First TV game Cactus League Game
The M’s are playing the Rangers tonight, and FSN (and MLB.tv if you’re a subscriber) is carrying it, so you can actually watch the team play. The M’s are running out what should be their regular line-up against RHPs, at least to begin the season.
1. Ichiro, RF
2. Figgins, 2B
3. Bradley, LF
4. Griffey, DH
5. Lopez, 3B
6. Kotchman, 1B
7. Gutierrez, CF
8. Johnson, C
9. Wilson, SS
Ian Snell gets the start for the M’s.
Cliff Lee Suspended
MLB’s selectively enforced rules strike again – they have reportedly suspended Cliff Lee for five games, which may or may not end up being the first five games of the season, depending on who you believe. Lee, as you’ll remember, threw a couple of pitches near Chris Snyder’s head the other day, and baseball decided to send a message, despite the fact that: a) it’s spring training, guys are wild b) No one got hurt and there was no fight c) Chris Snyder does MMA as a hobby, so odds a pretty good that pitchers don’t throw at him on purpose.
This whole thing is ridiculous. The M’s will appeal, of course, and there’s quotes floating around twitter from his agent saying that the suspension may not be applied to the regular season (so they’d suspend him from the Cactus League, I guess). If the suspension is part of the season, the M’s should fight this like crazy. If you assume that Lee’s performance is worth about $20 to $25 million in 2010, then each start is worth around $700,000. That’s not a trivial punishment for the M’s.
The Middle Infield Problem
When people talk about the weaknesses on the M’s, they’ll usually point to the obvious; the offense is below average and everyone knows it. Occasionally, someone will talk about the back of the rotation, which may or may not be a problem depending on how guys like Snell and Vargas pitch. But, I realized today that I haven’t had too many conversations with people about another potential problem area for the M’s – the middle infield.
This seems to be an area where there is some legitimate liability, depending on how things break. If Figgins can make the transition to second base and Wilson can stay healthy, they’ll be fine. But, if either or both of those things don’t happen, it could be bad news for the M’s.
Let’s start with second base, since its the lesser of the two issues. Figgins should be able to play there. I’m not overly worried that he’s going to struggle with the adjustment, given his skills and experience. There will be a few errors, but the added range should make up for that, at least in theory. But what happens if he makes 6 or 7 bad looking errors in April, booting easy grounders and botching double plays? Will the M’s reverse field and put Lopez back at second? What if he’s successfully made the transition to third and actually looks good there? What then?
You can flip-flop them and bet on them falling back on their experience, but then the team would find themselves in a situation that they’ve been desperately trying to avoid – Jose Lopez as their second baseman again. They clearly don’t see him as the present or the future there, and I’d imagine the hope is that he never plays the position for the M’s again. After a spring of practicing at third, and yet another year of reporting to camp in what can be generously reported as not the best shape of his life, how good would you expect him to be there? Not great, that’s for sure. But, that’s really the only option if they want to pull the plug on the Figgins at 2B experiment.
Shortstop holds even more potential for problems. As everyone knows by now, Jack Wilson is not a 150 game per year kind of guy. He’s in his decline years, has fought nagging health problems the last two seasons, and already had some hamstring issues this spring. His backup is going to play, and probably quite a bit. We’d assumed it would be Jack Hannahan, but he’s come up with a bad groin and has barely gotten any action this spring. Considering his lack of experience at SS, that’s a problem. He needed this March to show the staff that he could play short, and they haven’t had the chance to see that yet. There’s still time if he can get back on the field soon, but if this problem persists, they’re going to have to go another direction. Wilson’s backup can’t have a lingering health problem himself.
And therein lies the problem. There isn’t another option in the organization. Josh Wilson is a Triple-A player. Tui can’t play short in the majors with any kind of credibility. There isn’t a major league SS anywhere to be found beyond the 25 man roster, and the two guys on the roster who can play short have health issues (even if Wilson is 100% right now, he’s always a possible scratch). The worst case scenario here is pretty darn bad, and unfortunately, the rest of this roster isn’t good enough to carry a below replacement level player starting for any real length of time.
As we get closer to opening day, the M’s are probably going to have to address this. If Hannahan can put the groin thing behind him and show that he can play shortstop a couple of times per week if needed, then they can run with what they have and hope it works out. But if they don’t get Hannahan some reps at short soon, they may have to consider getting themselves another legitimate middle infielder.
One possibility – Cristian Guzman. The Nationals owe him $8 million in the final year of his contract, but he’s getting pushed out of a job by youngster Ian Desmond. If they’d eat most of the contract in exchange for a C+ prospect, he’s the kind of guy who could raise the floor of what the M’s could get from both middle infield spots. He may not raise the top end of the projection much, but the M’s have some vulnerability up the middle that drags down their win totals in the when-things-go-wrong scenarios, and a guy like Guzman would alleviate quite a bit of that. He’d give the team some legitimate depth up the middle on days when Wilson can’t play, and right now, they don’t have that.
