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Prepare yourself—you’ve never seen a baserunning adventure in Major League Baseball quite like this. 

Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Jean Segura found himself in the middle of one of the oddest plays you’ll ever see on Friday night against the Chicago Cubs, stealing second base in the first part of the eighth inning only to get thrown out trying to accomplish the same feat—in the same inning. 

With nobody out and Ryan Braun at the plate, Segura took off for second. He beat the throw of Cubs catcher Welington Castillo to put a runner in scoring position with a power bat at the plate. 

Simple enough, right?

Braun then walked, and with two runners on, Segura got picked off in between second and third base as Cubs pitcher Shawn Camp stepped off the mound. Segura made it back to the bag, but Braun was already there. The Cubs tagged Braun out as both men were on second, and Segura scampered back to first before the Cubs could complete a double play. 

The umpires then confirmed the ruling. 

Then, with the entire stadium knowing he’s probably taking off for second again, Segura was thrown out by the Castillo/Camp combo, ending the inning and a play you’ll likely never see again in the bigs. 

Segura, hitting .377 this year in 14 games for the Brewers, got his second stolen base and first caught stealing of the year on the subsequent plays. 

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The Cleveland Indians’ biggest 2013 offseason acquisition is headed to the disabled list for the first time while with the team. 

Center fielder Michael Bourn will be taking a 15-day leave of absence from the top of Cleveland’s lineup after lacerating his finger and receiving five stitches after Sunday’s game against the Chicago White Sox (h/t Matt Snyder of CBS Sports). 

Jordan Bastian, the team’s beat writer for MLB.com, reported the news on Twitter:

Later confirmed by Snyder, the Indians will wait to make the move official in the next couple of days as pitcher Scott Kazmir (the expected addition to the roster) rehabs with Triple-A affiliate Columbus. 

Drew Stubbs is expected to take over duties in center field with Bourn sidelined. 

Bourn sustained the injury in the eighth inning of Sunday’s game against the White Sox, sliding into first base in an attempt to beat out an infield single. He did just that, but payed the price, as White Sox first baseman Adam Dunn stepped on his finger in the process. 

Cleveland ended up losing the game 3-1. 

After the Atlanta Braves signed B.J. Upton this offseason, it became clear that there was no place for the 30-year-old speedster with Atlanta. Cleveland let things play out before signing Bourn to be its starting center fielder to a four-year, $48-million contract (via USA Today).  

With splits of .333/.375/.600 through 10 games, Bourn has been a nice signing thus far for the Indians. While the severity of the injury doesn’t seem to be enough to keep Bourn out of action for too long, the last thing the Indians want (5-6 heading into Tuesday night’s game) is for Bourn to tear out his stitches or turn what should be a routine recovery process into something more. 

He’ll head to the DL for some early-season rest, and will hopefully heal up completely from the freak play in time to suit up again before the end of the April schedule. 

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Milwaukee Brewers star outfielder Ryan Braun was scratched from the lineup prior to his team’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.

The club’s official Twitter account reported the scratch before game time, citing neck spasms as the culprit:

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also reported that Braun was scratched from the fourth Milwaukee game of the season, opening the door for another Brewer to get his first career start on Friday night:

The news is both disappointing for Milwaukee fans and fortuitous for Arizona starting pitcher Wade Miley, who Braun has had some considerable success against so far in their pitcher-batter battles. The Brewer Nation had the tweet:

The 2011 National League MVP has a .313 career batting average and just hit his 203rd career home run against the Colorado Rockies in the opening series of the 2013 MLB season. So far, Braun has four hits, four RBI and the lone home run in 10 at-bats.

Braun dealt with Achilles, wrist and groin problems during the 2012 season but still played in 154 of the possible 162 regular-season games for Milwaukee. Braun finished second in his bid for back-to-back NL MVPs behind Buster Posey but had another strong season at the plate (.319 average, 41 HR, 112 RBI, .987 OPS).

It sounds like Braun’s absence from Friday night’s game is more of a precautionary move by team doctors, but we’ll monitor his status to ensure nothing more serious is going on.

