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Cooperstown Choices: Mike Stanton

Posted on 08 January 2013. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

With the Hall Of Fame election announcement coming on January 9, 2013, it is time to review the ballot, go over the names, and decide who belongs in the Hall Of Fame.

There are twenty four men on the ballot for the first time this year and we will take a look at each one individually prior to official announcements. You can find all of the profiles in the I-70 Baseball Exclusives: Cooperstown Choices 2013 menu at the top of the page.

In this article, we take a look at Mike Stanton

 

Mike Stanton
Stanton’s 19 year career would lead him to eight major league teams, most notably the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees.  In 2001, he would be selected to the American League roster for the All Star Game.

Year Tm W L ERA G GF SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA+ SO/9
1989 ATL 0 1 1.50 20 10 7 24.0 17 4 4 8 27 245 10.1
1990 ATL 0 3 18.00 7 4 2 7.0 16 16 14 4 7 24 9.0
1991 ATL 5 5 2.88 74 20 7 78.0 62 27 25 21 54 136 6.2
1992 ATL 5 4 4.10 65 23 8 63.2 59 32 29 20 44 90 6.2
1993 ATL 4 6 4.67 63 41 27 52.0 51 35 27 29 43 86 7.4
1994 ATL 3 1 3.55 49 15 3 45.2 41 18 18 26 35 120 6.9
1995 TOT 2 1 4.24 48 22 1 40.1 48 23 19 14 23 109 5.1
1995 ATL 1 1 5.59 26 10 1 19.1 31 14 12 6 13 77 6.1
1995 BOS 1 0 3.00 22 12 0 21.0 17 9 7 8 10 164 4.3
1996 TOT 4 4 3.66 81 28 1 78.2 78 32 32 27 60 141 6.9
1996 BOS 4 3 3.83 59 19 1 56.1 58 24 24 23 46 132 7.3
1996 TEX 0 1 3.22 22 9 0 22.1 20 8 8 4 14 165 5.6
1997 NYY 6 1 2.57 64 15 3 66.2 50 19 19 34 70 176 9.5
1998 NYY 4 1 5.47 67 26 6 79.0 71 51 48 26 69 81 7.9
1999 NYY 2 2 4.33 73 10 0 62.1 71 30 30 18 59 109 8.5
2000 NYY 2 3 4.10 69 20 0 68.0 68 32 31 24 75 118 9.9
2001 NYY 9 4 2.58 76 16 0 80.1 80 25 23 29 78 175 8.7
2002 NYY 7 1 3.00 79 25 6 78.0 73 29 26 28 44 148 5.1
2003 NYM 2 7 4.57 50 24 5 45.1 37 25 23 19 34 93 6.8
2004 NYM 2 6 3.16 83 19 0 77.0 70 32 27 33 58 136 6.8
2005 TOT 3 3 4.64 59 12 0 42.2 49 24 22 15 27 91 5.7
2005 TOT 1 2 6.60 29 6 0 15.0 18 11 11 6 13 68 7.8
2005 NYY 1 2 7.07 28 6 0 14.0 17 11 11 6 12 61 7.7
2005 WSN 2 1 3.58 30 6 0 27.2 31 13 11 9 14 115 4.6
2005 BOS 0 0 0.00 1 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 9.0
2006 TOT 7 7 3.99 82 22 8 67.2 70 30 30 27 48 110 6.4
2006 WSN 3 5 4.47 56 7 0 44.1 47 22 22 21 30 96 6.1
2006 SFG 4 2 3.09 26 15 8 23.1 23 8 8 6 18 148 6.9
2007 CIN 1 3 5.93 69 11 0 57.2 75 39 38 18 40 78 6.2
19 Yrs 68 63 3.92 1178 363 84 1114.0 1086 523 485 420 895 112 7.2
162 Game Avg. 4 4 3.92 68 21 5 64 63 30 28 24 52 112 7.2
W L ERA G GF SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA+ SO/9
ATL (7 yrs) 18 21 4.01 304 123 55 289.2 277 146 129 114 223 99 6.9
NYY (7 yrs) 31 14 3.77 456 118 15 448.1 430 197 188 165 407 121 8.2
BOS (3 yrs) 5 3 3.56 82 31 1 78.1 76 33 31 31 57 142 6.5
NYM (2 yrs) 4 13 3.68 133 43 5 122.1 107 57 50 52 92 116 6.8
WSN (2 yrs) 5 6 4.13 86 13 0 72.0 78 35 33 30 44 103 5.5
SFG (1 yr) 4 2 3.09 26 15 8 23.1 23 8 8 6 18 148 6.9
TEX (1 yr) 0 1 3.22 22 9 0 22.1 20 8 8 4 14 165 5.6
CIN (1 yr) 1 3 5.93 69 11 0 57.2 75 39 38 18 40 78 6.2
NL (12 yrs) 32 45 4.11 618 205 68 565.0 560 285 258 220 417 101 6.6
AL (9 yrs) 36 18 3.72 560 158 16 549.0 526 238 227 200 478 125 7.8
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/12/2012.

Why He Should Get In
Stanton, while starting his career as a closer, established himself in the thankless role of being one of the best setup men in baseball.  His longevity, durability and stability in the bullpen has him as one of the best players to do what he did.

Why He Should Not Get In
Unfortunately, what he did was something that most writers brush aside.  He does not have the key numbers in wins, strikeouts, or saves to warrant his place in Cooperstown.  A pitcher in the middle of a baseball game that did not start or close the game, makes it hard to qualify his place in history.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball
Follow him on Twitter here.

