All posts by Craig Kornacki

Fantasy Ramblings : Closer Merry-Go-Round

Is it just me or is it getting harder to find a closer for your fantasy team lately? Going into the season this year, I thought I was all set. I actually had 3 closers that were declared and ready to go: San Diego’s Joaquin Benoit, New York Met Jennry Mejia and the Dodgers’ Joel Peralta. Three closers in an NL only league could win you a championship!

Then BAM!

On Sunday, April 5, the Padres traded for Craig Kimbrel demoting Benoit from closer to setup man. The exact next day, news was released that Mejia had taken a banned substance and would be suspended. Kind of a punch to the gut, but I still had Peralta who was set to close with Kenley Jansen being out.

Peralta was OK for a little while, he got 3 saves. Then, he was put on the DL on April 26. Geez. A week or so before Peralta went down, I took an $11 waiver chance on Bobby Parnell. He was shelved for a little while since he’s returning from Tommy John surgery.

I picked up one-time closer Jim Johnson, but he hasn’t been closing for Atlanta. I passed on John Axford. I was worried if I picked him up his arm would fall off or something.

So, by accident this year, I am punting saves. I’m not going to try to get a closer from the waiver wire for a little while. It was just not meant to be. Maybe Joaqim Soria will come over to the NL in a trade. Perhaps Billy Wagner will come out of retirement. I can only dream.

Guess I’ll take solace in the fact that my record is 2-1-1 and I’m tied for second place in my division.

Book Review: The Matheny Manifesto


matheny

Title/Author:   The Matheny Manifesto:  A Young Manager’s Old-School Views on Success in Sports and Life

Rating:  4 bases out of 4 (Outta the park!)

Review:

Hey, Mike Matheny wrote a baseball book! Who? Mike Matheny, the former Major League Baseball catcher who played for thirteen seasons. Who is that? Mike Matheny, the current St Louis Cardinals manager who is trying to bring character and class back into sports. Oh! Exactly.

The Matheny Manifesto, written by Matheny with Jerry B. Jenkins, is an excellent read.  The book starts off with “The Matheny Manifesto”, a five page letter Matheny wrote to the parents of the little league team he coached after his playing career ended because of concussion issues.  The letter is a direct, impassioned appeal to the parents- Sports should be all about the kids!

Matheny’s book is part-coach primer, part-self help book, and part biography.  Matheny writes about his coaching philosophy which is based on UCLA basketball coach John Wooden’s approach – Team First, Character Counts.  Matheny then offers a few tips along the way for succeeding in life and on the field.  In his basic style, Matheny intersperses stories from his playing career, youth league coaching experience, and pro coaching career.

The first section of the book talks about what is wrong with youth league sports:  know-it-all parents and misguided coaches.  In the next section, Matheny details his ideas for improving youth leagues which include:  allowing all players to try every position and having each player volunteer in the community.  Lastly, Matheny discusses his keys to success.  One of the keys is “Nothing Worth Doing Right Is Easy”, where Matheny details his battle with concussion symptoms which ultimately ended his career.

The Matheny Manifesto is not only a book, but also a movement.  Matheny is a proponent of servant leadership and serving the community.  In addition, he is a proponent of protecting athlete’s heads and assisted with the implementation of the block home plate rule which protects runners and catchers.  Matheny has written a noble book which will entertain and hopefully inspire coaches and others to become leaders with character.

Style:  The book is under 250 pages and has a very no-nonsense, but entertaining style.

URL to find Book: 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Matheny-Manifesto-Managers-Old-School/dp/055344669X

 

2015 NL Team Free Agent WAR Analysis

Pitchers and catchers have reported.  People need reasons to look toward spring especially if you live in the Eastern half of the country.  So, let’s evaluate some ballplayers!

In this post, I will be evaluating the offseason free agent acquisitions for the National League.  I will be using WAR (Wins Above Replacement) to evaluate the fifteen NL teams and its players.  (WAR stats are courtesy of www.fangraphs.com – if you click on the player’s name, it should direct you to their website.)

