The Los Angeles Dodgers made headlines this offseason with a flurry of personnel moves. Three weeks into the 2015 season, these recent additions have provided varying contributions.
Although the sample size is still relatively small, we’ve decided to hand out an April report card for the newest Boys in Blue.
This evaluation follows the order in which Los Angeles acquired these players during the winter.
All stats courtesy of ESPN.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.
The Cincinnati Reds put starting pitcher Homer Bailey on the disabled list due to a ligament strain in his pitching elbow.
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The Reds are considering surgery as an option for Bailey’s ailing elbow, Joe Kay of The Associated Press reported. Kay passed along comments from manager Bryan Price.
“A lot of times, you want to kick the tires and make sure,” Price said. “Not everything needs to be corrected with surgery. There are other ways to do things. “So there are some options out there beyond surgery. That being said, that would be one of the options.”
Kay added, “Either way, Bailey will miss a significant amount of time recovering from his latest elbow problem.”
The team’s official Twitter account noted on April 27 that Bailey would go to the disabled list with a ligament strain in his elbow and pitcher Carlos Contreras would take Bailey’s spot on the major league squad.
Manager Bryan Price discussed how long Bailey could be out, per John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer:
Bailey made two starts in the early going this season and has a 5.56 ERA and 1.76 WHIP. The 28-year-old boasts a 4.19 career ERA and agreed to a six-year, $105 million contract with the Reds before the start of the 2014 campaign, with a mutual option for a seventh season.
Reds broadcaster Jeff Brantley seemed to notice something wrong with Bailey earlier this season, per Lance McAlister of 700 WLW in Cincinnati:
Cincinnati will need someone to step into the starting rotation if the injury forces Bailey to miss extensive time, especially since it is far too early in the season to consider a four-man rotation.
One potential candidate is southpaw Tony Cingrani, who started 11 games for the Reds last year and has four appearances this season out of the bullpen. He only allowed one earned run in 5.1 innings of work thus far this year and has experience as a starter in the National League Central.
It would also give the starting rotation a left-handed presence among right-handers Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Anthony DeSclafani and Jason Marquis. However, the Reds certainly hope Bailey can return to form soon, especially given the contract he signed last year.
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The Baltimore Orioles’ home game scheduled for Monday against the Chicago White Sox has been postponed due to unrest in the city.
In addition to providing the news, the Orioles’ official Twitter account added further information regarding rescheduling:
Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reported what MLB commissioner Rob Manfred had to say on the matter, as did MASNSports.com’s Steve Melewski:
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that MLB will make a decision on if the team’s will play a day game at Camden Yards tomorrow by 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
Baltimore has been subject to protests in the aftermath of the April 19 death of Freddie Gray. Demonstrations from Sunday escalated and turned violent and destructive, as USA Today‘s Yamiche Alcindor reported.
The New York Times‘ Sheryl Gay Stolberg reported Monday that Baltimore youth clashed with police and reportedly injured at least seven officers following Gray’s funeral.
The Baltimore protests are due to the mysterious circumstances surrounding Gray’s death and assertions of police brutality. He was only 25 years old when he died a week after being arrested and subsequently dealing with a severe spinal cord injury, per CNN’s Dana Ford.
With the protests showing no signs of stopping any time soon, postponing the game was the best option for everyone’s safety.
The Orioles are 9-10 to start the 2015 MLB season but have won their last two games. Also winners of back-to-back contests, the White Sox still sit below .500 as well with an 8-9 mark.
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If the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals engage in a benches-clearing brawl on Monday night, Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer is ready to go.
Kansas City has already been involved in its fair share of bench-clearing incidents (click here and here and here and here) in the first month of the 2015 season. It’s happening so frequently that opposing teams better be prepared to fight when they play the Royals.
Well, Bauer isn’t taking any chances. Should the teams go at it at Progressive Field, he’s prepared.
[Twitter]
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Outfielder Josh Hamilton held a press conference Monday to discuss being traded from the Los Angeles Angels to the Texas Rangers, his drug and alcohol relapse and his future with the Rangers and beyond baseball.
Hamilton played for the Rangers from 2008 to 2012 and seemed excited about his return to the Lone Star State, per Fox Sports: MLB:
Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com passed along some quotes from Hamilton indicating that he will be more comfortable back with Texas than he was as a member of the Angels, while Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted that Hamilton expects a warmer welcome from Rangers fans than those in Los Angeles:
Hamilton’s time in Los Angeles did not go according to plan, as he struggled both on and off the field. He only played in 89 games in the 2014 season and hit .263 with 10 home runs and 44 RBI. Off-field concerns also contributed to the Angels’ decision to trade him. He relapsed in his recovery from drug and alcohol addiction during the past offseason.