Posted in Cooperstown Choices 2013, I-70 Baseball ExclusivesComments (1)

Cooperstown Choices: Roberto Hernandez

Posted on 08 January 2013. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

With the Hall Of Fame election announcement coming on January 9, 2013, it is time to review the ballot, go over the names, and decide who belongs in the Hall Of Fame.

There are twenty four men on the ballot for the first time this year and we will take a look at each one individually prior to official announcements. You can find all of the profiles in the I-70 Baseball Exclusives: Cooperstown Choices 2013 menu at the top of the page.

In this article, we take a look at Roberto Hernandez

 

Roberto Hernandez
Ten teams would host Hernandez as a relief pitcher over his 17 year career.  He would be selected as an All Star in 1996 with the White Sox and 1999 with Tampa Bay.

Year Tm W L ERA G GF SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA+ SO/9
1991 CHW 1 0 7.80 9 1 0 15.0 18 15 13 7 6 52 3.6
1992 CHW 7 3 1.65 43 27 12 71.0 45 15 13 20 68 236 8.6
1993 CHW 3 4 2.29 70 67 38 78.2 66 21 20 20 71 185 8.1
1994 CHW 4 4 4.91 45 43 14 47.2 44 29 26 19 50 96 9.4
1995 CHW 3 7 3.92 60 57 32 59.2 63 30 26 28 84 115 12.7
1996 CHW 6 5 1.91 72 61 38 84.2 65 21 18 38 85 249 9.0
1997 TOT 10 3 2.45 74 50 31 80.2 67 24 22 38 82 176 9.1
1997 CHW 5 1 2.44 46 43 27 48.0 38 15 13 24 47 181 8.8
1997 SFG 5 2 2.48 28 7 4 32.2 29 9 9 14 35 168 9.6
1998 TBD 2 6 4.04 67 58 26 71.1 55 33 32 41 55 118 6.9
1999 TBD 2 3 3.07 72 66 43 73.1 68 27 25 33 69 161 8.5
2000 TBD 4 7 3.19 68 58 32 73.1 76 33 26 23 61 155 7.5
2001 KCR 5 6 4.12 63 55 28 67.2 69 34 31 26 46 117 6.1
2002 KCR 1 3 4.33 53 42 26 52.0 62 29 25 12 39 115 6.8
2003 ATL 5 3 4.35 66 12 0 60.0 61 36 29 43 45 99 6.8
2004 PHI 3 5 4.76 63 11 0 56.2 66 39 30 29 44 95 7.0
2005 NYM 8 6 2.58 67 20 4 69.2 57 20 20 28 61 160 7.9
2006 TOT 0 3 3.11 68 19 2 63.2 61 32 22 32 48 144 6.8
2006 PIT 0 3 2.93 46 14 2 43.0 46 24 14 24 33 153 6.9
2006 NYM 0 0 3.48 22 5 0 20.2 15 8 8 8 15 127 6.5
2007 TOT 3 3 6.41 50 20 0 46.1 59 37 33 25 31 71 6.0
2007 CLE 3 1 6.23 28 8 0 26.0 33 21 18 16 18 73 6.2
2007 LAD 0 2 6.64 22 12 0 20.1 26 16 15 9 13 68 5.8
17 Yrs 67 71 3.45 1010 667 326 1071.1 1002 475 411 462 945 131 7.9
162 Game Avg. 4 5 3.45 68 45 22 72 67 32 28 31 63 131 7.9
W L ERA G GF SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA+ SO/9
CHW (7 yrs) 29 24 2.87 345 299 161 404.2 339 146 129 156 411 153 9.1
TBD (3 yrs) 8 16 3.43 207 182 101 218.0 199 93 83 97 185 143 7.6
KCR (2 yrs) 6 9 4.21 116 97 54 119.2 131 63 56 38 85 116 6.4
NYM (2 yrs) 8 6 2.79 89 25 4 90.1 72 28 28 36 76 150 7.6
PIT (1 yr) 0 3 2.93 46 14 2 43.0 46 24 14 24 33 153 6.9
SFG (1 yr) 5 2 2.48 28 7 4 32.2 29 9 9 14 35 168 9.6
PHI (1 yr) 3 5 4.76 63 11 0 56.2 66 39 30 29 44 95 7.0
ATL (1 yr) 5 3 4.35 66 12 0 60.0 61 36 29 43 45 99 6.8
LAD (1 yr) 0 2 6.64 22 12 0 20.1 26 16 15 9 13 68 5.8
CLE (1 yr) 3 1 6.23 28 8 0 26.0 33 21 18 16 18 73 6.2
AL (13 yrs) 46 50 3.35 696 586 316 768.1 702 323 286 307 699 138 8.2
NL (6 yrs) 21 21 3.71 314 81 10 303.0 300 152 125 155 246 117 7.3
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/12/2012.

Why He Should Get In
The question of Hernandez reaching the Hall Of Fame comes down to a question of how to judge his career.  When you spend your entire career as a relief pitcher, and over half of it as a reliever that is not closing games, it becomes increasingly hard to judge your worth.  He has over 300 saves in his career and an impressive 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings, but will it be enough?

Why He Should Not Get In
In short, relief pitchers that are not closers simply don’t find their way to Cooperstown.  While Hernandez’s numbers were sufficient to make him a sought after arm for many years, it is hard to see his credentials ever ending with “Hall Of Famer”.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball
Follow him on Twitter here.