Braves

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary New Team Date Years Salary
Nick Markakis RF Orioles 31 2.5 0.9 3 $33.00 Braves 12/3/2014 4 $44.00
Jason Grilli RP Angels 38 0.3 0.6 Braves 12/23/2014 2 $8.30
Josh Outman RP Yankees 30 0 0 Braves 1/7/2015 1 $0.90
Jim Johnson RP Tigers 31 0 0.2 Braves 12/3/2014 1 $1.60
Jonny Gomes LF Athletics 34 -0.3 -0.3 Braves 1/22/2015 1 $4.00
A.J. Pierzynski C Cardinals 38 -0.4 0.7 Braves 12/27/2014 1 $2.00
Alberto Callaspo 2B/DH Athletics 31 -1.1 0.6 Braves 12/9/2014 1 $3.00

Nick Markakis seems to generate the same WAR every year.  His projected WAR this year is a quite a bit lower (a 64% decrease) probably because he’s coming over to the NL where there’s better pitching and his home park is historically a pitcher’s park.  He’s past peak age and he has Freddie Freeman’s company as the only other true power threat in the Braves lineup.  Should be an interesting year for Mr. Markakis.

Jonny Gomes has a cool name.  That’s about all I can say about him.

AJ Pierzynski is now 38 years old.  When the heck did that happen?  He goes from the Cardinals to the Braves.  Fangraphs predicts him to be above replacement level with a projection of 0.7.  Pierzynski’s best days seem to be behind him, but you could do worse at the catcher’s spot.

Brewers

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary QO New Team Date Years Salary
Neal Cotts RP Rangers 34 0.8 0.5 Brewers 1/30/2015 1 $3.00

Neal Cotts is still playing?!?  His K/9 last year was 8.51.  Not bad, but not dominant for a reliever.  He’s a lefty so he’ll probably play for about 8 more years.

Cardinals

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary New Team Date Years Salary
Mark Reynolds 1B/3B Brewers 31 1.6 0.3 1 $4.00 Cardinals 12/11/2014 1 $2.00
Carlos Villanueva RP Cubs 31 1.1 0.3 Cardinals 2/4/2015 1 $0.20
Matt Belisle RP Rockies 34 0.5 0 Cardinals 12/2/2014 1 $3.50

The Cardinals have picked up the MLB single season strikeout leader in Mark Reynolds.  But, he did hit 22 HR last year.  His fellow power lineup mates are Matt Holliday and Jhonny Peralta.  He may have a decent year power-wise.

I keep waiting for Carlos Villanueva to do something exciting like: throw a no-hitter, be an ace starter, or a become a closer.  His career averages:  K/9 – 7.77, BB/9 – 3.0, HR/9 – 1.21.  Ah, that’s the problem… gives up too many long balls.  STL’s home park will not help with that.

Belisle is your average joe middle reliever.  His career HR/9 is below 1.0.  Not bad!

Cubs

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary New Team Date Years Salary
Jon Lester SP Athletics 31 6.1 3.8 6 $132.00 Cubs 12/9/2014 6 $155.00
Jason Hammel SP Athletics 32 1.7 2.3 3 $27.00 Cubs 12/8/2014 2 $20.00
Chris Denorfia RF/LF Mariners 34 0.4 0.9 Cubs 1/6/2015 1 $2.60
David Ross C Red Sox 37 0.2 0.9 Cubs 12/23/2014 2 $5.00
Jason Motte RP Cardinals 32 0 0 Cubs 12/15/2014 1 $4.50

Jon Lester is an above average pitcher, but wow, that’s a lot of moolah.  Well, good for him.  He’s a left-hander.  He’s in his prime.  And he’s pitching half his games at Wrigley Field.  He should have a solid year.   But maybe not as good as last year according to projected WAR.

Hammel had a great year last year.  His WAR was 1.7 .  FanGraphs predicts 2.3.  I predict a worse year.  He’s prone to the long ball and his career HR/9 is over 1.0

Looks like the Cubs picked up a couple of veterans to fill out the roster in Denorfia and Ross.

Jason Motte did not pitch in 2013.  He pitched some last year, but he’s still trying to shake the rust off.  We’ll see if he can help out the Cubs in ’15.

Diamondbacks

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary New Team Date Years Salary
Gerald Laird C Braves 35 -0.1 0.7 Diamondbacks 2/2/2015 1 $0.20

Gerald Laird is your prototypical backup catcher.  Good D, no bat.

