Archive for Baseball
Pitchers and Catchers Report: American League
Posted by: | CommentsI hear there was some snow over there in the rest of the country these past few weeks. Hard to know, given where I live.
Sorry, had to get that brag in there.
With most of the country dealing with massive snowstorms this winter, the sight of pitchers and catchers reporting today is a welcome harbinger of warmer days to come, and the daily routine of games that many baseball fans live for. For those of you still thawing out and stacking layers of clothes on before leaving the house, here’s a rundown of some of the most interesting stories on the horizon for the American League in 2010 to warm you up.
The Yankees as the Big Bad Juggernaut
Around this time last year, expectations were certainly high for the Yankees (as is always the case). They had just committed $423,500,000 to three players (Sabathia, Teixeira and Burnett), but we had seen this song and dance from the Yanks many times before in the decade. Spending lots of money on veteran players was nothing new for them, and similar past investments (Giambi, Pavano, Johnson, Brown, etc.) didn’t get them a World Series championship. So while expectations were higher given the quality of talent they obtained in their latest shopping spree, fans weren’t about to make assumptions.
This year, make no mistake about it: the Yankees are the best team in baseball by a wide margin.
When I look at how the team is constructed, I simply don’t see any weaknesses. Every hitter in the lineup is a major threat, with the exception of Brett Gardner. Their rotation is stacked #1-4, to the point that Joba and Hughes may both end up in the bullpen to form a longer, solid bridge to Mariano. Even defense, which was often an overlooked part of the team’s construction, is much improved from the years of Giambi stumbling around the bag, or Bernie Williams on his last legs in center field.
Oh, and they’re improved from last year too. Johnny Damon has been replaced by Curtis Granderson, who provides better defensive value and makes the team younger. Javier Vazquez joins the team as a #4 starter, after having a quiet Cy Young quality season in Atlanta.
The team’s one Achilles heel is the age of their core guys: Jeter, Posada, Pettitte and Mariano. But with the market for players shrinking drastically the last two years, and the huge amount of resources available to the Yankees, I’m sure they’ll be able to replace anyone who goes down as the season progresses. They would be fine without one or two of their stars, but if the injury bug hits multiple players, then things won’t go quite as smoothly this year.
In years past, spring training brought with it an emotion of “Anyone can win the World Series this year”. And while that’s still true to some extent, this current incarnation of the Yankees has buried much of the parity we saw in the sport during the past decade. What does this mean for the other 29 teams? The bar has been set, and it’s going to take that much more effort from players and management to meet the challenge.
The Red Sox Counter with Pitching and Defense
The biggest arms race in baseball continued this winter, as the Red Sox had to make some changes to keep up with the Yankees. I’m sure Theo Epstein would have loved to trade for Adrian Gonzalez and slot him in at first base, but the Padres aren’t looking to trade their superstar just yet. So, rather than trying to outslug the Bronx Bombers, the Sox made some subtle, but substantial moves to improve in the run prevention department. If you’re a more traditional kind of baseball fan, you look at Jacoby Ellsbury and see your prototypical center fielder: lots of speed in the field and on the base paths. To the naked eye he looks and plays solid defense, but statistical analysis shows he was actually the worst defensive center fielder in the league last year.
Fans may disagree with this, but management doesn’t. They made a smart move by bringing in veteran CF Mike Cameron, who is still a top rated fielder despite getting up there in age. Ellsbury clearly has the talent and ability to play good defense, but lacks the experience and instincts. A season or two in left field should help him get adjusted, and Cameron is just the kind of player who can help Ellsbury improve (the guy has only had two full seasons in the big leagues, after all).
As a side note, the Cameron move is actually very reminiscent of when the Brewers acquired him in 2008: it allowed the team to reconfigure what had been a very poor defensive alignment. It created a domino effect that allowed the Bill Hall experiment in center field to end, shifting him back to a more comfortable third base position. This in turn allowed the team to move Ryan Braun, who had been an absolute butcher at third base, and hide his glove better in left field. The Red Sox may have been taking notes, as the 2010 Cameron acquisition improves their defense drastically in two positions.
The Sox have been blessed with a great homegrown defensive right side of the infield featuring Pedroia and Youkilis, and they now have a left side to match by signing Scutaro and Beltre. The Lackey acquisition came as a bit of a surprise, but once again gives the Red Sox the potential to have the best rotation in the league, assuming Beckett and Matsuzaka stay healthy while Buchholz continues to improve.