Posted in Cooperstown Choices 2013, I-70 Baseball ExclusivesComments (0)

Cooperstown Choices: Aaron Sele

Posted on 08 January 2013. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

With the Hall Of Fame election announcement coming on January 9, 2013, it is time to review the ballot, go over the names, and decide who belongs in the Hall Of Fame.

There are twenty four men on the ballot for the first time this year and we will take a look at each one individually prior to official announcements. You can find all of the profiles in the I-70 Baseball Exclusives: Cooperstown Choices 2013 menu at the top of the page.

In this article, we take a look at Aaron Sele

 

Aaron Sele
The fifteen year career of Aaron Sele would see him pitch for six teams.  He would finish third in the 1993 Rookie Of The Year voting and be selected for the All Star roster in 1998 and 2000.

Year Tm W L ERA G GS GF SV IP H R ER SO ERA+ SO/9
1993 BOS 7 2 2.74 18 18 0 0 111.2 100 42 34 93 170 7.5
1994 BOS 8 7 3.83 22 22 0 0 143.1 140 68 61 105 131 6.6
1995 BOS 3 1 3.06 6 6 0 0 32.1 32 14 11 21 160 5.8
1996 BOS 7 11 5.32 29 29 0 0 157.1 192 110 93 137 95 7.8
1997 BOS 13 12 5.38 33 33 0 0 177.1 196 115 106 122 87 6.2
1998 TEX 19 11 4.23 33 33 0 0 212.2 239 116 100 167 113 7.1
1999 TEX 18 9 4.79 33 33 0 0 205.0 244 115 109 186 106 8.2
2000 SEA 17 10 4.51 34 34 0 0 211.2 221 110 106 137 102 5.8
2001 SEA 15 5 3.60 34 33 0 0 215.0 216 93 86 114 115 4.8
2002 ANA 8 9 4.89 26 26 0 0 160.0 190 92 87 82 91 4.6
2003 ANA 7 11 5.77 25 25 0 0 121.2 135 82 78 53 76 3.9
2004 ANA 9 4 5.05 28 24 1 0 132.0 163 84 74 51 88 3.5
2005 SEA 6 12 5.66 21 21 0 0 116.0 147 76 73 53 74 4.1
2006 LAD 8 6 4.53 28 15 4 0 103.1 120 57 52 57 100 5.0
2007 NYM 3 2 5.37 34 0 10 0 53.2 78 34 32 29 81 4.9
15 Yrs 148 112 4.61 404 352 15 0 2153.0 2413 1208 1102 1407 100 5.9
162 Game Avg. 13 10 4.61 36 32 1 0 194 217 109 99 127 100 5.9
BOS (5 yrs) 38 33 4.41 108 108 0 0 622.0 660 349 305 478 110 6.9
ANA (3 yrs) 24 24 5.20 79 75 1 0 413.2 488 258 239 186 85 4.0
SEA (3 yrs) 38 27 4.39 89 88 0 0 542.2 584 279 265 304 98 5.0
TEX (2 yrs) 37 20 4.50 66 66 0 0 417.2 483 231 209 353 110 7.6
NYM (1 yr) 3 2 5.37 34 0 10 0 53.2 78 34 32 29 81 4.9
LAD (1 yr) 8 6 4.53 28 15 4 0 103.1 120 57 52 57 100 5.0
AL (13 yrs) 137 104 4.59 342 337 1 0 1996.0 2215 1117 1018 1321 101 6.0
NL (2 yrs) 11 8 4.82 62 15 14 0 157.0 198 91 84 86 92 4.9
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/12/2012.

Why He Should Get In
Sele appeared to have a bright future ahead of him when he burst onto the scene, and for a stretch of about five years, it looked like he would develop into a top of the rotation starter.

Why He Should Not Get In
Five years does not make a career and leaves Sele well short of any of the Hall Of Fame numbers he would need.  He never quite realized his potential and that will keep him from the halls of Cooperstown.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball
Follow him on Twitter here.

Posted in Cooperstown Choices 2013, I-70 Baseball ExclusivesComments (0)

Cooperstown Choices: Jose Mesa

Posted on 08 January 2013. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

With the Hall Of Fame election announcement coming on January 9, 2013, it is time to review the ballot, go over the names, and decide who belongs in the Hall Of Fame.

There are twenty four men on the ballot for the first time this year and we will take a look at each one individually prior to official announcements. You can find all of the profiles in the I-70 Baseball Exclusives: Cooperstown Choices 2013 menu at the top of the page.

In this article, we take a look at Jose Mesa

 

Jose Mesa
Mesa’s 19 year major league career spanned eight teams, most notably the Cleveland Indians.  While in Cleveland he would be selected to two All Star rosters, finish second in the 1995 Cy Young Award voting and fourth in the 1995 Most Valuable Player voting.