Dodgers

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary New Team Date Years Salary
Brandon McCarthy SP Yankees 31 3 2.6 3 $36.00 Dodgers 12/16/2014 4 $48.00
Brett Anderson SP Rockies 27 1.1 2.1 1 $7.00 Dodgers 12/31/2014 1 $10.00
Erik Bedard RP Rays 35 0.2 -0.6 Dodgers 1/18/2015 1 $0.20
Sergio Santos RP Blue Jays 31 0 0.4 Dodgers 12/30/2014 1 $0.20
Dustin McGowan RP Blue Jays 32 0 -0.1 Dodgers 2/23/2015 1 $0.50
Brandon Beachy SP 28 0.7 Dodgers 2/21/2015 1 $2.80

Slight dip in Projected WAR for Brandon McCarthy.  His best WAR year was 4.5 with Oakland.  He is the magical prime age of 31 which is half of the success formula for pitchers coming to the NL.  Too bad he’s not a lefty.

Brett Anderson, another former A, is a lefty, but he’s only 27.  His WAR totals are rather erratic : 2009 – 3.6; 2010 – 2.4; 2011- 1.0 2012 – 0.9; 2013 – 0.3; 2014- 1.1 .  Maybe he’ll get things going in the right direction for Dodger Blue.  Moving from Colorado to LA should help.

Remember when Sergio Santos was a shortstop prospect? No?  I do.

Dustin McGowan reminds me of Carlos Villanueva.  Scouts rave about his arm and talent.  Well, when’s he going to something with it?  Last great year was 2007 – WAR – 3.5.  Move to the NL might bump him up some, but it’s gotta be close to his last chance.

Giants

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary New Team Date Years Salary
Nori Aoki RF Royals 33 2.3 1.6 2 $14.00 Giants 1/16/2015 1 $4.00
Jake Peavy SP Giants 33 1.9 1.2 2 $24.00 Giants 12/19/2014 2 $24.00
Ryan Vogelsong SP Giants 37 1 0.6 1 $7.00 Giants 1/23/2015 1 $4.00
Sergio Romo RP Giants 31 0 0.3 2 $12.00 Giants 12/22/2014 2 $15.00

Nori Aoki is the poor man’s Ichiro Suzuki.   Guy knows how to rake.  He can steal a bit- probably needs to be given the green light more.  WAR is projected to go down, but not much.  His WARs are 2012 – 2.3; 2013- 1.6; 2014 – 2.3; Projected 2015 – 1.6.  Consistent.

Jake Peavy should be a 100 years old by now.  Just kidding.  Just seems like he’s been around forever.  His K/9s are slowly trending downward, but not a bad option for a #3 starter.

Sergio Romo is the Giants closer.  He saved 38 games in 2013 and dipped down to 23 last year.  His HR/9 last year was 1.40.  He will have to correct that if he wants to remain closer.

Marlins

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary New Team Date Years Salary
Michael Morse 1B/LF Giants 32 1 0.8 1 $7.00 Marlins 12/17/2014 2 $16.00
Ichiro Suzuki RF Yankees 41 0.4 -0.7 1 $5.00 Marlins 1/23/2015 1 $2.00
Reid Brignac 3B Phillies 29 -0.3 -1.1 Marlins 11/19/2014 1 $0.20

I always think that Michael Morse is overrated.  He hit 31 HR in 2011, so he has power.  He’s an OK power hitter and his 2015 Projected WAR agrees:  0.8

ICHIRO!  The MLB single season hit leader will be taking his farewell tour to Miami.  ICHIRO struck out 3 times as often as he walked last year, which seems very un-ICHIRO-like.  He stole 15 bases last year probably mostly on brains and guile alone.  But, he is 41.

Reid Brignac.  Likely trying to win a bench spot with the Marlins this year.

Mets

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary New Team Date Years Salary
Michael Cuddyer 1B/RF Rockies 35 1.5 0.7 2 $18.00 Mets 11/10/2014 2 $21.00
John Mayberry 1B/LF Blue Jays 31 0.2 -0.2 Mets 12/15/2015 1 $1.50

Michael Cuddyer signed with the Mets.  Did the Mets move those fences in yet?  Cuddyer is a nice hitter at his age, but his home park will not help him.

Nationals

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary New Team Date Years Salary
Max Scherzer SP Tigers 30 5.6 4.1 7 $168.00 Nationals 1/21/2014 7 $210.00
Casey Janssen RP Blue Jays 33 0.1 0.2 Nationals 2/2/2015 1 $5.00
Heath Bell RP Rays 37 0 -0.2 Nationals 12/27/2014 1 $1.00
Dan Uggla 2B Giants 34 -0.8 -0.3 Nationals 12/26/2014 1 $0.20

The Nats made a big splash in the offseason signing Max Scherzer to a 7 year, $210 million contract adding him to an already loaded pitching staff.  This guy is a dynamite pitcher already and now he’s coming to the NL.  Projected WAR says 4.1, but I say sky’s the limit, folks.