Angels owner Arte Moreno suggested in early April that certain language in Hamilton’s contract protected the team in the face of a relapse. Hamilton responded to that claim at his press conference, per Wilson and Gonzalez:
Ideally, Hamilton’s attention will now turn back to the field with the Rangers. Hamilton was a five-time All-Star in Texas, winning the 2010 American League MVP. He also helped the team reach back-to-back World Series in 2010 and 2011.
Gonzalez passed along Hamilton’s encouraging words for Rangers fans:
T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com noted that Hamilton is on the disabled list while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, and he is expected to go to Arizona for a rehab program at the Rangers’ spring training facility. From there, he will likely go on a minor league rehab assignment for several games before realistically reaching the major league level.
Texas could certainly use him, considering the team is dead last in the majors in team batting average entering play Monday.
There is also life after baseball to take into account with Hamilton, which he addressed during the press conference, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times and Gonzalez:
There are plenty of people who hope Hamilton is fine after baseball is over.
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After a little over two seasons, Josh Hamilton is no longer a member of the Los Angeles Angels.
The team announced Monday that it has agreed to trade Hamilton to the Texas Rangers:
Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal provided more details on the trade:
On Tuesday, Jon Morosi of CBS Sports broke down the financial details of the deal:
The Rangers posted the following on Twitter announcing the news:
Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto issued a statement, via Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com:
Gonzalez passed along comments from Hamilton during his press conference:
Sports Illustrated‘s Michael McCann first reported that Hamilton’s time with the Angels was drawing to a close. Rosenthal added that a trade was in the works, with the Rangers as the potential suitor, per MLB.com’s TR Sullivan and ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick.
Grantland’s Jonah Keri is already envisioning ways Hamilton can get revenge on Angels owner Arte Moreno:
According to Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi, Hamilton is nearing a return to the field:
The 33-year-old outfielder signed a five-year, $125 million deal with the Angels in 2012. Since then, he largely disappointed in Los Angeles, batting .255 with 31 home runs and 123 runs batted in in 240 games. He looked like a shadow of the player who captured the 2010 American League MVP Award with the Texas Rangers.
Hamilton’s relationship with the Angels took a turn for the worse this past offseason, following a reported drug relapse.
An arbitrator ruled MLB couldn’t punish Hamilton under the joint drug program it has with the MLB Players Association. The Angels’ front office wasn’t shy about voicing its displeasure with the decision.
“It defies logic that Josh’s reported behavior is not a violation of his drug program,” team president John Carpino said, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
Moreno added that language in Hamilton’s contract protected the team should the five-time All-Star relapse, a claim the players’ union denied, per Rosenthal.
Angels starting pitcher C.J. Wilson came to his teammate’s defense, per Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register:
After a while, it became clear Hamilton’s partnership with the Angels had been irreparably damaged. It was only a matter of time before he was bought out, released outright or traded.
Hamilton played only 89 games last year and has missed the first part of the 2015 season while recovering from shoulder surgery he had in February. He’s played in 140-plus regular-season games just three times in an eight-year career.
There’s also his noticeable decline. Hamilton’s batting average dropped three years in a row after the 2010 season, while his slugging percentage fell from .577 in 2012 to .432 in 2013. Add in the fact that he’s owed another $60 million between 2016 and 2017, and few players have such a toxic combination of an unwieldy salary with dwindling on-field returns.
Perhaps a change of scenery is exactly what Hamilton needs, though, and the Rangers may be just the franchise to help him regain some of what made him one of the best hitters in the game. Hamilton’s best years came in Texas, and he’ll likely have the fanbase firmly behind him upon his return.
The Rangers have a lot of aging veterans on the squad, and their window for success is closing fast. Expecting to see Hamilton circa 2010 is unrealistic, but if he can produce something a little better than his 2013 numbers (.250 AVG, 21 HR, 79 RBI), Texas might have an offensive spark who can help the team move up the standings in a competitive American League West.
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With three weeks of the regular season now in the books, it’s becoming evident that this could be one heck of a roller-coaster season for the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles lost five straight games but then busted out in Sunday’s contest against the Boston Red Sox, scoring 18 runs.
Defensive errors and mental mistakes have plagued the Orioles so far this season, and all of their losing woes have seemingly come at their own hand.
With veterans J.J. Hardy and Matt Wieters still shelved, a large part of the clubhouse leadership is missing, which could possibly be a detriment to team chemistry.