Year Tm W L ERA G GS GF SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA+ SO/9
1987 BAL 1 3 6.03 6 5 0 0 31.1 38 23 21 15 17 73 4.9
1990 BAL 3 2 3.86 7 7 0 0 46.2 37 20 20 27 24 99 4.6
1991 BAL 6 11 5.97 23 23 0 0 123.2 151 86 82 62 64 67 4.7
1992 TOT 7 12 4.59 28 27 1 0 160.2 169 86 82 70 62 86 3.5
1992 BAL 3 8 5.19 13 12 1 0 67.2 77 41 39 27 22 77 2.9
1992 CLE 4 4 4.16 15 15 0 0 93.0 92 45 43 43 40 94 3.9
1993 CLE 10 12 4.92 34 33 0 0 208.2 232 122 114 62 118 88 5.1
1994 CLE 7 5 3.82 51 0 22 2 73.0 71 33 31 26 63 123 7.8
1995 CLE 3 0 1.13 62 0 57 46 64.0 49 9 8 17 58 418 8.2
1996 CLE 2 7 3.73 69 0 60 39 72.1 69 32 30 28 64 130 8.0
1997 CLE 4 4 2.40 66 0 38 16 82.1 83 28 22 28 69 195 7.5
1998 TOT 8 7 4.57 76 0 36 1 84.2 91 50 43 38 63 99 6.7
1998 CLE 3 4 5.17 44 0 18 1 54.0 61 36 31 20 35 92 5.8
1998 SFG 5 3 3.52 32 0 18 0 30.2 30 14 12 18 28 116 8.2
1999 SEA 3 6 4.98 68 0 60 33 68.2 84 42 38 40 42 100 5.5
2000 SEA 4 6 5.36 66 0 29 1 80.2 89 48 48 41 84 86 9.4
2001 PHI 3 3 2.34 71 0 59 42 69.1 65 26 18 20 59 182 7.7
2002 PHI 4 6 2.97 74 0 64 45 75.2 65 26 25 39 64 131 7.6
2003 PHI 5 7 6.52 61 0 47 24 58.0 71 44 42 31 45 62 7.0
2004 PIT 5 2 3.25 70 0 65 43 69.1 78 26 25 20 37 132 4.8
2005 PIT 2 8 4.76 55 0 48 27 56.2 61 30 30 26 37 88 5.9
2006 COL 1 5 3.86 79 0 26 1 72.1 73 32 31 36 39 128 4.9
2007 TOT 2 3 7.11 56 0 21 1 50.2 53 48 40 25 29 65 5.2
2007 DET 1 1 12.34 16 0 8 0 11.2 19 16 16 6 9 38 6.9
2007 PHI 1 2 5.54 40 0 13 1 39.0 34 32 24 19 20 83 4.6
19 Yrs 80 109 4.36 1022 95 633 321 1548.2 1629 811 750 651 1038 100 6.0
162 Game Avg. 5 7 4.36 62 6 39 20 94 99 49 46 40 63 100 6.0
W L ERA G GS GF SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA+ SO/9
CLE (7 yrs) 33 36 3.88 341 48 195 104 647.1 657 305 279 224 447 116 6.2
PHI (4 yrs) 13 18 4.05 246 0 183 112 242.0 235 128 109 109 188 102 7.0
BAL (4 yrs) 13 24 5.41 49 47 1 0 269.1 303 170 162 131 127 74 4.2
PIT (2 yrs) 7 10 3.93 125 0 113 70 126.0 139 56 55 46 74 108 5.3
SEA (2 yrs) 7 12 5.18 134 0 89 34 149.1 173 90 86 81 126 92 7.6
COL (1 yr) 1 5 3.86 79 0 26 1 72.1 73 32 31 36 39 128 4.9
SFG (1 yr) 5 3 3.52 32 0 18 0 30.2 30 14 12 18 28 116 8.2
DET (1 yr) 1 1 12.34 16 0 8 0 11.2 19 16 16 6 9 38 6.9
AL (13 yrs) 54 73 4.53 540 95 293 138 1077.2 1152 581 543 442 709 97 5.9
NL (8 yrs) 26 36 3.96 482 0 340 183 471.0 477 230 207 209 329 108 6.3
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/12/2012.

Why He Should Get In
His 321 saves ranks him 14th in major league baseball over his career.  For a good portion of his career, he was considered one of the best closers in baseball.

Why He Should Not Get In
Closers are still not getting into the Hall Of Fame easily and Mesa would have a hill to climb to get there.  With players ahead of him with more than 400 saves, he will be hard pressed to force his way in to Cooperstown.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball
Follow him on Twitter here.

Posted in Cooperstown Choices 2013, I-70 Baseball ExclusivesComments (0)

Cardinals Get Their LOOGY

Posted on 05 December 2012. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The St. Louis Cardinals have been looking for a left handed relief pitcher this off season.  Today, they got their man.

Cards sign Choate to 3 years, $75 million contract

Randy Choate is a 37-year old left handed relief pitcher that has pitched for five teams in his twelve year major league career, spanning back to his rookie season in 2000 with the New York Yankees.

Choate is a true LOOGY (Left-handed One Out GuY) and exactly what the Cardinals were looking for.  He has lead the league in appearances two of the last three seasons with 85 in 2010 and 80 in 2012.  As the term suggests, however, many appearances do not lead to a ton of innings.  Choate threw just 38.2 innings last season.

Tough against lefties, he has held them to a .201 batting average over his career while compiling a 3.52 strikeout to walk ratio as well.

He split time last year between Florida and the Dodgers, having been part of the Hanley Ramirez trade.