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Enjoy the first round of your 2013 fantasy baseball draft. When it’s over, you’ll still be left with nearly 20 or so positions to fill and a bench to outfit for an entire 162-game season.

As it usually is with fantasy drafts, it’s the mid-to-late round hits that really make your team successful in any given sport, or any given season.

Baseball is no different.

In fact, you could argue that fantasy baseball is the most in-depth and interesting sport to draft of the three major fantasy leagues (football and basketball being the others), especially when you factor in what I like to call “Swiss-Army-knife guys.”

Like the actual knife, baseball’s versatile players come in handy when you need them in a pinch. From playing multiple positions to filling in for injured starters, there’s a premium in fantasy baseball for guys in that mold.

When you need them to play a different position, fill in for one of your injured starters or take advantage of another player’s slow start, here’s four guys that you should find a way to pick up before the 2013 season starts.

Chicago’s (White Sox) Jeff Keppinger

Keppinger might not be the most attractive name in the infield, but his versatility and ability to get the bat on the ball are both two aspects that you should not ignore.

After hitting .325 with Tampa Bay last season, the White Sox signed Keppinger for three years at $12 million per season. They expect him to get on base, extend innings and play multiple positions, as noted in this brilliant expose of Keppinger‘s role as one of the last dying contact hitters by Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.

He can fill in at three infield positions in your lineup (3B, 2B and 1B), and also has spent enough time to qualify as a DH in certain situations. If his red-hot start to spring training (.476 through March 27) wasn’t enough to persuade you to pick up Kepp in the draft, then look no further than his extreme versatility and how that can impact a struggling lineup. 

Minnesota’s Ryan Doumit

Doumit is a catcher, a first baseman and an outfielder in almost all fantasy league formats.

That information alone should be enough to make you second-guess his place on any draft board in the late rounds. Throw in an 18-home run, 133-hit season in 2012, and Doumit should find himself on your catcher sleeper list without to other position designations.

To top it all off, Doumit is listed as an outfielder and a DH—fortuitous because his move to the American League should include all three positions at some point this season for Minnesota.

Additionally, the Twins are always wary of both Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau’s collective status. That makes Doumit the most likely candidate to get a lion’s share of the work in Minnesota, and should in turn make him a must-add in this year’s draft.

Philadelphia’s John Mayberry Jr.

This recommendation certainly doesn’t come highly after a rough spring for Mayberry Jr.

He’s hitting just .197 so far in spring training for the Phillies, a disconcerting number after he had a chance to win the job outright coming into the first part of the regular season. 

However, the future first-round pick will only be in his fifth pro season in 2013, and has the tools to be a good player. He’s listed as both an outfielder and a fill-in for first baseman Ryan Howard—always a valuable tool given Howard’s injury history the past few seasons.

Mayberry Jr. hasn’t overwhelmed us with big-time stats. His 29 home runs the past two seasons are nice, but not indicative of an everyday starter. However, with a job on the line and multiple positions available to use him at during the season, keep Mayberry Jr. on your watch list.

I won’t blame you if he’s still available for pick up after the first couple of weeks of the regular season, but monitor his progress and see how Charlie Manuel is going to use him before giving up hope that he can help save your bench.

Tampa Bay’s Ben Zobrist

If there was ever a Swiss Army knife in the bigs, it’s Ben Zobrist.

For the past four seasons, Zobrist has taken on a full-time role with the Rays despite not really having a position. He’s played shortstop, third base, second base, first base and outfield. He would probably pitch and catch if Joe Maddon needed him to do it.

He’s never had less than 129 hits in each of those four seasons and is fresh off of an appearance with the United States team in the World Baseball Classic.

As a utility player Zobrist always seems to come into the season with expectations of being the first guy off the bench, but injuries continue to force him into the lineup each year. He’s produced well in that role, and should be a nice value pick for you in the mid-rounds if someone else doesn’t beat you to the punch.

Having versatility on the bench and in your starting lineup can’t be overestimated in fantasy baseball. Look for these four guys to be the spark you need, and continue to monitor the waiver wire for other versatility masters that will emerge in 2013.

