Pro Sports Wrap - Sports Personality of the Day:Tony Romo

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rumors and News, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Indians, Mark Buehrle, Rangers, Angels, Phillies, Marlins, Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals, Albert Pujols, Octavio Dotel, Brewers, Prince Fielder, Dodgers, Hiroki Kuroda, Casey Blake, Rockies, D'Backs

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11/2011 Player Profile: Torii Hunter

November 28th 2011 15:57

At the age of 36, Anaheim Angels right fielder Torii Hunter is obviously beginning to see a decline in skill. He is still a productive hitter, but his defense has fallen off ever since he has played for the Angels. His defense has been overrated, and those who think Hunter is still one of the best outfielders in baseball would be dead wrong. He's still a solid player, but his offensive value doesn't translate as well into a more hitter-heavy position (right field). The five-year deal worth $90 million dollars that he signed in 2007 has actually been a rather poor one, as Hunter has been worth about $55 million dollars through his first four seasons when he was expected to be worth $72 million through those years. It wasn't a huge mistake, but people who think this was a good deal would also be wrong.

I mainly want to focus on Hunter as a player now, than rather talk about his historical value (that's what the historical player profiles are for). The RF was worth 2.5 WAR last season, as he was solid in the field and decent- not likely to continue- on the bases despite just five stolen bases. With 82 RBIs, 80 runs, and a .332 wOBA, Torii Hunter was an above-average hitter last season. He only hit .262, but his on-base percentage of .336 was solid as were his 23 homers.

One of the most consistent hitters in baseball, Hunter's OBP is usually in the .330's and his home run totals are usually in the low 20's. Next season, he should walk less but hit more home runs and have about the same performance at the plate overall in the last year of his hefty contract.

Although Hunter's career LD% is a measly 17.4%, 21% of his hits were line drives last year. However, liners fluctuate from year to year, so there isn't much that can be drawn out of this. A problem is that Hunter chased more pitches this year, and although he did get more contact out of it chasing pitches hurt his overall value.

Torii Hunter will be 37 years old next season in July, but he has shown relative consistency at the plate; although his skills have understandbely, steadily declined due to age. Hunter is one of those guys who has aged gracefully, and he is still a solid player who provides some offense. It's not stupid to even hint that Hunter has been poor defensively over the past few seasons, because he is way on the wrong side of thirty and was playing center at that age. His play in the field was actually good in right field- a much easier position that requires much less speed out of an older player- thanks to a good arm in right.

109 wRC-plus in 2011

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Player Profiles, Angels, Torii Hunter

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2011's Best Starting Pitchers

November 23rd 2011 18:53

This is a ranking of the best starting pitchers of the 2011 season, and it's based on the performance of last season alone.

1. Roy Halladay- His 2.20 FIP was awesome, his efficiency gets overlooked because of the hype surrounding the guy directly below him.

2. Justin Verlander- Deserved the Cy Young, but his season was a little overrated (.236 BABIP). Still, accomplishing a 2.40 ERA with 8.96 fans per nine is no easy feat.

3. Clayton Kershaw- Although Halladay should have won the award, it's tough to argue with a guy who had the pitching Triple Crown. But of course, the Triple Crown doesn't trump advanced statistics; even if it's still an incredible feat.

4. CC Sabathia- Lost among a season of elite pitching was Sabathia's 2011 campaign.

5. Cliff Lee- Had a 2.60 FIP and was in the thick of the "race", well, for those who paid attention to him.

6. Dan Haren- If you dig deeper, it becomes apparent that Haren was truly the best starter on the Angels last year.

7. Jered Weaver- But hey, Weaver did have a 2.41 ERA regardless of the luck involved.

8. Ian Kennedy- How could I not reward the former Yankees prospect?

9. Madison Bumgarner- This sophomore was no bum, as he garnered a 2.67 FIP.

10. Zack Greinke- A 10.54 K/9 and 2.56 xFIP? I think so.

11. C.J. Wilson- There's a reason why he's easily the top free agent starter on the market.

12. James Shields- Would have been in the top ten in most seasons; just not this one.

13. Matt Cain- The guy who somehow defies sabermetrical logic year in and year out, but he did have a 2.88 ERA that was in line with his 2.91 FIP this season.

14. Cole Hamels- Yeah, the Phillies offense really dragged the team down.

15. Doug Fister- And we thought this trade was meaningless when it first went down.

16. David Price- Wasn't all that much worse than his teammate, but he was still worse.

17. Matt Garza- Well, at least the Cubs got what they wanted in the trade; an over-performing pitcher. He won't always be this good, but that season alone might make that trade at least a solid one for the Cubbies.

18. Felix Hernandez- Yeah, I probably put him a little too low, but it really wasn't the best of years for Felix. But just you wait for 2012 Mariners fans, you'll have the Astros to beat up on.