Casey Janssen’s Projected WAR for 2015 went up by 50 percent from his actual WAR in 2014.  It’s that NL effect, I tell ya.  Will compete for the closing job in Washington.

Dan Uggla has an eye condition, according to RotoWire News, which may put his 2015 in jeopardy.

Heath Bell is trying to turn his career around.  His K/9 as recently as 2013 was 9.87.

Padres

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary New Team Date Years Salary
James Shields SP Royals 33 3.7 2.7 5 $90.00 Padres 2/12/2015 4 $75.00
Brandon Morrow RP Blue Jays 30 0.4 -0.2 1 $6.00 Padres 12/16/2014 1 $2.50
Clint Barmes 2B/SS Pirates 35 0.3 0 Padres 12/3/2014 1 $1.50
Josh Johnson SP 31 2.1 1 $5.00 Padres 1/7/2015 1 $1.00

James Shields has pitched 200+ innings 8 seasons in a row.  He’s a good pitcher.  How much more can the arm take?  Stay tuned.

Brandon Morrow’s BB/9 for his career is 4.16.  Pass.

Clint Barmes seems to be coming towards the end of his career.  He’s a decent fielder so he’ll be probably be brought in for defensive purposes.

Josh Johnson has had 2 Tommy John surgeries.  The odds of coming back from this are long.  Hopefully, luck is on his side.

Phillies

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary New Team Date Years Salary
Aaron Harang SP Braves 36 2.5 0 1 $6.00 Phillies 1/5/2015 1 $5.00
Chad Billingsley SP 30 1.1 1 $5.00 Phillies 1/29/2015 1 $1.50

 Aaron Harang is a serviceable starting pitcher.  He’s going to Philadelphia which could make things tough considering their recent history.  His projected WAR this year is 0.0.  On the plus side, Philly’s home park is a pitcher’s park, which could bail him out of HR trouble.

Billingsley’s had surgeries in two straight years: TJ and torn flexor repair.  His career total WAR is 17.2.  Best season was 2008 9.01 K/9; 4.1 WAR.

Pirates

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary New Team Date Years Salary
Francisco Liriano SP Pirates 31 1.6 2.9 3 $36.00 Pirates 12/12/2014 3 $39.00
A.J. Burnett SP Phillies 38 1 1.9 1 $10.00 Pirates 11/14/2014 1 $8.50
Corey Hart DH Mariners 32 -1.2 0.7 Pirates 12/19/2014 1 $2.50

Fangraphs is predicting quite the bump up in WAR for Francisco Liriano 1.6 to 2.9.  He’s a lefty and he’s 31.  Could be a big year!

Burnett is back with the Pirates after a lost year with the Phillies.  PNC is surprisingly more of  a hitter’s park than Citizen’s Bank so Burnett’s HR total might increase.  Keep an eye on it.

Hart is quite injury prone lately with knee and hamstring problems.  He will be platooning with Pedro Alavarez at first base.  But, he’s got some punch in that bat.  Might be a sneaky good pickup for the Bucs.

Reds

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary New Team Date Years Salary
Burke Badenhop RP Red Sox 32 1 0.2 Reds 2/7/2015 1 $2.50
Kevin Gregg RP Marlins 36 0 -0.1 Reds 2/7/2015 1 $0.20
Paul Maholm RP Dodgers 32 0 0 Reds 2/3/2015 1 $0.20

Kevin Gregg.  Hmm.  He threw a cutter 21.5% of the time last year.  Might help him in his new home digs in Cincy.Burke Badenhop before been better?  A bad attempt at an alliterative sentence.  What I mean to say is… has Badenhop ever been good?  Last year was his best WAR year at 1.0.  Half his home games in Fenway Park!  Wow.

Paul Maholm.  He’s a lefty.  He’s 32.  About the best I can say about him is his GB% last year was 54.4%.