Follow @DowntownEG

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Mark Teixeira‘s first World Baseball Classic is going to be over before it even starts.

That’s the latest from FOX Sports’ baseball insider Jon Morosi, who is reporting (via Twitter) that the New York Yankees slugger will be removed from the United States’ WBC roster due to an injury to his right forearm.

Yahoo! Sports MLB columnist Jeff Passan confirms that the slugger’s injury is a “strained forearm” and that he could miss up to 10 days:

As MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch noted on Twitter, the injury just sort of crept up on Teixeira, and did so Tuesday during batting practice in the cages:

Teixeira was slated to start at first base for Team USA, providing a big bat in the middle of Joe Torre’s lineup and hopefully giving the Americans a good chance to contend for the first time in the three-tournament existence of the WBC. 

However, he will be heading home early, and will now focus solely on getting ready for a return to the Yankees lineup that already is without Alex Rodriguez and Curtis Granderson, and lost Nick Swisher in free agency to the Cleveland Indians.

Tex had a down year in 2012, hitting just .251 while collecting 24 home runs and 84 RBI. However, he did win his fifth Gold Glove last season, and continues to be both a defensive force and offensive threat for one of the American League’s premier franchises.

It’s part of the reason Torre wanted Tex for Team USA.

As far as the approach to the rest of the WBC, Torre has a few options. He could move Joe Mauer to first base and start one of his other catchers (Jonathan Lucroy or J.P. Arencibia), or opt to use a utility player like Ben Zobrist in that role.

As Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reported, Teixeira will be replaced on the Team USA roster. There’s been no news regarding that name just yet, though:

While Teixeira’s return to the Yankees is probably more important to Joe Girardi and the rest of the organization, his exit from the Team USA lineup puts a big dent in their championship hopes.

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MLB has heightened awareness and discipline for performance-enhancing drugs.  Bud Selig wants penalties for offenders to be even fiercer.

That’s the latest from Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who reports that baseball’s commissioner is ready to start stiffening what’s already a “three strikes and you’re out” program for violators of MLB’s PED policies.

Although Selig did not fully elaborate on what those penalties would be or how they would be enforced, Selig noted that sweeping changes are coming, and coming fast:

My view is that it should be done as expeditiously as possible…We’ve made meaningful adjustments to our testing and now the time has come to make meaningful adjustments to our penalties. I feel very strongly about this. This is for the best interest of this sport, and everybody in it.

MLB’s current system gives players three chances to avoid using steroids and other drugs on the league’s banned list of substances (via MLB.com).

The first offense merits a 50-game suspension, the second a 100-game ban and the third offense could invoke a lifetime ban from professional baseball. As noted by CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman, Selig is looking to up the first offense penalty and thinks three strikes is far too many—among other potential changes:

Although current penalties are tenfold better than what they were at the height of the Mark McGwire/Barry Bonds scandals, they still give plenty of room to offenders looking to fool the system.

Recent stories of PED use in baseball haven’t helped dissuade that opinion.

Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Nelson Cruz and others made headlines during the offseason for their alleged involvement in a Miami clinic (via the Miami New-Times) that specialized in cheating the system, and each is undergoing an extensive review process by MLB as a result.

Additionally, Melky Cabrera was a National League MVP candidate last season for the San Francisco Giants before the discovery of PEDs in his system. Now, his stellar season is under fire, and there are some that don’t believe his improvement had anything to do with baseball skill—just steroids.

Selig is out to make sure his players are punished for cheating.

MLB has drawn heat for not acting sooner when it knew of cheating, but it appears the baseball commissioner will do everything in his power to heighten awareness, prove that the league is trying to get rid of steroids for good and hopefully scare off those interested in juicing in the process.

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It took the 2004 Olympics to get big-name stars back in international basketball as representatives of the United States. After Team USA finished third and took home the Bronze medal, the prevailing embarrassment that followed has given us two (2008, 2012) of the most dominant Olympic basketball teams of the modern era.

Team USA baseball finished fourth at the World Baseball Classic in 2009. After a full four years to think about that finish, MLB stars are rising from the ashes to bring the same fire and passion that LeBron James and Kobe Bryant brought back to U.S. basketball.

