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Originally Posted by JaysForDays
Dunn AND Dukes will hit 40.Originally Posted by Mez 0ne
You +!@% on him all off-season now he's "growing" on you?
At least you'll see someone hit over 20 HR's on your team.
Zimmerman will hit 30.
Milledge will hit 20.
NJ will hit 20 if the Nats don't trade him and he stays healthy.
all of this equates to, WORST TO FIRST IN 09!
Least recognizable teams
1. Washington Nationals
2. Pittsburgh Pirates
3. San Diego Padres
Worst free-agent signings
1. Edgar Renteria, Giants (2 years, $18.5 million)
2. Kyle Farnsworth, Royals (2 years, $9.5 million)
3. Adam Dunn, Nationals (2 years, $20 million)
Right-hander Ervin Santana has signed a four-year extension with the Angels, SI.com has learned.
The deal also includes a fifth option year.
Lake Buena Vista, Fla. - The Braves are interested in free agent Ken Griffey Jr., and the interest is mutual.
"We have interest in several available outfielders, including Griffey," Braves general manager Frank Wren said Saturday.
Griffey is "extremely" interested in joining the Braves, according to someone close to Griffey.
It was believed that he was leaning toward returning to Seattle, where he spent the first 11 of his 20 years in the major leagues with the Mariners, but the Braves are Griffey's first choice, according to the person.
The Braves have searched for a proven run-producer to bolster an outfield that hit a major league-low 27 homers last season. The free-agent pool got smaller last week after Bobby Abreu signed with the Angels and Adam Dunn with the Nationals.
Griffey, 39, has 611 home runs in 20 major-league seasons. He hit .249 with 18 homers and 71 RBIs last season with Cincinnati and the Chicago White Sox.
He's a 13-time All-Star and 1997 American League MVP, and he lives in Orlando, a short drive from the Braves' Disney World spring-training site. Griffey has known manager Bobby Cox for many years and has many times expressed a desire to play for him and the Braves.
DOOOOOOOIIIIIITTTTTTTT!
I need some reason to be interested in a 3rd place team...
What will it be?..just a preview to the season type of show?Originally Posted by venom lyrix
ESPN is doing a special baseball show today at 8 pm
It's just a season preview but it's 3 hours longOriginally Posted by JPZx
What will it be?..just a preview to the season type of show?Originally Posted by venom lyrix
ESPN is doing a special baseball show today at 8 pm
Can Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd make a Major League comeback at age 49? Oil Can hasn't pitched since 1991, but claims his velocity is back up in the low 90s, and his curveball is back to form. He's always dreamt of carrying on Satchel Paige's legend and pitching into his 60s. Boyd's quote:"I have nothing to lose, and all a major league team has to lose is 15 minutes," said Boyd. "Give me 15 minutes and I'll show I can still pitch. That's all I want."
Boyd threw at the Red Sox fantasy camp, and former catcher Mike Stanley said that Oil Can's stuff is the same as it was 18 years ago, and his passion hasn't died down one bit.
Breaking news: The New York Yankees have offered former pitcher, Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd, a 5 year, $120 million contract.
9:03pm: Another interesting item from Bowman:
About a week ago, [Nick] Swisher seemed to be at the top of the wish list. But that was before Griffey called the Braves and campaigned for the opportunity to play for Atlanta.
As more and more information pours out, it really sounds like Junior wants to, and is going to, end up with the Braves.
5:38pm: According to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, "It's believed the Braves are willing to offer Griffey a one-year deal worth up to $1.5 million."
The Mariners can probably afford to make a counter offer that beats that number but, as was reported yesterday, M's CEO Howard Lincoln is less than enthused about the idea of getting into a bidding war with the Braves.
[h1]Griffey decision is imminent[/h1] [h2]Veteran slugger reportedly to choose between Mariners, Braves
Ken Griffey Jr. will choose whether to sign with the Mariners or Braves today or by early Tuesday at the latest, the Seattle Times, citing multiple sources, reported on Monday.[/h2]
Atlanta, seeking an outfielder, recently joined in bidding for the services of Griffey, the active home run leader with 611 and a free agent. The Braves are believed to be able to offer no more than $2.5 million in total compensation to Griffey, according to the Times, but can also offer the 39-year-old the opportunity to play closer to his home in Orlando, Fla.