Make no mistake about it: in 2010, the Red Sox are in the run prevention business. Fans aren’t giving their lineup quite enough credit though, as it really has solid players 1-9. They may not have quite the pop fans would like to see, but I absolutely expect them to make a trade for a bat or two come the trade deadline. Too much is being made of the weight of Papi’s performance and what it means for the team’s success. Yes, it would be great for him to return to even 30 home run form, but in this current market, it won’t be too hard to obtain a power DH bat. Guys who fit the bill like Jermaine Dye and Carlos Delgado don’t even have a job at the moment.
Zduriencik Reigns in Seattle With Defense
After too many years of mismanagement in the Pacific Northwest, General Manage Jack Zduriencik has turned around the Mariners, and provided them with an identity. He’s proven to be ahead of the curve with analysis, collecting defensively strong players who were undervalued by the market. Franklin Gutierrez is probably the best example of this philosophy: Zduriencik picked him up in a three way trade when he was a center fielder without much of a bat, but solid defensive value. After two years in Seattle, we now know how important those defensive skills are: click here to check out his stats on FanGraphs. His bat only provided 6.3 runs over an average player through the course of the 2009 season, but his fielding saved a staggering 29 runs over an average player (this is more than ten runs better than the second best defender in the whole league, Evan Longoria). The end result? A player worth nearly six wins more than an average outfielder, a value that would be worth $26,400,000 on the open market.
Not bad for a guy who cost Seattle a little less than $500,000.
Take the Gutierrez strategy, expand it over the diamond, and you have the modern Seattle Mariners brand of baseball. Chone Figgins and Jack Wilson combine to create a vacuum for ground balls on the left side of the infield. The aforementioned Gutierrez combines with Ichiro to do much of the same for balls in the air. Even new first baseman Casey Kotchman is a glove first kind of player, rather than your prototypical slugger.
Oh, and of course they picked up Cliff Lee this winter, who combines with King Felix Hernandez, fresh off a new extension that will keep him in Seattle through 2014. Assuming both produce to form, Seattle should have the best 1-2 punch in the majors this year.
As someone who always purchases the Extra Innings package, I’ll be watching plenty of Mariners games this season for entertainment alone. This 2010 team may very well go down as the best defensive club in the history of the game, they have two bona fide aces, and two speedy on-base machines in Ichiro and Figgins at the top of their order. It’ll be a thrill to watch. The only thing missing is some power in the lineup, but if Milton Bradley can bring back the form that made him a deadly hitter in 2008, it’ll go a long way towards a playoff berth for Seattle.
The New Look Angels, For Better or Worse
On subject, the Angels have really seemed to own the AL West in recent memory, but I expect to see a significant race this time around. Despite losing Lackey, the pitching depth is still very strong between Kazmir, Weaver, Saunders, Santana and new acquisition Joel Pinero. There are no true aces in this bunch, but all are very capable pitchers who will give the team a chance to win. The Angels offense has really shifted in tone from its famous aggressive-on-the-bases style that defined the franchise in the past decade. Now, the heart of the order features guys with power and on-base ability in Matsui, Hunter, Morales and Rivera. The bullpen is also not what it used to be, as Brian Fuentes wasn’t the most reliable closer in his first American League season, and new acquisition Fernando Rodney’s WHIP is just as poor.
For the reasons mentioned above, Seattle really has a chance to take the division this year. Texas and Oakland also have strong farm systems stocked with pitching; while it’s unlikely that either team will contend for a playoff spot this year (unless the Rangers’ young guys develop faster than expected), they won’t be easy opponents for the Angels and Mariners.
The White Sox Gamble, the Twins Remain Steady
General Managers are often compared to poker players these days: they remain patient, wait for the right opportunities, maximize value whenever possible, and take into account all available statistics when making a move.
By the same analogy, White Sox GM Kenny Williams is far less of a poker player, and more of a high stakes gambler at the craps table: placing big bets and throwing the dice in hopes of a big payoff.