This year’s roster has a chance to get that excitement going.

For the first time in the three-year tournament history of the WBC, the United States will be one of the favorites. When looking at the roster (via MLB.com), there’s a good reason why.

As you can see, manager Joe Torre will have a lot of talent to work with. His starting lineup would be a quality one in any MLB stadium, even if the starting pitching isn’t as strong as the coaching staff would hope.

Playing in Pool D, USA will get a good early test against Mexico. Italy and Canada round out the pool, but Team USA is fully expected to take care of business against those squads and be in a good position for the bracket round.

Big bats like Mark Teixeira and Giancarlo Stanton will be an expected spark in the middle of the lineup, while experienced veterans Jimmy Rollins, Brandon Phillips and Shane Victorino will need to provide a veteran leadership that helps some of these players who have never tasted postseason/pressure baseball.

That’s the kind of atmosphere that the WBC provides.

If you look at the table above, you’ll see that Team USA does have a fairly stacked roster. However, the names that are on the right side of the list provide a window into what this tournament could look like if everyone were geared up to represent their country.

To be fair, spring training and injuries have prevailed over general interest in a tournament that didn’t exist prior to 2005. However, Japan’s title run has piqued interest all over the world, and there’s a good chance the Dominican Republic squad has the same goal as the U.S. this year—prove the first two tournaments were a fluke without MLB stars.

That makes 2013 vitally important for the U.S. roster.

With a deep tournament run to the finals, the United States can send a message to the stars that have chosen either not to participate or shown so little interest that they don’t receive a call to join up.

That message is simple: Come play for your country, and have fun doing it.

We all know what happened after NBA stars failed to bring home the gold in 2004. With the same kind of stakes on the line for both the WBC being a talent-filled tournament on all sides and the United States sending its best competition each year, this is a crucial tournament for the current 28 Americans scheduled to put the Red, White and Blue on the line.

Granted, basketball is completely different than baseball in international play. The United States has held a considerable advantage over almost every country for the last 40 years, but baseball is a different story.

American players are some of the best in the world, but Japan, Cuba, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic all feature stacked lineups that would make any MLB manager jealous. That makes roster selection even more important in baseball than it is in basketball, because most countries are fishing with dynamite before the tournament even begins.

The stakes have never been higher for Americans and international baseball. It’s time for the American stars to rise to the challenge, and hopefully inspire the rest of MLB’s USA stars to come out of hiding for two weeks in March every four years.

Follow @DowntownEG

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Fool me once—shame on me. Fool me twice—get out of baseball forever.

It might not be the most popular stance based on Alex Rodriguez‘s newest role in another performance enhancing drug scandal, but it’s the decision the 37-year-old New York Yankees third baseman should make after Tim Elfrink‘s report in Tuesday’s Miami New Times.

A three month investigation into Anthony Bosch and Biogenesis of America, a Miami company that specialized in anti-aging tactics. Those tactics have now been linked with human growth hormones, anabolic steroids and testosterone.

You guessed it—the notes and records obtained from the now defunct clinic include plenty (16) of annotations that include the initials A.R.

The Yankees are not happy with these newest developments in the A-Rod saga, and why should they be? Since acquiring A-Rod from the Texas Rangers prior to the 2004 season, the Bronx Bombers have just one (2009) World Series title and have had to deal with constant problems related to his on and off-the-field problems.

According to a report by ESPN, the Yankees are trying to find a way to void the remaining years and salary left on his monster contract. If successful, it could save the Yankees over $100 million over the next few seasons, as noted by ESPN’s Stats and Information on Twitter:

If you’ll remember, this isn’t A-Rod’s first rodeo when it comes to PED admission. He did so in 2009, participating in an interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons and claiming that his steroid use was only from 2001-2003—his three years in a Ranger uniform. In other words, he had not done steroids since coming to New York.

The public has largely forgiven Rodriguez since those admissions. The admission of guilt doesn’t take away the offense, but it was more than other players did in absolving their debt to the fans of the game.