It’s worth waiting for Hannahan to get healthy in the next week, because at 100%, he can give you most of what Guzman can without the need to acquire anyone else, but there’s no acceptable alternative in the organization right now. If Hannahan doesn’t get back on the field soon, the M’s will have to explore the trade avenues, because the middle infield is a problem, even if it doesn’t get talked about that much.
Cactus League Game Thread, 3/15/2010
The last game in Tucson for the foreseeable future, barring any Japanese teams using it for training or anything of that sort. Not a whole lot of nostalgia in the local press about the departure. In fact, the only note I really have from the papers is that, as a rider to Dave’s post on Moore below, the Everett Herald talked about the change in confidence for Moore from last spring training to this one. On a related note, it’s the spring training debut of Rob Johnson.
Lineup:
LF Patterson
CF Gutierrez
1B Kotchman
DH Sweeney!!!
3B Lopez
RF Langerhans
2B Ackley
C Johnson
SS Wilson
LHP Lee
Shawn Kelley, Luke French, and Chad Cordero could also see some time, along with Tui and Moore, depending on how long they decide Johnson can hold up back there. Lee will be facing off against Dan Haren, in a more heated, but less mustachioed match-up compared to the earlier projection of Clay Zavada starting for the D’Backs.
The Catching Situation
On the pre-game show Saturday, Shannon Drayer noted that we may have our first winner of a job in spring training – she feels Adam Moore has done enough to solidify his spot on the opening day roster. The presumption heading into spring training was that Josh Bard or Guillermo Quiroz would be paired with Rob Johnson to begin the season while Moore got a bit more training in Tacoma, but that plan appears to be out the window. Bard has failed to impress anyone, while Wak has been extremely impressed with Moore’s abilities.
So, barring something unforeseen, we should expect Adam Moore to travel north with the team for Opening Day. But, that does not make him the starter. Not yet.
There’s a good chance the M’s won’t have a true starting catcher this year. Shannon notes that it appears Wak is willing to let Moore learn the hitters from the bench, slotting him in as a part-time player until he sees the league and becomes comfortable calling a game against major league players. If Rob Johnson is healthy enough to break camp with the team, they’ll share time behind the plate. If he’s not, expect the M’s to make a move, unless Bard or Quiroz show something very soon.
Either way, however, you shouldn’t expect a regular starter-backup tandem. The M’s catching job is going to be a job share, with the two guys on the roster splitting time, whether its Johnson/Moore, Moore/Bard, Moore/Quiroz, or New Guy/Moore. The picture is still murky, but they have a few weeks to figure out who will be splitting the playing time with Adam Moore. For now, though, it appears that he’s on the team. We’ll just have to wait to learn who else will be coming north with him.
Cactus League Game Thread, 3/14/2010
Scenic Tucson! I remember the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum being pretty neat when I was nine. It may still be neat now. Those crazy javelinas…
Anyway, Tucson is not much of a place to go for baseball these days. The Sidewinders moved out to Reno and became the Aces, and now the Golden League-affiliated Tucson Toros are at Hi Corbett when the Rockies aren’t using it for their purposes. The White Sox moved to Glendale with the Dodgers last spring, and the Reds and Indians opted for Goodyear when they moved their facilities west. It’s getting lonely down there.
Other news bits kicking around:
* Kirby Arnold: The M’s have been toying around with giving Shawn Kelley extended outings to boost his versatility in camp. Could he start? They don’t know. They haven’t officially talked to him about it and he hasn’t done it since college. That’s at least one square on your spring training bingo card.
* Larry LaRue: Dan Wilson takes time out to work with M’s minor league catchers. No suggestions that they perhaps take up hockey.
* Jerry Brewer: Franklin Gutierrez gets playing time, respect, security, dumb nickname.
Lineup:
CF Byrnes
SS Josh Wilson
LF Bradley
1B Garko
3B Tuiasosopo
RF Langerhans
C Moore
2B Woodward
Even though it’s only spring training, Happy Felix Day to one and all.
Cactus League Game Thread, 3/13/2010
Here we are again with another exciting day of baseball that sort of matters but…. yeah…
There are some news bits this morning though.
* Via the Seattle Times, we have four cuts this morning in 1Bs Brad Nelson and Tommy Everidge along with OFs Mike Wilson and Greg Halman. So, anyone hoping that Everidge’s early hot hitting would somehow leave the Mariners with a different 1B platoon from what we are expecting, sorry.
* Via Drayer, Bedard has been throwing for the past ten days from 120 feet and is showing no ill effects from his August surgery. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen ten days from now. Don’t get too excited now.
* Via the Everett Herald, Hannahan has a strained groin and will be out for the next week to week-and-a-half, which means that he’ll be getting less time on the middle infield and Tui and the other J. Wilson might have a chance to make impressions in the meantime.