19. Tim Lincecum- No top 20 is complete without Timmy's presence, even in a "down" year (he still had a 2.74 ERA).

20. Daniel Hudson- He and Kennedy are two young starters to build a rotation around.

21. Brandon McCarthy- Now who saw that coming?

22. Josh Beckett- He really carried the Red Sox sagging rotation this year with a 2.89 ERA.

23. Matt Harrison- Scouts love him when he doesn't nibble, and he had a solid year that he should be able to build on.

24. Chris Carpenter- A boss year in and year out, and to think that the Cards won it all without Wainwright.

25. Jaime Garcia- What better way to end a top 25 starter list than a World Champion?

What a rebound year

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rankings, SPs, Yankees, CC Sabathia, Red Sox, Josh Beckett, David Price, James Shields, Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, CJ Wilson, Matt Harrison, Angels, Dan Haren, Jered Weaver, Mariners, Felix Hernandez, Brandon McCarthy, Astros, Phillies, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, St. Louis Cardinals, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Cubs, Matt Garza, Zack Greinke, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Clayton Kershaw, Daniel Hudson, Ian Kennedy

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11/15 MLB Rumors: Closer news on Cordero and Bell

November 15th 2011 19:31

It isn't always pretty, but Francisco Cordero gets the job done, and there are quite a few teams clamoring for his services via trade. Cordero is about a league-average closer, and a solid prospect is about what the Reds should expect from a deal. However, there is a good chance that a team overpays for him and factors in his gaudy save numbers a little too much.

Although the Padres have given a two year deal to Heath Bell, they don't really like the prospects of him re-signing. Bell could stand to make more with one of the many west coast teams interested in him, and one can't rule out the Red Sox as players in the race for Bell. Even though he is a little overrated, Bell is still a pretty good closer, but a team looking to give him- as Sports Illustrated states- three years and 30 million is giving up too much.

In yesterday's post, I stated that the only way Jose Reyes will sign with the Marlins is if he plays at shortstop. People, for some strange reason, believe that Hanley Ramirez and Reyes are friends; that's not the case. Regardless, Han-Ram isn't pleased about moving over to third if Reyes is signed. A move to third would help the Marlins defensively, because it means that Ramirez has less chances to screw up in the field. It's obvious that Hanley doesn't want to move to a less prestigious position on the diamond, but I really wish he would do what's best for the team and for himself. Doesn't he want to win a ring?

Aramis Ramirez wants a four year deal (even if it's an option) according to FOX Sports, and that really seems like a stretch to me. He may be a solid hitter at a weak position offensively, but he's too old to be seeking a four years. A-Ram obviously wants the opportunity to win a ring at the age of 33, but he may want to lower his demands to make him more appealing to contenders.

The Rangers, Yankees, Red Sox, Rockies, Indians, Cubs, Phillies, and Giants all want to take a gamble on former stud center fielder Grady Sizemore. It would be a calculated risk, but I really don't think the Yanks, Phils, or Sox have a need for Grady right now.

C.J. Wilson is easily the best starter on the free agent market right now, and the rival Angels are interested in acquiring the ace to an already impressive rotation. Right now, Wilson obviously wants to make 100 million over six seasons, but I honestly think six years may be a couple of seasons too many. Five is the most I would go, and a year really does make a difference between a good deal and a bad deal when you are investing this much money per season.

Teams are calling

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rumors and News, Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, Grady Sizemore, Rangers, CJ Wilson, Angels, Phillies, Jose Reyes, Marlins, Hanley Ramirez, Aramis Ramirez, Francisco Cordero, Padres, Heath Bell

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10/2011 Historical Player Profile: Harold Reynolds

October 27th 2011 14:51

It's Staind time (I put on Grooveshark as I write). Yo Tim, be sure to correct me if I get some stuff wrong and add in your opinion. Your the history junky who knows this stuff better than I do and enjoys the game as I do.

Harold Reynolds is one of my favorite baseball players of all-time, and he was arguably the best defensive second baseman of the late 80's and early 90's, and he won three Gold Glove awards for his efforts. In 1990, he had an insane season at second defensively, and he was also terrific the season before defensively. The speedy Reynolds stole 60 bases in his second season (1987) and had 250 career swipes

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Player Profiles, Orioles, Angels, Mariners, Harold Reynolds

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9/2011 Player Profile: Howie Kendrick

September 22nd 2011 14:38

Before I begin this post, I want to clarify that the baseball player profiles will only be looking at the current season. I also would like to remind you that Old Spice Fiji is the best smelling cheap body spray out there. I was very surprised that such a product could actually smell good, and to those of you who are still using Axe, I would like to remind you that musk is for mold; not men.

