transitioning from being the oh-crap-here's-a-groundball-to-Bill oh-yay-Bill-made-up-for-it-with-a-double to Mr. Getcshman with a job, a title, a purpose, and a direction. 

Here are a few pictures of the beautiful Boeve Stadium at the MIAA champs Hope College (when there are not three feet of snow on the ground): 

Go Hope! 

2014 Predictions: Award Winners

This may be a lot to read, but I loved writing this. What follows are my predictions for the 2014 award winners. I've included a "safe bet" option, someone who has either won the award before or is consistently in the top five finalists voting; a bold prediction - a blossoming player who has a chance to make it if they really step up; and my actual guess. The reason I say 'guess' rather than prediction or other type of rhetoric like that is because I don't know who will win the awards - it is exactly what I say it is: merely a guess. But I'll try to explain my thoughts at least. Here we go!

AL MVP:

Safe bet: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers

Bold prediction: Manny Machado, O's

My guess: Mike Trout, Angels

Cabrera is the two-time defending champ, and believe it or not, had a better year than his triple crown campaign in 2012: .348/.442/.636/1.078 with 44 home runs (equivalent to 2012) and 137 RBIs (2 fewer than 2012). He won the award by an overwhelming margin, receiving 23 first-place shares.

Cabrera accepting his 2013 MVP Award in New York. 

I think he'll continue to blow fans and writers out of the water, but a lot of people are just plain sick of Cabrera winning the award and think it should have gone to Trout the last two years (he's been runner up twice). With all this emphasis on WAR, defense, and speed, a lot of voters are in Trout's camp more than they are Cabrera's. Last year, there is not a doubt in my mind that Cabrera is the deserving winner, but this year I think folks will want to spread the love. If Trout comes anywhere near his .323/.432/.557 year that he posted in 2013, expect the race to be a lot closer.

NL MVP:

Safe bet: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates

Bold prediction: Freddie Freeman, Braves

My guess: Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs

The D-backs had a huge offseason, mainly through the acquisition of Mark Trumbo, an incredibly powerful bat that will protect Goldy. Goldy had the better season, there is no doubt there, but Cutch was more valuable. He made the players around him better and took a truthfully poor hitting team and collected 94 wins. The Pirates scored 634 runs this season while the Diamondbacks scored 685, but the Pirates had 13 more wins than the Diamondbacks. Sure, pitching and defense was great for them, but I also want to credit Cutch for capitalizing. This year, however, with the addition of Trumbo as protection, Goldy's 99 walks will decrease and his slugging will likely go up (if that's even possible from his .552 last year). Freddie Freeman is my outside shot; last year he hit .319/.396/.501, but he did strikeout 121 times. As he matures into his first base position, I think he could make a run at the proverbial crown. And no, I don't think Puig will win.

AL Cy Young:

Safe bet: Yu Darvish, Rangers

Bold prediction: Chris Sale, White Sox

My guess: David Price, Rays 

Darvish is a strikeout machine. That's what will propel him to the Cy Young. He will also need better offensive support than last year: 3 of his last 7 starts resulted in losses even though he gave up 3 runs or less - quality losses, but still losses which could hurt his chances. King Felix won it when only going 13-12, so it's not impossible to win with a bad W-L, but it's hard. That's why Chris Sale is my bold prediction. His stuff is absolutely nasty, but he consistently has a losing record because of the offense around him. Last year he went 11-14, but still had a 3.07 ERA and struck out 226 batters, 3rd in the AL, 4th in MLB (wow). David Price is entering a contract year, and with Alex Cobb and Chris Archer stepping up big time, I think he'll shine. Last year he had some injury issues - but when he returned from the DL, he went 9-4 with a 2.53 ERA. Had he been around the whole season, he may have rivaled Scherzer for the title. That's why I think Price will win again.

If Price can continue what he did after the All-Star Break, expect to see this scene again in 2014.

NL Cy Young:

Safe bet: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers

Bold prediction: Jose Fernandez, Marlins

My guess: Kershaw

Is there anything new to say about Kershaw? Allow me: 16-9, 1.83 ERA, 232 K's, and a .915 WHIP. Are you kidding me? Fernandez was an awesome rookie for the Marlins last year, but whatever he does won't touch Kershaw. Best pitcher in the game right now.

Kershaw shakes Sandy Koufax's hand at 2012 Spring Training. With three Cy Youngs and an MVP, Koufax is a Dodgers legend. With two Cy Youngs (two in the last three years, and no slowing down), he's right behind him.

AL Manager of the Year:

Safe bet: John Farrell, Red Sox

Bold prediction: Ned Yost, Royals

My guess: Terry Francona, Indians

The defending champs are in prime position to repeat, making Farrell a safe choice. My bold prediction, Ned Yost, loaded up on new talent (Omar Infante, Jason Vargas) and the big sticks of Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler, and Alex Gordon will continue to prosper. The only problem is: the AL Central is tough. Their competition of the Tigers and Indians will be tough to beat, and the Royals will probably need 90 wins for Yost to get the nod. In the same division, if Terry Francona doesn't win, I will be shocked. He won 92 games last year with nearly the exact same team that Manny Acta took to 68-94. He has (again) nearly the exact same team this year, minus Ubaldo, and adding David Murphy and Yan Gomes to the everyday catching position. I think they are capable of 95 wins with Francona at the helm, proving he should win again.

Francona also chews the most tobacco of any manager - in the world.

NL Manager of the Year: 

Safe bet: Mike Matheny, Cardinals

Bold prediction: Rick Renteria, Cubs

My guess: Ryne Sandberg, Phillies

Mike Matheny has the best team in the league at his fingertips, so if he doesn't win at least 95 games, it will be a failure. That's why I'm picking Ryno - he has a talented team, though very old. Sandberg went 20-22 is his brief introduction with the Phillies; not great by any means but it is respectable! This year, though they are indeed the dinosaurs of the MLB, they have a ton of talent. After all, they are the core group from the 2008 World Series team (Jimmy Rollins, Chooch, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels), and haven't changed that much (lost Shane Victorino, Pat Burrell). In the NL, the lowest managerial winning percentage was Joe Girardi's 2006 Marlins, when he led them to a 78-84 season. By my predictions, the Phillies will win 75 games. Not probable that Ryno will win, but it is possible. It has been done. 

Under a new contract, Sandberg will have a talented team to work with.

AL Rookie of the Year: Taijuan Walker, Mariners

NL Rookie of the Year: Oscar Taveras, Cardinals 

Truth be told, I know little about the ROY candidates. I think later in the year I will have a better idea of predictions. I know I'll be spot on by November of 2014. Anyway, for this year, my two picks are some of the more talked about prospects in recent years. Taijuan Walker had a solid debut, going 1-0 in three games and allowing only six runs. Granted, two of his starts were against the Astros, but the important thing is, he has the stuff. He's a strikeout pitcher, so McClendon will have to watch his pitch count to avoid a Matt Harvey situation, decreasing his sample size for the award, but Fernandez did it last year: he was shut down in September and still managed to take the award over Puig. With former Cy Young winner King Felix manning the helm and top five finisher Hisashi Iwakuma, Walker will have excellent leadership to learn from.

I'm excited to see Taveras. He really has nothing to lose considering he is on the best team in the league. As an outfielder, Jon Jay is a ready and capable reserve who hit .293 last year, so if Taveras for some reason has a shaky start, things will be fine in no time. This will allow him to play aggressive and tenacious baseball, which is oftentimes mistake free baseball. He won't be a Mike Trout, but he will be hitting .285-.300.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to go to battle with me on this - my predicting the future has been a little off lately.