Here’s a quick look at his career statistics, as well as his 2012 splits, courtesy of Baseball Reference:

Year Tm W L ERA G GF SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BF ERA+ WHIP H/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB
2000 NYY 0 1 4.76 22 6 0 17.0 14 10 9 3 8 0 12 1 75 103 1.294 7.4 4.2 6.4 1.50
2001 NYY 3 1 3.35 37 13 0 48.1 34 21 18 0 27 2 35 9 207 135 1.262 6.3 5.0 6.5 1.30
2002 NYY 0 0 6.04 18 11 0 22.1 18 18 15 1 15 0 17 3 101 74 1.478 7.3 6.0 6.9 1.13
2003 NYY 0 0 7.36 5 2 0 3.2 7 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 16 65 2.182 17.2 2.5 0.0 0.00
2004 ARI 2 4 4.62 74 17 0 50.2 52 26 26 1 28 11 49 5 232 100 1.579 9.2 5.0 8.7 1.75
2005 ARI 0 0 9.00 8 0 0 7.0 8 7 7 0 5 1 4 1 35 51 1.857 10.3 6.4 5.1 0.80
2006 ARI 0 1 3.94 30 3 0 16.0 21 9 7 0 3 0 12 3 75 122 1.500 11.8 1.7 6.8 4.00
2007 ARI 0 0 2 0 0 0.0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
2009 TBR 1 0 3.47 61 13 5 36.1 28 15 14 4 11 3 28 0 142 126 1.073 6.9 2.7 6.9 2.55
2010 TBR 4 3 4.23 85 8 0 44.2 41 23 21 3 17 5 40 3 187 93 1.299 8.3 3.4 8.1 2.35
2011 FLA 1 1 1.82 54 6 0 24.2 13 7 5 3 13 5 31 2 103 217 1.054 4.7 4.7 11.3 2.38
2012 TOT 0 0 3.03 80 4 1 38.2 29 18 13 1 18 3 38 5 168 131 1.216 6.8 4.2 8.8 2.11
2012 MIA 0 0 2.49 44 4 1 25.1 16 11 7 0 9 0 27 3 104 161 0.987 5.7 3.2 9.6 3.00
2012 LAD 0 0 4.05 36 0 0 13.1 13 7 6 1 9 3 11 2 64 96 1.650 8.8 6.1 7.4 1.22
12 Yrs 11 11 4.02 476 83 6 309.1 268 157 138 16 146 30 266 32 1344 109 1.338 7.8 4.2 7.7 1.82
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/5/2012.

Career Splits:

I Split G R H 2B 3B HR BB SO SO/BB BA OBP SLG OPS GDP HBP IBB BAbip tOPS+
vs RHB as LHP 272 74 134 30 1 9 88 62 0.70 .279 .404 .401 .806 22 15 25 .303 141
vs LHB as LHP 446 85 134 33 1 7 58 204 3.52 .201 .278 .284 .563 13 17 5 .273 68
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/5/2012.

2012 Splits:

Split G R H 2B 3B HR BB SO SO/BB BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP IBB BAbip tOPS+
vs RHB as LHP 38 3 13 1 0 0 9 8 0.89 .325 .471 .350 .821 14 1 2 1 .406 188
vs LHB as LHP 72 13 16 3 0 1 9 30 3.33 .158 .243 .218 .461 22 2 3 2 .208 63
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/5/2012.

The Cardinals will turn their focus to the middle infield now, where there appear to be shopping for an upgrade at second base or a long term answer at shortstop.

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Cooperstown Choices: Lee Smith

Posted on 08 January 2012. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

With the Hall Of Fame election announcement coming on January 9, 2012, it is time to review the ballot, go over the names, and decide who belongs in the Hall Of Fame.

There are twenty seven men on the ballot this year and we will take a look at each one individually prior to official announcements. You can find all of the profiles in the I-70 Baseball Exclusives: Cooperstown Choices 2012 menu at the top of the page.

Tune in Saturday, January 7, 2012 as I-70 Baseball Radio will host a panel of writers discussing the Hall Of Fame Ballot in a 2-hour special.

In this article, we take a look at Lee Smith

Lee Smith
The tall closer spent 18 seasons in Major League Baseball with eight different teams. He debuted in 1980 with the Chicago Cubs and played his final Major League game in 1997 with the Montreal Expos. This is his ninth year on the ballot.