Throw that admission out the window.

Rodriguez is now one the most decorated liars in the history of professional sports. Aside from Lance Armstrong, you’d be hard-pressed to find a man that meant more to a sport that will leave it in such disgrace. We’re quick to mention Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds and Rafael Palmeiro when talking about steroid use, but Rodriguez now has two separate scandals on his already tainted ledger.

Say what you want about Pete Rose. Or Marion Jones. Even Danny Almonte—the youngster from New York who fooled us all in the 2001 Little League World Series—has nothing on Rodriguez going forward.

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal agrees, saying the slugger is “done” in his most recent piece about Rodriguez and the PED scandal in Miami:

When I say, “done,” I’m talking about Alex Rodriguez’s reputation. His attempt to rehabilitate his once-pristine image. And, of course, his chances of making the Hall of Fame.

ESPN’s Ian O’Connor echoed that sentiment on Tuesday, using Armstrong as a benchmark for his comparisons:

A-Rod had better hope he’s somehow a victim here, because if the allegations are true he should do what Lance Armstrong did: take his bike and go home.

Strong words from national baseball reporters—something that should not be overlooked when drafting an opinion on this latest A-Rod scandal. These guys have seen Rodriguez for years, and most are operating under the assumption that he’s guilty until proven innocent.

Right or not, Rodriguez will have a chance to defend this report. He’s no different than anyone on trial—he should have the right to be innocent until proven guilty. However, the evidence from the New Times report was so overwhelming that it seems prudent to look at the consequences of these reported actions.

Rodriguez is expected to miss at least half of the 2013 season with a hip injury that sidelined him late in 2012. General manager Brian Cashman said A-Rod could miss the entire 2013 season less than a week ago, as noted by New York Post writer Dan Martin.

Make no mistake—Rodriguez would be a hot commodity if he was released or voided from his current contract. Even returning from injury, there are a slew of teams in the American League (Boston, Tampa Bay and Toronto come to mind) that would slide him in as the DH and roll with the punches—even if he draws a suspension from MLB.

Let’s get real: A-Rod is a career .300 hitter, has 647 home runs and is a three-time MVP. Those credentials speak for themselves, even if a majority of his stats are now forever tainted by the steroid era in which baseball is desperately trying to escape.

There’s one final hope for Rodriguez to save his image. It isn’t by playing his way out of the scandal. It’s by fessing up to lying for many years, apologizing to fans for ruining the integrity of the game and leaving the game of baseball forever—Lance Armstrong style.

It’s the right thing to do, and should be A-Rod’s biggest show of the age-old adage: “Actions speak louder than words.” But who are we kidding? It’s A-Rod. He’s lied and cheated the American public of an apology once, and we no longer expect him to do the honorable, right or sensible thing.

His 2009 interview is now a comedy of epic proportions, and baseball shouldn’t have to deal with this sideshow anymore.

If the allegations are true, here’s a personal plea, A-Rod: Hit the road, Jack—and don’t you come back no more. If it takes an interview with Oprah Winfrey to get you there, the game of baseball will oblige.

Ethan Grant is a featured columnist for B/R’s Breaking News Team. Check him out on Twitter.

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The baseball world will take a step back for remembrance on Saturday after the death of Hall of Famer and former Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver. 

Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun had the report.

According to Monica Barlow, the Orioles’ head of public relations, Weaver died while on a cruise late Friday night. He was 82.

The charismatic and fiery manager led the Orioles for 17 seasons—his only managerial job in the big leagues. He led the team to the World Series in each of his first three full seasons as manager (1969-1971), including the franchise’s second World Series title in 1970.

He continued that success well past those first three years, though, winning six American League East titles, four American League pennants and the lone World Series. His winning percentage (.583) ranks fifth among managers with at least 10 seasons of service (since 1900).

In parts of 17 seasons at the helm, Weaver was known for verbal and physical spats with umpires, giving colorful speeches to both his team and the press and for winning baseball games—a calling card of his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.

Weaver was thrown out of 91 games, a major league record at the time until Bobby Cox of the Atlanta Braves surpassed his mark.