Griffey's daughter plays basketball in Atlanta and his son will be playing high school football later this year in Orlando.
The Mariners have been talking to Griffey's agent for some time, as recently as Friday. Seattle would likely utilize Griffey as a designated hitter.
"I am still talking to the Mariners," agent Brian Goldberg said on Friday.
Bringing Griffey back to the organization with which he started his career in 1989 would be especially big news in the Northwest. He played his first 11 seasons with the Mariners, winning the American League MVP award in 1997, and is still revered in the Seattle area.
"We've just got to be patient," Mariners chief operating officer Howard Lincoln told the Times on Sunday.
The Times noted that the Mariners have roughly $1.5 million of budget room left but could stretch that to accommodate a Griffey deal, given the added revenue he could generate in ticket and merchandising sales.
"He's still got something left in the tank," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said of Griffey on Sunday. "There's no doubt in my mind. When a guy has a swing like that, he can get out of bed and hit."
Originally Posted by Frankie Valentino
Mike Hampton was in hospital after doctors detected an irregular heartbeat. Apparently Doctors were stunned upon examining his chest to discover Mike Hampton had a heart.
Originally Posted by Frankie Valentino
Mike Hampton was in hospital after doctors detected an irregular heartbeat. Apparently Doctors were stunned upon examining his chest to discover Mike Hampton had a heart.
Same. Swisher looks like he is a great clubhouse guy tooOriginally Posted by SCuse7
I just want us to keep Swisher. I think he'll do fine.
Nick Swisher was quite a disappointment in 2008.
After being traded from Oakland to Chicago, many (including myself) predicted improvement from Swisher, thanks to his friendly offensive environment on the South Side. Instead, Swisher produced a miserable season, hitting .219/.332/.410 with 24 homers. He did benefit from playing in US Cellular Park, but that benefit was negated by a terrible performance in games on the road: Swisher hit .247/.361/.517 with 19 homers at home, but only .189/.301/.294 with five homers on the road.
Recently, the White Sox traded him to the Yankees, where he is currently slated to be their everyday first baseman. And I think the Yankees are in for a pleasant surprise, as Swisher is quite likely to rebound in 2009.
Swisher's BABIP in 2008 was very low: .251, to be exact. In the previous three seasons, Swisher's BABIP had been .308, .287 and .266, respectively. However, Swisher actually hit the most line drives of his career in 2008, hitting liners 20.9% of the time. While he did strike out a lot, his strikeout rate was in line with his career rate, as was his walk rate. Swisher's skill in hitting the ball and hitting it with authority didn't change; rather, he simply experienced a lot of bad luck.
In a study I recently co-authored, I found that Swisher was one the unluckiest players on balls in play in 2008. I found his expected BABIP to be .294, much higher than his actual BABIP. If we credit Swisher for his lost hits, his 2008 line becomes .249/.356/.447 - not much different from his career line of .244/.354/.441 (and his career line includes his miserable 2008 stats).
In other words, Swisher's 2008 season, once adjusted for the bad luck he incurred, was exactly in line with his previous seasons. There's no reason to think that his inherent ability to hit the ball changed much, as evidenced by his stable strikeout, walk, and line-drive rates; therefore, we have every reason to expect Swisher to improve in 2009, thanks to regression to the mean.
Swisher is never going to hit for a very high batting average, but he's quite unlikely to hit .219 once again. Even though he is no longer playing in the friendly confines of US Cellular Field, Swisher should be good for 25-30 homers (assuming he plays every day), and should put up a decent number of RBI and runs scored, thanks to the other players in the Yankees lineup.
Swisher is not a fantasy superstar, but he's significantly better than he showed in 2008, and is therefore very likely to be underrated. Don't hesitate to take him late in drafts, and don't be surprised when he produces like he did from 2005-2007.