With a handful of newcomers to the team, it’s important that they get up to speed with the Oriole way and understand that fundamentals and defense come first in manager Buck Showalter‘s mindset.
Baltimore’s newest acquisitions have had their share of successes and failures so far, so let’s look deeper into their individual performances.
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Chris Archer tossed seven shutout innings during Sunday’s 5-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, setting a franchise record by going a fourth consecutive start without allowing an earned run, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Going back to 2000, the 26-year-old righty is one of just six American League pitchers to go four straight starts without surrendering an earned run, with Cory Lidle of the 2002 Oakland Athletics the only hurler to extend such a streak to five starts.
The list includes Zack Greinke (2009) and Johan Santana (2004), both of whom won the Cy Young Award during the respective seasons in which they put together their streaks.
While few had Archer pegged as a Cy Young candidate heading into this season, his early statistics are impossible to ignore.
He owns a 3-2 record, 0.84 ERA and 0.74 WHIP through five starts, with the traditional numbers backed by a superb 37-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Since allowing four runs (three earned) in an Opening Day loss to the Baltimore Orioles, Archer has surrendered just one unearned run in his subsequent four starts, though the unearned run did lead to his second loss of the season, with the Rays falling 1-0 to the Boston Red Sox back on April 21.
The right-hander was untouchable during the three starts that led to victories, as he allowed two or fewer hits over exactly seven scoreless innings in each game. Per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com), Archer is the only player in the modern era (since 1900) to toss three outings of seven or more scoreless innings with two or fewer hits allowed within his first five starts of a season.
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Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu played the 162nd game of his career Sunday against the Kansas City Royals, allowing him to join Rudy York, Chuck Klein and Ryan Braun as the only players in MLB history with a .300 batting average, 40 home runs and 120 RBI through 162 games, per ESPN Stats & Info.
After recording one hit and one RBI in four at-bats during Sunday’s 5-3 victory, the 28-year-old Cuban has a .316 batting average, 41 home runs and 121 RBI for his career.
Per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com), Klein is the only player to best Abreu in each of those three categories through 162 games, having produced a .361 batting average, 44 homers and 129 RBI at the same stage in his career.
Klein did his damage for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1928 and 1929, with the second of those seasons starting a five-year stretch in which he led the National League in homers four times.
While he would go on to have a few more strong seasons, the Hall of Fame slugger was notable for his early peak, as he never hit more than 25 homers in a year after 1933, despite doing so in five straight seasons from 1929 to 1933.
York also had an early peak, but in his case, it wasn’t quite enough to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame, as the catcher’s later years were overwhelmingly mediocre.
The group is rounded out by Braun, who also seems to be headed for a career that’s largely notable for its early peak. While it’s perhaps too soon to cast such a judgement on the Brewers outfielder, Braun simply hasn’t been the same player since serving his suspension in 2013.
Abreu surely hopes to have better longevity than the three players that preceded him, but it may be asking a bit much from a guy who made his MLB debut at the age of 27.
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Max Scherzer has been one of the most durable pitchers in baseball since 2009, but the Washington Nationals ace is dealing with a sprained right thumb.
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The Nationals announced Scherzer threw off a mound and threw all of his pitches on Tuesday. They also noted his next start date remains unclear.
On April 27, Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi noted the details of Scherzer‘s thumb injury:
Scherzer, 30, is 1-2 this season with a 1.26 ERA and 29 strikeouts over four starts.
One reason that Scherzer was able to get a $210 million contract from the Nationals in the offseason is because of his consistency. The prized right-hander has made at least 30 starts in six consecutive seasons and has thrown at least 187.2 innings in five straight campaigns.
It’s no secret that durability decreases as you get older, though The Associated Press (h/t SportsNet Canada) broke down the numbers to show how rapid the decline usually is for pitchers who sign $100-plus million contracts:
The $100 million pitchers have combined to average a 12-9 record and 3.39 ERA during the first four seasons of their deals, according to STATS. During the remaining years, they fell to a 7-7 record and 4.43 ERA.
Durability decreases dramatically, with the group averaging 205 innings in first seasons, 178 by the third year, and 132 by the fifth.
The silver lining for Washington, whether Scherzer is only out for a short time or facing a lengthy absence, is that the rotation is loaded with talent. Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg and Doug Fister would be No. 1 starters on most teams, while Gio Gonzalez had a 3.57 ERA with 162 strikeouts in 158.2 innings last year.
While Scherzer adds a different dynamic, the Nationals are one of the few teams equipped to deal with this scenario without suffering a significant drop in production.
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