Maybe it was the Olympics. Maybe it was because the 2-Wild Card format means more teams are “in it”, but this seemed a rather underwhelming trade deadline. While it wasn’t quite as boring as what Glen Perkins was saying it was, it was hardly a call back to some of the great Trade Deadlines of lore. So, let’s take a look at some of the trades that went down today (after the jump):
Quick post right now to note that, later today/tonight, keep an eye open for the Trade Deadline Review, where I figure out the winners and losers of the trade deadline.
Until then…. uhhh… watch the Olympics. Or something.
It is done. Francisco Liriano is no longer a Minnesota Twin, traded to the White Sox for lefty starting prospect Pedro Hernandez and utility-man Eduardo Escobar. In some ways, the fact he got traded for such an uneven haul is fitting, because Liriano always something of an uneven pitcher. When he was on, he was one of the best pitchers in the game, when he wasn’t… he was one of the worst.
Acquired in a highway robbery trade with the Giants (who got A.J. Pierzynski in return… for one season) that also brought the Twins Joe Nathan and Boof Bonser, Liriano had a brief appearance in 2005. But it was his first full rookie year, in 2006, that was magnificent. He made an All-Star team, came in third for Rookie of the Year. He also had the first of many injuries. It would be the bane of his career.
He would never be the same again for any long stretch of time. He had his moments, including a no-hitter. However, in general, he was a case of what might have been. The same could be said for the Twins- who knows how different the past few years could have gone if they had a top-of-the-line power pitcher like Liriano had been in his early career. It’s possible, in fact, that they might not have even had gotten to this point to begin with, and would instead be worrying about whether they could keep Liriano when he hit free agency, not simply whether the haul they got for him was good or not (time will tell, but there are no obviously top-level prospects getting received).
So, thus ends the Liriano era. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… and it would have been a lot better if not for injuries.
Ben Sheets first came into the eyes of casual baseball viewers when he stunned the Cubans with a complete game shutout for the Olympic Gold. And, as I stated earlier, he has seemingly resurrected his career this year.
Last night, Sheets got his third win in as many games for the Braves. Upon hearing this, I said (or, rather, tweeted):
It’s an Olympic Year. Ben Sheets does well in those.
— Dan J. Glickman (@DanJGlickman) July 28, 2012
This led me to wonder if it was indeed true, and if, indeed, Ben Sheets does better in Olympic years (AKA Leap Years, AKA Presidential Election Years). If I were a member of SABR, and if SABR gave out a version of the Ig Nobel Prize, I would totally be on my way to getting one. More after the jump.
Last night was a good night for rookies making their MLB debut.
Starling Marte, a well-regarded prospect for the ascendant Pirates, instantly made an impact. By “instantly”, I mean literally the first pitch he saw, which he sent over the fence. He’s the first to do it since Kaz Matsui did it in his North American debut in 2004 (it was, in many ways, all downhill from there for Kaz Matsui).
That was impressive. Also impressive? Matt Harvey. The Mets pitcher, making his debut, struck out 11 and gave up three hits over 5 and 1/3, while going 2 for 2 with a double. That is one of the best debuts in memory for that number of innings pitched.
It has been a good year for rookies: Mike Trout might not simply be Rookie of the Year, he could be MVP. Bryce Harper has brought excitement to every game he’s been in, a madman on the bases who some have compared to Pete Rose for his hustle. Yu Darvish has adjusted very well to MLB, and Ryan Cook of the Athletics has been one of the main pieces of the Athletics bullpen.
It’s hard to remember when so many young players were coming into the league, especially so many rookies who have so much talent. Years from now, 2012 may go down as the year where a new generation of ballplayer began to arrive in the big leagues. Until then, though, it should just be a joy seeing how well these newcomers do.
It’s time again for the Miami Marlins’ edition of The Franchise. Last time, I noted that there was no reference to Ozzie Guillen’s feud with Bryce Harper over the amount of pin-tar on his bat. Well, that basically opens up this episode. After that, though, it becomes focused on two things: the beginning of the latest fire sale as the Marlins continue to fall out of it, and families. More after the jump, including the latest installment of the “Ozzie Guillen ‘Carlin Words’ Counter”:
According to a December 22, 1977 article from the AP in the Youngstown Vindicator, there were discussions of a series between an MLB All-Star Team and the Cuban National Team:
It, of course, never happened. It wasn’t until the late 90s that MLB players (the Baltimore Orioles) played the Cuban National Team. The two teams split a home-and-home series.
For those wondering, Cuba’s record against teams in the World Baseball Classic that have had large numbers of MLB players is mixed: they had a 3-2 record in 2006 against teams with large numbers of MLB players (Puerto Rico, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic) and had a 2-0 record against Mexico in the 2009 WBC (the rest of their games were against teams that were either made up of predominantly foreign league players, or against mainly minor leaguers).
The Yankees have traded for Ichiro. A few years ago, this would have been earth-shattering news that would have caused large amounts of hair to be pulled out, rioting would have engulfed the Northwest (it still might- they still are justifiably angry about losing the Sonics) and every person with a keyboard would have declared this another sign of the inequity of baseball’s markets.
Now though, it seems almost as if the Yankees are doing this just to remind everyone that, yes, they are the Yankees, and, yes, they are willing to get well-known players who are past their prime in order to aid in the yearly quest for a world title.
This isn’t to say this is a bad deal: Ichiro still definitely has his moments, and has enough talent that he could easily go on a tear for the rest of the season. In addition, the two pitchers they gave up (D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar) don’t seem to be anything special- it’s not like they are trading Jay Buhner for Ken Phelps. It’s just that I don’t this is the big deal that some may make it out to be. Ichiro is a legend, a future HOFer, and still one of the best quotes and most exciting players in baseball on his best day, but this is hardly the deal that will win the Yankees the pennant.
In 1942, the AL All-Stars played a team of players who had entered military service but who had yet to go to the Atlantic or Pacific Theatres. There is information on that game in the 1943 Baseball Guide by the Sporting News (available on archive.org), as well as this picture of the team (you can click the photo to see it bigger, so that the names are more visible):
Among the players you can find in this photo are Bob Feller, Mickey Cochrane (who managed), Hank Gowdy (who was a coach) and a variety of other major leaguers such as Cecil Travis, George Earnshaw, Mickey Harris, Sam Chapman, Pat Mullin, Benny McCoy, and others.
Ben Sheets is now 2-0. The Athletics have beat the Yankees three straight to open their series. Although I can’t be sure, I’m going to have to guess that I’ll be playing a Nintendo Gamecube tomorrow, as soon as I finish the last chapter of the latest Harry Potter book.
Yes, it is true, we have seemingly done a time-warp into the first decade of the 21st century. The Aughts, as they are sometimes called, since saying “The 2000s” is kind of unclear as to whether you are talking about the decade or the century.
The Aughts were good to the Oakland Athletics and to Ben Sheets, but they had fallen on hard times by the 2010s. Now, however, they seem to be turning things around.
The Baseball Continuum 