He traded top prospects and invested $52 million into three years of Jake Peavy’s services. The former Cy Young winner missed most of 2009 with an injury, but looked quite good in his 20 innings wearing a White Sox uniform. Still, he’s never proven himself in the American League, and he’ll need to be the Peavy of old to give the Sox a chance to contend.
An even bigger gamble was acquiring Alex Rios from the Blue Jays for, well . . . nothing. Rios’ contract was an albatross for the rebuilding Jays, and the best they could do was literally give him away to be free of the burden. Rios is a tremendous athlete and still relatively young, but he’s yet to fully realize his potential. The Sox are now stuck with his hefty contract through 2014, and fans are hoping he doesn’t become their albatross moving forward.
Some of Williams’ other gambles are a bit more calculated, such as getting J.J. Putz for $3m, and Andruw Jones for $500,000. Among other gambles, the Sox are really hoping Carlos Quentin can return to his 2008 form, when he made a strong case for AL MVP before injuring himself by slamming a bat in frustration after hitting a foul ball. The rotation and lineup are actually filled with a combination of steady veterans and young talent, so if Peavy, Rios and Quentin can play up to expectations, the division should go to the Sox.
The Twins’ philosophy is polar opposite of everything I just wrote about the White Sox. They are steady, build from within, and practically never take major risks bringing in external players. This time around, with a shrinking market for free agents, they made two incredibly smart signings by bringing in Orlando Hudson and Jim Thome on affordable one year contracts. Hudson should round out the infeld nicely with new shortstop J.J. Hardy, and Thome gives the team that one extra power bat they’ve always seemed to need. They’re opening a new stadium this year and feature reigning homegrown AL MVP Joe Mauer, who has become one of the biggest stars of this era. With their improvements, they have to be considered the favorite in the Central.
The Tigers have a solid core built around frontline starters Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer. They look like a team that can contend, but realistically, I don’t think this is their year. The team is still bogged down by expensive contracts currently held by guys who are likely past their prime in Magglio Ordonez, Dontrelle Willis, Carlos Guillen and Nate Robertson. They are actually in a great position to contend in 2011 once those contracts start to come off the books and they can bring in premium talent to support the core in a strong free agent class. This is not to say they can’t contend this season if things fall into place, but this looks to be a team in transition, and I applaud them for getting one step ahead to make their team stronger for the future.
Next up: the National League.
Popularity: 15% [?]
Gone Bay-By, Gone: A Look to the Past (and Future) of Left Field at Fenway Park
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s been a little over a month now, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around Jason Bay signing with the Mets. It’s not just because the Sox are losing a good player (and they are), but because of the repercussions it may have of the Legend of Left Field. You don’t know what that means, you say? Well, that’s because I just made it up right now.
Since the 1940s, the Sox left field has seen some of the best hitters to play the game. Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Manny Ramirez have all stood in front of the Green Monster. Known just as much for their bats as they are their larger than life personalities, these players helped define the franchise. That continued straight to Jason Bay’s year and a half in left for Boston. But with Bay gone, the Red Sox are planning to move Jacoby Ellsbury to left. Ellsbury is a great young player, to be sure, but he’s a speedy leadoff hitter, not a big bat with big personality. But does that mean Ellsbury won’t fit into his role in left field? Let’s take a look at the past for answers!
1939-1987: The Hall of Famer Era
Between 1939 and 1987, left field was home to three of biggest names in the the Red Sox franchise. Each succeeding the other, this amazing 40-something year period saw three Hall of Famers destroy records and give fans something to cheer for. First, way back in 1939, Ted Williams started as a rookie with Boston, setting the world on fire by leading the league in RBIs. Williams, of course, went on to become the last player to hit above .400, with a career average of .344. Williams wasn’t just a feared hitter, he was also a combat pilot serving in World War II and the Korean War., eventually reaching the rank of Captain. A model hero cut from the same cloth as John Wayne, Williams didn’t always get along with the fans at Fenway, but he certainly delivered on the field.
Debuting in the 1961 season was Williams’ successor, Carl Yastrzemski (with huge shoes to fill, especially as a hitter). Yaz rose to the occasion, eventually racking up more RBIs than Williams and proving to be a master in left with a gun for an arm, winning seven Gold Glove Awards. While he may not have been a national hero in the tradition of Williams, Yaz did much to inspire his teammates, being named the first captain of the team since the 1920s. Like Williams before him, Yaz even had a signature batting style, holding his bat high to facilitate a dramatically large swing. But as he aged, Yaz moved to first, base, leaving left field open for another future Hall of Famer.