* Via just about everyone, the Mariners will be heading down to Tucson for two games after today, and they aren’t bringing many regulars with them. We’ll be seeing Ackley, Carp, and Tui, but not Ichiro, or Figgins (both of whom have played the last four games), or Griffey. In addition to this, Adam Moore will be catching Felix tomorrow, which I think is a first. Rob Johnson will be catching Cliff Lee on Monday.
Lineup!
RF Ichiro!
2B Figgins
3B Lopez
DH Griffey
LF Byrnes
1B Kotchman
CF Gutierrez
C Moore
SS Josh Wilson
RHP Fister
Cactus League Game Thread 3/12/10
M’s vs. Royals, so you know what that means…. pitch fx is back! This is a great opportunity to see what Ryan Rowland-Smith’s new cutter looks like in pure, raw Cartesian coordinates. I know I just got joser’s attention.
Line-ups have been posted – here for example (hat tip Kirby Arnold at the Everett Herald)
1: Ichiro!
2: Chone Figgins (2b)
3: Milton Bradley (LF)
4: Ken Griffey Jr. (DH)
5: Ryan Garko (1b)
6: Franklin Gutierrez
7: Matt Tuiasosopo (3b)
8: Josh Bard
9: Jack Wilson
SP: Ryan Rowland-Smith. Aardsma looks like he’ll get back onto the mound today as well.
Also in Kirby Arnold’s story linked above is the news that Jack Hannahan suffered a groin pull and will be out another week-10 days (he hasn’t played since 3/4). Arnold thinks Josh Wilson might benefit, but Geoff Baker mentions Tui as another guy who might make the roster as the utility infielder if Hannahan doesn’t heal quickly. Personally, I think Tui’s got the inside track. Wilson may be the better defender, but his bat is bad enough that it’s tough to justify giving him 100-150 ABs.
Luke Hochevar starts for the Royals, who I think is fascinating. I know his xFIP is much, much better than his results, but as the #1 overall pick in a pitching-heavy draft, his pure stuff has always seemed fairly pedestrian. The fascinating part? He’ll still uncork a game like this just to tease Royals fans, who need no additional teasing, thank you (they’re starting Yuni at SS today and Mike Aviles at 2B. I’m so sorry, Royals fans). Here’s a fangraphs article on Hochevar’s strange results in 2009.
Ichiro as potential switch hitter
Back in the old days when I wrote for Baseball Prospectus, the M’s gave me a one-game press pass. I’d explained what I wanted to go cover, who I wanted to talk to, and how it’d be used only for the annual, and they finally let me in on the understanding that I wouldn’t write anything about it for the website, radio, and so on. I don’t remember exactly why I’d wanted to be at that game — I think I was interested in our starter, but it’s not important. I turned up as early as I could to see home-team batting practice, and it’s great to stand that close. Bret Boone wandered by and gave me a weird look, players made fun of each other as they took their turns, and Rick Rizzs sat on the dugout bench, talking to everyone who walked by.
I was most interested in watching Ichiro, though, as he went through his prep for batting practice. He took easy swings, varying the speed a little, and up close, it looked perfect. Something was wrong, though. I watched for a minute before I could figure it out: he was swinging right-handed.
Ichiro’s right-handed swing looks exactly like his left-handed swing.
I stood there like a yokel, and when it was his turn he got in the cage and started roping hits left-handed. And if you ever get the chance to watch Ichiro hit, even in batting practice, from that close, do whatever you have to do. It’s amazing. Television doesn’t do it justice.
After batting practice ended, I went up to the press diner, where Ron Fairly held court on all the types of teams he’d played for. I kept thinking about Ichiro. I bought my food and sat down at a table with two people from the NHK crew. I chatted with them about their work for a couple minutes before approaching the big thing on my mind.
“Hey,” I said, “I think I saw Ichiro practicing his swing right-handed.”
“Oh yes,” the man said. “He’s always done that. He feels it keeps him limber and helps with his balance.”
At which point my brain engaged the clutch and I stammered for a bit before I could ask “Could he hit right-handed?”
They both nodded. “He’s very good,” the same man said.
Ichiro is so good that he could hit right-handed if he decided it would offer him some kind of advantage. Every time I’ve seen him in the on-deck circle since, and particularly against left-handers who can’t pitch effectively to righties, I look a little more closely: is this the at-bat where Ichiro does his mental calculations and decides to switch to the other side of the plate? He wouldn’t even make a big deal about it — and he’d look so natural that he might be standing on first before we figured out what was strange about that single.
Cactus League Game Thread, 3/11/10
M’s v. Giants, Snell v. Lincecum
M’s line-up thanks to Ryan Divish at the TNT
1: Ichiro!
2: Figgins
3: Kotchman
4: Lopez (3b)
5: Garko
6: Byrnes
7: Langerhans (CF)
8: Moore
9: Josh Wilson
In the ‘pen: Kelley, Colome, Koplove, League, Lowe, Cortes.
Would be great to see some pitch fx data on Snell and Cortes (if he pitches), but playing outside of Peoria means no Griffey, no pitch fx.