Baltimore had just one losing season (1986) with Weaver as its manager.

Twitter responded lovingly to a man who exuded both excellence and a passion for the game on Saturday morning, but this tweet by Bob Nightengale sums up the feelings of many in the baseball community the best:

RIP: Earl Weaver,one of the most brilliant and colorful #MLB managers we have ever seen. #Orioles

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 19, 2013

Orioles Managing Partner Peter Angelos called Weaver the Orioles’ greatest manager ever in his words of remembrance, according to the Sun report:

“Earl Weaver stands alone as the greatest manager in the history of the Orioles organization and one of the greatest in the history of baseball,” Angelos said. “This is a sad day for everyone who knew him and for all Orioles fans. Earl made his passion for the Orioles known both on and off the field. On behalf of the Orioles, I extend my condolences to his wife, Marianna, and to his family.”

It’s certainly a sad day for Baltimore sports fans, but Weaver has given the baseball community plenty of highlights and accolades to remember him fondly. 

Ethan Grant is a member of Bleacher Report’s Breaking News Team.

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All the attention is on Josh Hamilton and Zach Greinke as the MLB free-agency period opens up this winter. While the big-time signing has put teams like the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels on the map, it’s often the key signings later in the process that prove to be the most valuable.

How many people thought the Angel Pagan trade would be so big for the San Francisco Giants? Who predicted that Mike Napoli would be the man at catcher for the Texas Rangers the past two years? What about Edwin Jackson and Gio Gonzalez for the Washington Nationals?

Granted, those are all trades. However, the under-the-radar move by management often turns out to be the one that makes the most sense from a baseball standpoint—and pays the most dividends financially (Jason Bay doesn’t come to mind in that category).

Here’s a look at several guys that might not reap big bucks on the free-agent market. However, they’ll be solid pickups for new teams looking to contend for a World Series championship.

Mike Napoli—C/1B/DH

The Rangers first baseman/catcher is going to get looks in the free-agent market, but I think his value will be a little bit understated because he obviously is looking for a big contract.

He’s getting looks from the Boston Red Sox, but if he’s their biggest offseason target, then things aren’t going well for management.

Napoli made $9.4 million this year, so you can bet he’ll decipher through the market after once again being a valuable piece on a championship-caliber team. For the right price and in the right role, he’s a big bat that can put it out of the park with one flick of the wrist.

He’s not worth more than a one- or two-year contract, but if the attention on Hamilton diverts the attention off of Nap being a quality bat, then teams are in for a treat.

Kelly Johnson—2B

The second basemen had an up-and-down professional season for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012. Leading off, he had a decent .313 OBP, but hit only .225 and struck out (159) far too much in that role.

Johnson is a better hitter down the lineup and can produce in the right situation. He started the year off right with home runs and run production that was near the top of MLB, but tapered off down the stretch as his club did the same.

There appears to be little room left in the infield after the Jays inked Maicer Izturis to a three-year deal, but Johnson could still be a fit for a team looking to upgrade at the position. Even in a utility role, he’s worth a look.

Francisco Liriano—SP

The lefty has only spent time in the AL Central, but at the right price, he could be headed for a number of teams across MLB. He’s a former top prospect that’s tapered off after a few successful early seasons with the Minnesota Twins, but hasn’t done much since.

His SO/9 numbers have stayed pretty constant over the course of his career, sans the ridiculous numbers he was putting up as a rookie.

For a team looking for a fifth starter, or even a guy with talent who can afford to experiment near the bottom of the rotation, Liriano is that guy. The Chicago Cubs apparently have interest, which shouldn’t be a surprise with Theo Epstein running the show.

It’s likely Liriano, who went 3-2 in 11 starts, could get paid by a team that is desperate. But if he pans out to his potential, he’ll likely be worth it, as no one will pay him ace money on the promise of potential.

These three guys won’t be in the headlines over the next few days, giving way to the bigger names like Hamilton, Greinke and Torii Hunter. All could make an immediate impact, though, and should be sought after in a low-key manner.

Ethan Grant is a featured columnist for B/R’s Breaking News Team.

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