Jim Rice replaced Yastrzemski and continued the tradition of power hitters playing left field for Boston. While arguably not as great as his two predecessors, Rice remained a force at the plate for his entire career and inherited the position of team captain from Yastrzemski (he would be the last team captain until Jason Veritek received the honor in 2004). He had a reputation of being uncooperative with the press (ironic since Rice himself is now a member of the press as a commentator on NESN), but he was still able to build a fan base of faithful Sox fans. After a culmination of small, nagging injuries began chipping away at his performance, Rice retired in 1989.
1988-2001: In the Shadow of the Monster
The next two players to inherit the position never quite made it out from the shadows of those three former left fielders. First up was Mike Greenwell. Nicknamed The Gator on account of rumors that he wrestled alligators in the offseason, Greenwell was solid all ten years he played with the Red Sox. But solid wasn’t quite enough and Greenwell lost the 1988 MVP race to Jose Conseco, who had posted the first 40 home run, 40 stolen base season in MLB history. While his play remained good (he was named to the All-Star team in both ‘88 and ‘89), Greenwell’s stature never seemed to recover. His last season in Boston was 1996, and he retired in 1997 after breaking his foot playing in Japan. A big personality, memorable nickname and solid play still couldn’t elevate Greenwell to the level of former Red Sox greats.
Troy O’Leary, Greenwell’s replacement, didn’t fare much better. Another solid player, especially in his seven years with the Sox, O’Leary didn’t make a lasting impression on the franchise. O’Leary simply wasn’t the player that Williams, Yastrzemski and Rice had been. By the turn of the century, it seemed like left field had cooled, lost in the shadow of the Green Monster.
2001-2009: Return of the Bat
The Red Sox signed Manny Ramirez in 2001, placing a bona fide super star in left field. Ramirez, already known and respected for his time with the Cleveland Indians, helped usher in a new generation of powerful hitters playing left field for the franchise. Everything about Manny was big. He put up huge numbers, and his reputation for lackadaisical fielding and a generally cheery and carefree demeanor led to the phrase “Manny Being Manny”: the most succinct way to describe his unique personality. But Boston fans latched onto Ramirez, embracing him fully, quirks and all. It makes sense, especially within historical context, as Ramirez helped recall a time when greats inhabited left field. Ramirez was even achieved what had been impossible for his Hall of Fame predecessors and won a World Series in 2004 (also taking home the series MVP award). But, as tension between the club’s management and Ramirez grew, Manny publicly admitted he was no longer interested in playing for the team, something that turned a lot of fans against him for the remainder of his time in Boston. He was finally traded to the Dodgers before the trade deadline in 2008 in a complex, three-way deal that saw his replacement shipped to Boston.
Jason Bay grew up a Red Sox fan, wearing Red Sox pajamas and had posters of his left field heroes, Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice, on his bedroom wall in his home in Canada. It seemed that Bay was destined to inherit left field, and his first few months with the team seemed to cement this. He had a monstrous postseason, and continued performing well into 2009. But his skill and charming history as a fan didn’t help him in contract negotiations with the team in the off-season, and he signed with the Mets just before the new year. It seemed, at least temporarily, that left field may go cold again.
The Future of Left Field
With the prospect of Bay not returning, the Red Sox signed outfielder Mike Cameron in December. The team announced soon after that Cameron would be playing center field and they would be moving the previous center fielder, Jacoby Ellsbury, to left. Ellsbury has built quite the career for himself in just two-and-a-half short seasons with the Sox. For the last two seasons, Ellsbury has led the league in stolen bases (with 50 and 70, respectively), and has been a solid leadoff hitter for the team (not to mention stealing the first base of the 2007 World Series, winning fans a free taco the next day, courtesy of Taco Bell!) But does he have what it takes to live up to the legends?