Year Tm W L ERA G SV IP H R ER SO ERA+ WHIP SO/9 SO/BB
1980 CHC 2 0 2.91 18 0 21.2 21 9 7 17 138 1.615 7.1 1.21
1981 CHC 3 6 3.51 40 1 66.2 57 31 26 50 106 1.320 6.8 1.61
1982 CHC 2 5 2.69 72 17 117.0 105 38 35 99 139 1.214 7.6 2.68
1983 CHC 4 10 1.65 66 29 103.1 70 23 19 91 229 1.074 7.9 2.22
1984 CHC 9 7 3.65 69 33 101.0 98 42 41 86 107 1.317 7.7 2.46
1985 CHC 7 4 3.04 65 33 97.2 87 35 33 112 131 1.218 10.3 3.50
1986 CHC 9 9 3.09 66 31 90.1 69 32 31 93 131 1.229 9.3 2.21
1987 CHC 4 10 3.12 62 36 83.2 84 30 29 96 137 1.386 10.3 3.00
1988 BOS 4 5 2.80 64 29 83.2 72 34 26 96 148 1.303 10.3 2.59
1989 BOS 6 1 3.57 64 25 70.2 53 30 28 96 116 1.217 12.2 2.91
1990 TOT 5 5 2.06 64 31 83.0 71 24 19 87 189 1.205 9.4 3.00
1990 BOS 2 1 1.88 11 4 14.1 13 4 3 17 224 1.535 10.7 1.89
1990 STL 3 4 2.10 53 27 68.2 58 20 16 70 182 1.136 9.2 3.50
1991 STL 6 3 2.34 67 47 73.0 70 19 19 67 158 1.137 8.3 5.15
1992 STL 4 9 3.12 70 43 75.0 62 28 26 60 110 1.173 7.2 2.31
1993 TOT 2 4 3.88 63 46 58.0 53 25 25 60 104 1.155 9.3 4.29
1993 STL 2 4 4.50 55 43 50.0 49 25 25 49 89 1.160 8.8 5.44
1993 NYY 0 0 0.00 8 3 8.0 4 0 0 11 1.125 12.4 2.20
1994 BAL 1 4 3.29 41 33 38.1 34 16 14 42 153 1.174 9.9 3.82
1995 CAL 0 5 3.47 52 37 49.1 42 19 19 43 136 1.358 7.8 1.72
1996 TOT 3 4 3.74 54 2 55.1 57 24 23 41 119 1.500 6.7 1.58
1996 CAL 0 0 2.45 11 0 11.0 8 4 3 6 205 1.000 4.9 2.00
1996 CIN 3 4 4.06 43 2 44.1 49 20 20 35 106 1.624 7.1 1.52
1997 MON 0 1 5.82 25 5 21.2 28 16 14 15 73 1.662 6.2 1.88
18 Seasons 71 92 3.03 1022 478 1289.1 1133 475 434 1251 132 1.256 8.7 2.57
162 Game Avg. 5 6 3.03 68 32 85 75 31 29 83 132 1.256 8.7 2.57
W L ERA G SV IP H R ER SO ERA+ WHIP SO/9 SO/BB
CHC (8 yrs) 40 51 2.92 458 180 681.1 591 240 221 644 134 1.255 8.5 2.44
STL (4 yrs) 15 20 2.90 245 160 266.2 239 92 86 246 128 1.151 8.3 3.62
BOS (3 yrs) 12 7 3.04 139 58 168.2 138 68 57 209 137 1.287 11.2 2.65
CAL (2 yrs) 0 5 3.28 63 37 60.1 50 23 22 49 145 1.293 7.3 1.75
MON (1 yr) 0 1 5.82 25 5 21.2 28 16 14 15 73 1.662 6.2 1.88
CIN (1 yr) 3 4 4.06 43 2 44.1 49 20 20 35 106 1.624 7.1 1.52
NYY (1 yr) 0 0 0.00 8 3 8.0 4 0 0 11 1.125 12.4 2.20
BAL (1 yr) 1 4 3.29 41 33 38.1 34 16 14 42 153 1.174 9.9 3.82
NL (14 yrs) 58 76 3.03 771 347 1014.0 907 368 341 940 128 1.252 8.3 2.59
AL (7 yrs) 13 16 3.04 251 131 275.1 226 107 93 311 145 1.268 10.2 2.53
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/30/2011.

Why He Should Get In
Lee Smith was one of the first dominant closers in Major League Baseball. He was one of the first pitchers to spend his entire career closing out ball games and led the league four different times in saves. He would make seven All Star appearances and finished in the top ten of the Cy Young voting four times. He saved 478 games in his career and averaged almost a strikeout per inning over his 18 years.

Why He Should Not Get In
Writers are still new to the idea of closers being worthy of Hall Of Fame recognition. As they warm to the idea, however, there is very little reason to exclude Lee Smith.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

Posted in Classic, Cooperstown Choices 2012, I-70 Baseball ExclusivesComments (1)

Cooperstown Choices: Terry Mulholland

Posted on 06 January 2012. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

With the Hall Of Fame election announcement coming on January 9, 2012, it is time to review the ballot, go over the names, and decide who belongs in the Hall Of Fame.

There are twenty seven men on the ballot this year and we will take a look at each one individually prior to official announcements. You can find all of the profiles in the I-70 Baseball Exclusives: Cooperstown Choices 2012 menu at the top of the page.

Tune in Saturday, January 7, 2012 as I-70 Baseball Radio will host a panel of writers discussing the Hall Of Fame Ballot in a 2-hour special.

In this article, we take a look at Terry Mulholland

Terry Mulholland
Mulholland spent 20 years pitching in Major League baseball, playing for 11 teams. He debuted in 1986 with the San Francisco Giants and retired in 2006 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. This is his first year on the ballot.