Rockies

Name Position 2014 Team Age 2014 WAR 2015 WAR CS Years CS Salary New Team Date Years Salary
Nick Hundley C Orioles 31 0.3 1.5 Rockies 12/31/2014 2 $6.30
Daniel Descalso 2B/SS Cardinals 28 0 0.1 Rockies 12/16/2014 2 $3.60
John Axford RP Pirates 31 0 0.5 Rockies 2/2/2015 1 $0.20
Rafael Betancourt RP 39 0 Rockies 1/30/2015 1 $0.20

Nick Hundley has some pop in his bat.  He’s coming to Coors Field.  Could be a match in baseball heaven!

Descalso comes to the Rockies from St. Louis baseball heaven.  He has zero pop in his bat.  Will get on base occasionally, but won’t thrill you.  Best WAR year 2010 – 0.4.

Axford had a couple of high save total years with the Brewers in 2010 (46) and 2011 (35).  He had two WAR years of 1.8.  Seems to have fallen off a cliff somewhat.  Could bounce back in Colorado, but he’s gotta keep the ball in the park.

Betancourt has had some crazy command years.  89 Ks to 8 BBs in 2010 for the Rockies for a K/BB ratio of 11.25.  He’s fallen off in recent years.  He signed a minor league deal and hopes to hang for a last year of glory in the Mile High City.

Next Up:  The American League!

“Wherever I Wind Up” Book Review

Baseball and writing.  It’s been said baseball is the most written about sport.  Baseball has a long, rich history.  Do yourself a favor.  Find a book about America’s pastime and learn more about the sport you love!

The New York Mets colors are orange and blue.  Do you know why?  When New York City lost the Giants and the Dodgers to the West Coast, MLB awarded NYC a new team.  The Mets put Brooklyn Dodger blue and New York Giant orange into their uniform to honor the past.  Sure, you can Google these facts, but it’s quite satisfying to discover a fact by delving into a book.

In a semi-occasional series, I will be reviewing my favorite baseball books on the Bullpen By Committee blog site.  Here is one book about a former New York Met that is enjoyable and heck, I even learned something new.

Wherever I Wind Up

Title/Author:  Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball, R.A. Dickey with Wayne Coffey

Rating:  3 ½ out of 4 Bases (Solid Triple – Very Good)

Review:

R.A. Dickey is a geek athlete.  His book “Wherever I Wind Up” with Wayne Coffey is proof of that.  I use the term “geek athlete” as a compliment of the highest order.  I believe that some athletes that write books have a bit of nerdiness to them and Dickey is decidedly one.  How many professional ballplayers have a B.A. in English Lit and know who William Faulkner is?  In the book, the writers present Dickey as a smart, thoughtful person who also happens to be a ballplayer.  In the foreword of the book, Dickey writes that he has a fantastic memory and it is in evidence several times in this tome.

Dickey was a former first round can’t-miss prospect for the Texas Rangers back in 1996 who was offered a $810,000 signing bonus.  During his initial physical, team doctors found that Dickey had no ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm.  The Rangers could not deal with his new-found freakiness, so his signing bonus was immediately withdrawn.  After a long battle back to the big leagues, Dickey promptly served up 6 HRs in 3 innings in his first game back and set a major league record in the process.  Subsequently, Dickey burned out in his first shot at the majors.  Thus, began Dickey’s geek athlete journey.

During one minor league stop on his Odysseian tour, Dickey tests positive for an opiate. It turns out that he ate a poppy-seed chicken casserole made the night before by his chaplain’s wife. It’s kind of dorky, right?  A few years later, he attempts to swim across the Missouri River while his teammates watch, but chickens out mid-swim and has to swim back.  The geek factor is definitely high here!  He also talks about biking to the ballpark and liking Star Wars.  Welcome to the Geek Athlete Club Mr. Dickey, would you like to be our president?

R.A eventually pulls his geekiest move yet in an attempt to save his baseball career – he learns how to throw a knuckleball.  For those of you who might not know, the knuckleball is the most difficult and nerdiest pitch to throw.  It’s a hard pitch to throw and not easy to hit or catch either.  Dickey eventually masters the pitch, makes it to the big leagues and stays there!  He ends up becoming one of the top NL pitchers in 2012.

This was an excellent book!  After all, it was written by a geek athlete.  As a similarly frustrated athlete in my younger years, I very much identified with struggling with a sport.  I would recommend the book to any baseball fan, geek and non-geek alike.

Style:  Book has a good flow and writing often reads like listening to a conversation.

Stats:  Since we are sabermetrically-minded here at Bullpen By Committee, I have provided a link to RA Dickey’s career stat line:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dicker.01-pitch.shtml

URLs to find Book:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble