*** To say I
loved the Red Sox signing catcher David Ross to a two
year, $6.2 million free agent would be an understatement. He brings the kind of
leadership, experience and defensive presence the Sox have lacked behind the
plate for years. Although he won’t be a full-time starter he could play a
significant role in changing the culture of managing the pitching staff and
calling games.
*** The free-spending ways of the Los Angeles Dodgers seems to know no
bounds. It was confirmed last week that they successfully
bid $25.7 million for the chance to negotiate a contract with Korean
left-handed pitcher Ryu Hyun-Jin.
The 25-year-old Ryu has a career record of 98-52 with a 2.80 ERA, and a
gold medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
He throws in the low-90’s with a slider, curveball and changeup. Despite
the exorbitant price paid by the Dodgers I have yet to see a scouting report that
projects him as being more than a number three pitcher. You can check out a
good clip of him pitching here.
The Dodgers will only have to pay the negotiating fee if they are
successful in reaching a deal with Ryu. It seems likely that something will get
hammered out, given his desire to play major league baseball and the
opportunity to do so in such a large Asian market like L.A.
*** A report citing a high-ranking official from the Texas Rangers
indicated the team won’t
go beyond a three year contract offer to Josh Hamilton. This was a
nifty PR way of saying, “don’t let the door hit your butt on the way out.” The
Rangers were clearly annoyed by the eccentric
ways of their MVP-candidate slugger by the end of the
year and are willing to move in a different direction unless they can get him
to return on the cheap— which won’t be happening.
*** The Colorado Rockies named
Walt Weiss as their new manager. His hiring was a little
surprising, as his lone managerial experience was helming his son’s high school
team in Aurora, Colorado this past spring. Granted, he did have a lengthy
playing career, but a team in as much disarray as the Rockies may have
benefitted from bringing in a seasoned coaching veteran to get things in order.
The Rockies are probably hoping to catch the same lightning in a bottle as the
Cardinals and White Sox did by hiring first-year managers Mike Matheny and
Robin Ventura prior to last season.
*** Mark McGwire was asked on the Dan
Patrick Show if he believed he should be in the Baseball Hall
of Fame. His answer was certainly surprising:
"No, not by
the guidelines they have now. I’ll never fight it. I totally respect the Hall
of Fame. I have never fought. They have rules and restrictions, I totally abide
by them."
Although
being arrogant and professing his merit would have been a poor strategy, it’s
still surprising to hear Big Mac come out with such a refreshingly honest
response. The Hall have inductees who were bigots, racists and even killers, so
no matter how polarizing PEDs currently are in baseball, it’s hard to fathom
that the game won’t be able to one day move beyond the hyperbole and place the
era in a proper context. Regardless of PEDs McGwire should be considered a
borderline Hall of Fame candidate anyways, so his present exclusion is no great
travesty.
***
In the same vein of the McGwire story, another MLB player was suspended for
PEDs last week. The culprit was San Diego Padres catcher Yasmani
Grandal, who tested positive for testosterone. Expected to be the Padres
starting catcher in 2013, Grandal will instead miss the first 50 games of the
regular season because of his indiscretion.
As
reported by ESPN’s
Buster Olney, the number of professional players suspended for PED use hit
an all-time high in 2012. A possible explanation for the recent spike could be
the rise in synthetic
testosterone, which users can now apply in the form of creams, gels or
patches. These new products are fast-acting and become quickly undetectable by
testing. It will be interesting to see how baseball responds to this potential
new crisis on the horizon.
***
Finally, if you are in need of a laugh, check out this clip of Andrew
McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates doing an impersonation of the cartoon
character Cleveland from the Cleveland Show and Family Guy. It’s pretty great.
**********************
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