Year Tm W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA+ SO/9
1986 SFG 1 7 4.94 15 10 0 54.2 51 33 30 3 35 27 72 4.4
1988 SFG 2 1 3.72 9 6 0 46.0 50 20 19 3 7 18 89 3.5
1989 TOT 4 7 4.92 25 18 0 115.1 137 66 63 8 36 66 72 5.2
1989 SFG 0 0 4.09 5 1 0 11.0 15 5 5 0 4 6 86 4.9
1989 PHI 4 7 5.00 20 17 0 104.1 122 61 58 8 32 60 71 5.2
1990 PHI 9 10 3.34 33 26 0 180.2 172 78 67 15 42 75 114 3.7
1991 PHI 16 13 3.61 34 34 0 232.0 231 100 93 15 49 142 101 5.5
1992 PHI 13 11 3.81 32 32 0 229.0 227 101 97 14 46 125 92 4.9
1993 PHI 12 9 3.25 29 28 0 191.0 177 80 69 20 40 116 122 5.5
1994 NYY 6 7 6.49 24 19 0 120.2 150 94 87 24 37 72 71 5.4
1995 SFG 5 13 5.80 29 24 0 149.0 190 112 96 25 38 65 70 3.9
1996 TOT 13 11 4.66 33 33 0 202.2 232 112 105 22 49 86 97 3.8
1996 PHI 8 7 4.66 21 21 0 133.1 157 74 69 17 21 52 92 3.5
1996 SEA 5 4 4.67 12 12 0 69.1 75 38 36 5 28 34 106 4.4
1997 TOT 6 13 4.24 40 27 0 186.2 190 100 88 24 51 99 101 4.8
1997 CHC 6 12 4.07 25 25 0 157.0 162 79 71 20 45 74 106 4.2
1997 SFG 0 1 5.16 15 2 0 29.2 28 21 17 4 6 25 81 7.6
1998 CHC 6 5 2.89 70 6 3 112.0 100 49 36 7 39 72 151 5.8
1999 TOT 10 8 4.39 42 24 1 170.1 201 95 83 21 45 83 102 4.4
1999 CHC 6 6 5.15 26 16 0 110.0 137 71 63 16 32 44 87 3.6
1999 ATL 4 2 2.98 16 8 1 60.1 64 24 20 5 13 39 151 5.8
2000 ATL 9 9 5.11 54 20 1 156.2 198 96 89 24 41 78 90 4.5
2001 TOT 1 1 4.66 41 4 0 65.2 78 35 34 12 17 42 93 5.8
2001 PIT 0 0 3.72 22 1 0 36.1 38 15 15 5 10 17 124 4.2
2001 LAD 1 1 5.83 19 3 0 29.1 40 20 19 7 7 25 69 7.7
2002 TOT 3 2 5.70 37 3 0 79.0 101 56 50 15 21 38 73 4.3
2002 LAD 0 0 7.31 21 0 0 32.0 45 29 26 10 7 17 52 4.8
2002 CLE 3 2 4.60 16 3 0 47.0 56 27 24 5 14 21 96 4.0
2003 CLE 3 4 4.91 45 3 0 99.0 117 60 54 17 37 42 90 3.8
2004 MIN 5 9 5.18 39 15 0 123.1 163 76 71 17 33 60 92 4.4
2005 MIN 0 2 4.27 49 0 0 59.0 61 30 28 6 17 18 105 2.7
2006 ARI 0 0 9.00 5 0 0 3.0 7 3 3 1 1 1 58 3.0
20 Seasons 124 142 4.41 685 332 5 2575.2 2833 1396 1262 293 681 1325 94 4.6
162 Game Avg. 8 9 4.41 46 22 0 172 189 93 84 20 46 89 94 4.6
W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA+ SO/9
PHI (6 yrs) 62 57 3.81 169 158 0 1070.1 1086 494 453 89 230 570 99 4.8
SFG (5 yrs) 8 22 5.18 73 43 0 290.1 334 191 167 35 90 141 74 4.4
CHC (3 yrs) 18 23 4.04 121 47 3 379.0 399 199 170 43 116 190 108 4.5
MIN (2 yrs) 5 11 4.89 88 15 0 182.1 224 106 99 23 50 78 95 3.9
ATL (2 yrs) 13 11 4.52 70 28 2 217.0 262 120 109 29 54 117 101 4.9
LAD (2 yrs) 1 1 6.60 40 3 0 61.1 85 49 45 17 14 42 59 6.2
CLE (2 yrs) 6 6 4.81 61 6 0 146.0 173 87 78 22 51 63 92 3.9
ARI (1 yr) 0 0 9.00 5 0 0 3.0 7 3 3 1 1 1 58 3.0
PIT (1 yr) 0 0 3.72 22 1 0 36.1 38 15 15 5 10 17 124 4.2
SEA (1 yr) 5 4 4.67 12 12 0 69.1 75 38 36 5 28 34 106 4.4
NYY (1 yr) 6 7 6.49 24 19 0 120.2 150 94 87 24 37 72 71 5.4
NL (16 yrs) 102 114 4.21 500 280 5 2057.1 2211 1071 962 219 515 1078 95 4.7
AL (6 yrs) 22 28 5.21 185 52 0 518.1 622 325 300 74 166 247 89 4.3
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/29/2011.

Why He Should Get In
Mulholland was a left handed relief pitcher who benefited from the introduction of the Left Handed Specialist role to extend his career. A middle reliever, he made his sole All Star appearance in 1993 as a member of the Phillies.

Why He Should Not Get In
There really is not spot in Cooperstown at this point for the type of player Mulholland was. He was a consistent part of many teams and was able to appear in 685 games in his career. He spent the early part of his career as a starter before settling into a relief role that would keep his stats at a mediocre level. This will be the only appearance on the ballot for Mulholland.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

Posted in Classic, Cooperstown Choices 2012, I-70 Baseball ExclusivesComments (0)

Bruce Chen Returns To Royals

Posted on 23 November 2011. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bruce Chen has played for ten different major league teams and never for one team longer than three years. That changed today.

On the heels of another consistent showing in 2011, Chen has agreed to a new contract that will put him in Royal blue for two more years. It will extend his time with the club to a total of five years, two years longer then his stays in Atlanta and Baltimore in his career.

Chen has been consistent and solid for the Royals over the last three seasons and looks to shore up a rotation that includes newcomer Jonathan Sanchez, Luke Hochevar, Felipe Paulino and Danny Duffy.

Chen will earn $9 million over the next two seasons with bonuses and incentives that could bring that to a total of $11 million.