Howie Kendrick is having the breakout season that many of us expected to come a few years earlier. Still, you can't ignore his 5.9 WAR and his stellar D at second. Kendrick has also been crazy good on the basepaths, and his wRC-plus of 123 is definitely a number that Kendrick can be proud of. He has been the Angels' best position player this season, and I have no concerns about his high BABIP. Kendrick is one of those guys who just swings to make contact and is not worried about taking pitches. It wouldn't hurt him to draw more walks, but it's all good in the end

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB Player Profiles, Howie Kendrick

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9/2011 Team Scope: LA Angels

September 20th 2011 12:44

While they are still in the race, the Angels playoff hopes are basically over. What should haunt them is the fact that they traded a very productive power-hitting catcher, for a guy with a huge contract who is an old, marginal player. Not only does Vernon Wells have a massive contract, but he has a negative WAR total and one of the worst OBPs for an everyday player of all-time. Don't you hate it when GMs keep running these old scrubs out there all the time?

There have also been musings of Art Moreno girding up his loins to try to pursue the much-coveted Albert Pujols. If they could ever get their hands on Puj, this offense would go from ho-hum to elite. What to do with Kendrys Morales? Ship off the oft-injured first baseman to someone who could use him more. After all, he's not all that good when you compare him to the other first basemen around the league. And heck, they could end up with a couple of decent prospects in return

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: Angels, Dan Haren, Howie Kendrick, Peter Bourjos, Vernon Wells, Jered Weaver, Torii Hunter, Kendrys Morales, Art Moreno, Albert Pujols

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8/2011 PSW AL Gold Glove Team Update

August 30th 2011 15:05

The statistics used are UZR, DRS, ARM, RngR, and UZR/150, and Fld from www.fangraphs.com.

P Mark Buehrle- He has the best rSB in the AL and the highest DRS as a result of his ability to stop base-runners. That's really the only conceivable asset a pitcher brings defensively

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB Teams, Brett Gardner, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Red Sox, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Matt Wieters, Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria, Alcides Escobar, Alexei Ramirez, Mark Buehrle, Ian Kinsler, Adrian Beltre, Howie Kendrick, Peter Bourjos, Jered Weaver, Mark Trumbo

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8/2011 MLB Power Rankings

August 26th 2011 11:24

1. Red Sox
2. Yankees
3. Phillies

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rankings, MLB Power Rankings, Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Orioles, Rays, Indians, Tigers, Twins, Royals, White Sox, Rangers, Angels, Mariners, Athletics, Astros, Phillies, Mets, Braves, Marlins, Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals, Cubs, Brewers, Reds, Pirates, Padres, San Francisco Giants, Dodgers, Rockies, D'Backs

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8/2011 Center Fielder Rankings

August 6th 2011 14:07

One of the premier positions in baseball is center field. First off, it is the second most important position on the diamond- after shortstop- and many of the game's greats were center fielders. Below are my rankings of the center fielders in baseball today. (Minimum 750 plate appearances as a center fielder since 2009)

1. Rangers Josh Hamilton

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5/2011 Starting Pitcher Rankings

May 22nd 2011 14:01

1. Tim Lincecum
2. Roy Halladay
3. Josh Johnson

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5/21 Baseball Stats Check

May 21st 2011 15:56

1. Jonny Gomes has the lowest BABIP at .185 as well as the 14th highest strikeout rate 31.2%. He is hitting .176.

2. A.J. Pierzynski is hitting .252, but he has the lowest strikeout rate in the league at 5.8

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, Jose Bautista, Carl Crawford, David Ortiz, Matt Joyce, Shin Soo-Choo, Denard Span, Alcides Escobar, AJ Pierzynski, Juan Pierre, Ozzie Guillen, Vernon Wells, Justin Smoak, Raul Ibanez, Ian Desmond, Matt Holliday, Carlos Gomez, Jonny Gomes, Dexter Fowler, Jim Tracy

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4/9 Game Recap: Angels and Jays

April 10th 2011 18:09

I was able to catch the end of the Angels' 6-5 victory in a long game against the Toronto Blue Jays played in Los Angeles. There were a lot of runs early on as starting pitchers Brett Cecil and Matt Palmer got blown early to the tune of 10 hits and 5 runs allowed apiece (4 ER for Palmer). However, four relievers in that game were perfect through at least an inning of work. Only one reliever gave up an earned run, and that came from the game-winning single.

Maicer Izturis was definitely the hero of the game for the Angels. He not only hit the game-winning single to score Peter Bourjos from second, but he also had 3 hits with two ribbies and a run during the game. Dan Haren came in at the end to get the win (2-0) and struck out a batter in a perfect inning of work. I view Haren as a darkhorse candidate to win the Cy Young. Before the season started, my good friend Aryan- who used to own a blog here- and I were talking about what would happen before the season. I told him that Haren and Russell Martin were my bounce-back players. So far, they have done me right

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