Yes, absolutely. In fact, Ellsbury fits the bill quite well. Like Williams, Yaz and Rice, Jacoby was brought up through the Red Sox system. He may not be the power hitting type, but he has shown a tremendous amount of skill at the plate, on the bases and in the outfield. Ellsbury is fast becoming one great leadoff hitter, and his speed is an important for the team’s offense and defense. But, the league has changed in the past 25 years. Players are traded regularly and rarely play their career with only one team. There’s a chance he may not have the chance to reach the heights of the ghosts of Fenway’s left field, at least not with the Sox (rumors swirled all off season that the team attempting to deal him, along with several other players, to the Padres for Adrian Gonzales). But he has the potential to join the ranks of the great left fielders of Red Sox history.
Besides, he won me a free taco, and that has to count for something.
Quintin Marcelino is a writer and Red Sox fan currently lost in the National League city of San Diego. He can usually be found at several local haunts, writing or complaining about the Yankees to anyone who will listen.
Popularity: 14% [?]
Yankees in Six – Again?
Posted by: | CommentsWell I, for one, certainly hope not. But we’ll just have to wait and see how the 2010 MLB season pans out. So many players, so many deals, so little time to put all the pieces together. But somehow, those 30-something-year-old big league GMs find a way. They always do; just ask Theo Epstein or Josh Byrnes. Or that seasoned 42-year-old brainiac by the name of Brian Cashman.
When I conjure up images from last year’s postseason, I can’t help but see Alex Rodriguez actually finding his groove and helping the Yankees claim their 40th AL Pennant and 27th World Series title, albeit the team’s first with A-Rod on board (six years in the making). I’m not a big A-Rod fan, never have been, but I had to actually give the guy his due based on his impressive postseason last year. I don’t like him for several reasons, but basically it boils down to these two: 1.) I’m a lifelong Red Sox fan; and 2.) he’s a pampered superstar who doesn’t like getting his hands dirty, literally. He is the anti-Mike Lowell in that respect, and any guy making $25 million a season to play baseball should be willing to get his uniform dirty once in a while.
Getting back to A-Rod’s resurrection from postseason failure, he earned a smidgen of my respect with last season’s turnaround. I mean, here was a guy who couldn’t find his bat, much less his swing, every time the postseason rolled around. He earned the nickname “The Cooler” since he always seemed to go cold at the most inopportune times for his team. But, lo and behold, he managed to put all the pieces together last fall by batting .378 in the playoffs and launching six bombs. Maybe it was gal-pal Kate Hudson’s influence? Perhaps she was the one guiding him on follow-through and consistency. Or perhaps it was Captain Derek Jeter’s stellar season (.334 with 18 dingers) coupled with Mark Texeira’s moon shots (39 of ‘em) and 38-year-old southpaw Andy Pettitte staying intact for the entire haul and notching 14 wins. And then again, maybe it was just Joe Girardi’s destiny, seeing as how he was already sporting No. 27 on his back. Whatever the reason, the Yankees won it all last year and are back on top of the baseball world.
But will they be there in 2010? In June, Pettitte turns 39, while Jeter turns 36. A month later, A-Rod turns 35. And a month after that, Jorge Posada celebrates his 39th birthday. These guys aren’t getting any younger. And the fact that World Series MVP Hideki Matsui signed in the offseason with the dreaded Halos of Anaheim could spell a different ending to this season’s merry-go-round. But then again, with the likes of CC Sabathia on the hill, Texeira at first, Robinson Cano covering second and the newly arrived Curtis Granderson patrolling center, chances are the Yankees will at least be in contention. And after all, isn’t that all anybody can ask for? Unless, of course, your last name is Steinbrenner.
Who might bump them off in the AL, you ask? Who else, but my beloved Sox, of course. By picking up John Lackey to shore up the starting rotation, as well as signing veteran center fielder Mike Cameron and Gold Glove third baseman Adrian Beltre, the Sox are stocking up for a season-long battle with the Bronx Bombers. The acquisition of Cameron moves the speedy Jacoby Ellsbury from center to left, which actually improves Boston’s defense with any ricochets off the Green Monster after Jason Bay’s disappointing bolt to that other New York team. And backstop Victor Martinez will continue to get more comfortable with Fenway’s faithful so 2010 definitely looks like it’s shaping up to be another barnburner in the AL East.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot; those pesky Rays aren’t going away quietly. Yep, should be a doozy this year. Can’t wait.
Popularity: 11% [?]
The State of International Baseball
Posted by: | CommentsA few weeks ago, MLB commissioner Bud Selig announced he was interested in creating an annual series between the MLB and Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball champions. Likely Selig is mostly talk, his announcement nothing more than a show of good faith at a meeting between the commissioner and Nippon Professional Baseball’s boss, Ryozo Kato, especially considering the issue has all but been dropped in the subsequent weeks. But, is the idea without merit?
Baseball has taken something of a beating on the world stage the last few years. First, the Olympic committee voted baseball and softball out of the 2012 games. Next came rumors of complaints from MLB managers about player injuries during the World Baseball Classic, held just a month before the start of last season. Baseball has never been as big as soccer or even basketball globally, and that’s not a bad thing. Of course, the story has the Internet split, with some comments going as far as to call the World Baseball Classic a joke and a money grab. But, do Selig and Kato have a good idea on their hands? The answer may lie in the other recent attempts to attract a global audience to baseball.
The Olympic Problem
In the summer of 2005, the International Olympic Committee voted to remove both baseball and softball from the Summer Games, starting in 2012. They will be the first sport removed since Polo in 1936! Softball has been dominated by the US since its 1996 introduction, but baseball has a bit different. Cuba ended up being the dominant power, winning three of the five gold medals between 1992 and 2008 (the other two going to the US and South Korea). So what went wrong?
There are a host of conspiracy theories on why the IOC decided to vote out baseball. Most are pretty out there, including a bias against the US held by the IOC, unease due to the unpredictable length of a baseball game, the MLB not allowing players to participate, and the lack of interest from the Olympic audience. In reality, the truth probably lies between the last two theories. It wouldn’t surprise me if there hasn’t been a major audience for the sport in the Olympics, with only a handful of countries participating. Even within those countries, particularly the US, significant disinterest was likely due to the relatively unknown college players on the field.
The problem is that the summer Olympics are in August, generally a time when divisional races are heating up. This leaves two options. The first would be to simply play major league baseball in August without the players on the US Baseball team (and other countries’ teams, as well). Just writing this made me cringe, the idea is so terrible. There is almost no chance any owner or manager would agree to lose their best players for several important weeks so late in the season. Even if there was some unlikely agreement within the MLB about player absences, the fan reaction would get ugly.
This leaves the second option: shut down the league for a month. While the idea is more palatable than simply cherry picking players from teams during a pennant race, it doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. First, the structure of the season would change dramatically. Either you lose 20 to 30 games in a season, or you extend it well into November (and possibly December). While there are plenty of complaints that the season is too long at 162 games, the past two seasons have both shown that sometimes a divisional race can come down to one game. It could also ruin the chances of some teams battling their way back from a rough start. Cutting those games simply won’t fly.
So what about an extension? This is easily the best option, but it certainly has its drawbacks. For instance, television scheduling issues will become a nightmare, especially as the playoffs slip directly into football season. Weather may also be a factor as the past few seasons have seen snow during opening week and freezing temperatures during the World Series. Depending on where the games are played, there’s a good chance of weather-related delays in November and December. Of course, both of these are workable, but why would MLB go through the hassle and potentially forfeit profits? Simply put, this will never happen.
But, without the allowance of professional players on the American team and with the unlikeliness that the IOC will reinstate baseball into the Summer Games, I suppose most of these points are moot. But the Olympics are not the only international ballgame in town.
An International Classic
Last March, I had the opportunity to attend one of the World Baseball Classic games at Petco Park. It was Japan vs. Cuba, with Daisuke Matsusaka pitching for Japan. This was an extra treat for me, a relatively poor Red Sox fan who also lives 3,000 miles from Boston and can never seem to score tickets when he’s back in Massachusetts. It remains the only time I’ve seen Dice-K pitch. We were seated in the upper deck, in right field just past first base, in a section that could have doubled for a ballpark in Havanah. Surrounded by fans waving Cuban flags, singing, dancing and having a generally awesome time, it reminded me how much fun going to a baseball game could be.
Glowing review, right? Sure. It was fun, and following the tournament on the whole was great. Just seeing the way Japan and South Korea played ball versus the Americans was riveting. But the tournament came with a whole host of problems that may hinder its growth in the future.
First, there seemed to be a general malaise surrounding the whole affair, at least in the United States. This could have been for several reasons. First, the MLB season was just weeks away. Why get wrapped up in a tournament for which the outcome is mostly meaningless? Also, games were only played in two cities: Miami and San Diego, and the tournament was divided in a way in which the US never played at Petco. Perhaps spreading the games out, playing them at different parks around the country could have garnered some interest, but that’s just speculation on my part. There’s a good chance Americans just aren’t interested in international baseball.
Second, and perhaps most important, were the string of injuries suffered, particularly on the US team. Chipper Jones, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Matt Lindestrom were all injured early in the tournament. Do an Internet search for “World Baseball Classic+Injury” and a score of articles come up asking if the WBC is to blame for certain players’ injuries. Pedroia certainly had a rough slump at the start of the ‘09 season, and Dice-K’s injuries last year were well documented, but were they because of the WBC?
In the case of Pedroia, who knows. He could just as easily have been injured during spring training or early in the season, and his slump may have not been injury related at all. Matsusaka is a different matter, as he admitted recently to a Japanese newspaper that he injured himself while preparing for the WBC and played injured throughout the tournament, likely heightening the impact of what was a relatively minor injury. Regardless, the injuries this year certainly hung like a dark cloud over the WBC for many fans, and could end up turning sentiment against the WBC or, worse, scare players out of accepting invitations to play in the tournament.
The Middle Ground
While I personally think the World Baseball Classic is the way to go, creating a World Cup for baseball and growing the sport internationally, I know my opinion isn’t a universal one. So perhaps Selig’s idea for a Japan vs. US championship series could grow some support, both domestically and globally, for more international baseball games. You’d have media attention, with Fox and ESPN no doubt spinning the games as a huge event. This could also get the US audience more interested in non-MLB baseball, perhaps growing some interest for future World Baseball Classics.
Of course, there are problems. The tournament would take place in November, in the middle of the NFL season and in the winter for many parts of the US and Japan. The logistics of travel may be a nightmare as well, with cross-Pacific flights occurring several times if the series lasts seven games. Lastly, people may just be burned out on baseball, after seven straight months of games.
My idea? Try this International championship game out in 2011. If it works, keep the tradition going, in hopes of expanding baseball’s international audience. If it doesn’t, well, it will still be an interesting experiment that will surely result in some great ball games. Are there problems? Of course there are. But the potential revenue stream alone may have owners (and players) thinking twice about elevating baseball to the global stage. Better yet, the game may benefit from teams having to adapt to different styles of play, elevating the general level of play in much the same way the World Cup ups the level of play for soccer. More good than harm would come with international play, and perhaps this championship series could be the stepping stone for reestablishing baseball on the world stage.
The Summer Games, the World Basbeall Classic, a Japan/US championship series. None of these options are anywhere close to perfect. But growing baseball’s audience seems like the smart thing to do, both for financial reasons and for the advancement of the game. Why not give it a shot?
Quintin Marcelino is a writer and Red Sox fan currently lost in the National League city of San Diego. He can usually be found at several local haunts, writing or complaining about the Yankees to anyone who will listen.
Popularity: 12% [?]
2009 USA Baseball: Tomorrow’s Stars Today
Posted by: | CommentsWhat do Roy Oswalt, Ben Sheets, Carl Crawford, Tino Martinez, Robin Ventura, Joe Mauer, Grady Sizemore, Shane Victorino, Jered Weaver and Matt Holliday have in common? They all donned the USA Baseball uniform to represent their country before becoming MLB stars.
Over the last few years, the trend within baseball has shifted towards acquiring young talent. Players like Troy Tulowitzki, Chase Utley, David Price, Andrew McCutchen and David Wright came up to the majors, made an impact, and are now franchise players to build around. Every GM in the league wants to acquire as many of these guys as possible.
For collectors, the goal should be the same. The USA Baseball set is unique, because it allows collectors to obtain cards for tomorrow’s stars today, while they’re still in the minors. Or, in the case of phenom Bryce Harper, before they’re even drafted.
Everyone wants to get rookie cards of tomorrow’s big stars. Well, these are actually pre-rookie cards. In Harper’s case, he doesn’t even belong to a MLB team yet (though we all presume he’ll be picked #1 overall by the Nationals and join last year’s phenom #1 pick Stephen Strasburg in DC).
Upper Deck’s 2009 USA Baseball hits shelves this week, so find your local hobby shop and start collecting tomorrow’s stars today!
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