Here’s a look at Chen’s numbers with Kansas City:

Year Tm W L ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H/9 SO/9 SO/BB
2009 KCR-min 4 2 3.40 14 13 0 3 3 0 82.0 57 33 31 8 23 69 0.976 6.3 7.6 3.00
2009 KCR 1 6 5.78 17 9 4 0 0 0 62.1 74 42 40 12 25 45 1.588 10.7 6.5 1.80
2010 KCR-min 0 1 1.31 3 3 0 0 0 0 20.2 13 3 3 0 5 20 0.871 5.7 8.7 4.00
2010 KCR 12 7 4.17 33 23 4 1 1 1 140.1 136 68 65 17 57 98 1.375 8.7 6.3 1.72
2011 KCR-min 0 1 8.18 3 3 0 0 0 0 11.0 16 10 10 3 1 10 1.545 13.1 8.2 10.00
2011 KCR 12 8 3.77 25 25 0 1 0 0 155.0 152 71 65 18 50 97 1.303 8.8 5.6 1.94
KCR (3 yrs) 25 21 4.28 75 57 8 2 1 1 357.2 362 181 170 47 132 240 1.381 9.1 6.0 1.82
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/23/2011.

Fans and experts seemed to think Kansas City was a good home for Bruce Chen. His return to the team solidifies a rotation that may not wow many fans, but is certainly looking to shape up for consistency for the young Royals. The only question that remains was the price tag and whether or not Chen can live up to it.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

Posted in RoyalsComments (0)

Cardinals Fantasy Value – Setting The Bar

Posted on 04 July 2010. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Taking a look at the Cardinals roster, there are many players here that gives fantasy owners reason to smile. From Albert Pujols to Ryan Franklin, there is plenty of fantasy talent any owner would love to have. Here’s a look at some position players worthy of a roster spot and their currently statistics.

Pos. R 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA %
Owned		 Pos
Rank		 Overall
Rank
Albert Pujols 1B 47 18 0 20 60 9 0.306 100 2 16
Colby Rasmus OF 47 14 2 16 40 9 0.274 91 16 82
Matt Holliday OF 45 24 1 11 39 6 0.301 100 20 88
Ryan Ludwick OF 40 19 2 11 42 0 0.273 87 62 205

Pujols is usually head of the class in fantasy baseball. On draft day, he is the first or second player taken. During auction drafts, Pujols has been sold for up to $70. The value shows what an owner is willing to pay to get him on their roster. Pujols is on track for another Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Once he gets the Batting Average (BA) up, his overall ranking will improve.

Rasmus has had a very good year so far. He should be active unless teams have a deep outfield lineup. Rasmus has improved so much from last season, any owner should be very satisfied with the statistics he has put up so far.

Holliday started off horrible this season. Many fantasy owners were quick at the trigger to trade him away. The ones that did are now starting to regret that move. He is starting to heat up and should be a active without question. Holliday should put up similar second half numbers as he did last season.

Ludwick is a very streaky hitter. Most owners become frustrated with him. The week he is on the bench, he produces. The week he is in the lineup, he doesn’t produce. Ludwick shouldn’t be active full time in most leagues. Use him as a backup for injuries and off days for open spots.

The Cardinal pitching staff is one of the best in fantasy baseball. Here’s the list worthy of fantasy recognition and should be active on a team’s roster.

Pos. Record ERA CG SV K K/BB WHIP %
Owned		 Pos
Rank		 Overall
Rank
Adam Wainwright SP 11-5 2.34 3 0 114 78 1.0307 97 3 3
Chris Carpenter SP 9-2 3.16 0 0 105 69 1.2117 97 10 38
Jaime Garcia SP 8-4 2.1 0 0 77 38 1.2191 91 15 43
Ryan Franklin RP 3-0 2.16 0 15 19 14 0.99 89 10 83

Wainwright is the gem of the Cardinals rotation and any fantasy team. He currently is 2nd in Wins and 4th in Earned Run Average (ERA). Wainwright is on his way to compete for the Cy Young award this season. Owners expect the best from him every timehe takes the mound. He should be active in all leagues and should never be out of the lineup on start days. Wainwright is too good to sit under any circumstance.

Carpenter is the next gem of the Cardinals rotation. He was well on his way to compete for another Cy Young award except for his last couple starts ballooned the ERA above 3. Carpenter should be active in all leagues. Like Wainwright, he is too good to sit under any circumstance.

Garcia has been a wonderful fantasy surprise. He went undrafted on draft day. Since making the opening day roster he has no let up. The owners who claimed Garcia off the waiver wire are the lucky ones who get to benefit. He currently has the 2nd best (ERA) in the National League (NL). Owners should be worried about the 2nd half of the season. Garcia is entering uncharted territory and should be watched. He should be active in all leagues until he starts to show a decline.

Franklin is not the overpowering closer type. He gives owners a trip to the doctor to get a heart pacemaker inserted due to lack of overpowering stuff. Franklin will never strike out the side or in most cases, not even strike anyone out while allowing a couple base-runners. So far he has not disappointed. Fantasy owners are hoping to not revisit last seasons final month of the season when he had trouble recording outs and finishing out the 9th. With that, he should be active in all leagues.

Stats and rankings courtesy of CBSSports.com

Scott Yerbic brings fantasy analysis to i70baseball.com every Monday for both the Royals and the Cardinals.

Posted in Cardinals, FantasyComments (0)


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