Kuzul

The infield shift is one of the most effective yet frustrating strategies used in sports. 

Originally used by Cleveland Indians Manager Lou Boudreau to halt Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams, the infield shift has given baseball fans fits.

It has done this because the infield shift is a self-licking ice cream cone, surviving only because of men’s pride. 

But perhaps New York Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira can unleash a trend to crush the Boudreau shift. 

During a fun, lighthearted interview with MLB.com writer Bryan Hoch last spring, Teixeira said he might try bunting a try to achieve this end.

From Hoch:

[Teixeira] did talk a lot last spring about wanting to bunt, saying he’d like to plant it in opponent’s minds to keep defenses more honest.

Of course Yankees’ fans know Teixeira’s tough talk did not translate to action in 2012. As explained by Hoch, Teixeira later he had “just been having some fun with the media. He said that he never intended to bunt, and doesn’t believe he’s bunted in a game since he was 11 years old.”

Teixeira elaborated:

I tried [hitting the other way]. I tried it at the end of last year, I tried it at the beginning of this year. It didn’t work. Most really good players that are consistent, they don’t change things in the middle of their career. That just doesn’t really make lot of sense.

Now, I know Teixeira is a strapping player entering his 11th season of MLB service.

And I know it is tough to teach an old dog tricks sometimes.

But perhaps Teixeira should reconsider his stance. 

After all, how “in your face” would it be to watch Teixeira start planting baseballs down an unmanned third base line to crush the shift?

Kapow! Take that opposing manager. Fans watching Teixeira leg out a free of charge hit go ape crap. 

As one of many fans that have wanted to fire things at the television, when watching pull-hitters club gutless grounders into a great wall of leather, Teixeira bunting balls into open pasture may be a refreshing change of pace. 

Done enough times, it may plant that seed in the back of MLB manager’s minds not to order their third basemen to leave their post.

Perhaps Teixeira’s charge could inspire other pull-hitters like David Ortiz, Jose Bautista, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Hamilton to give bunting a shot.

Of course many baseball fans may read this and say, “Not a shot in hell.”

But how many times have fans walked out the ballpark, wondering what could have been if only one of these guys swallowed their pride and took what the defense gave them?

Put another way, how many fans have seen pull-hitters fall prey to this “gotcha” tactic and yell, “bunt the freaking baseball!”

It has happened many times throughout baseball history. And realistically, the “Boudreau Shift” will continue well into the future.

However, it would be nice to see an uptick in slugger’s willing to lay one down for the team (especially when struggling).

Perhaps Teixeira could be the one to shatter this status quo. 

Mongoose Morisette is a featured baseball writer for B/r. He is also the founder of the Basebook Baseball Social Network. 

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New York Yankees prospect Tyler Austin was not a well-known player at the start of the 2012 season.

But in less than one year, Austin has steadily risen through the Yankees’ ranks to become the No. 3 prospect in the organization.

Still just 22, this 6’2”, 200-pound Georgia native is a speedy athlete with steadfast lumber and an above-average arm.

In 110 minor league games last year, Austin batted .322 (133-for-413) with 17 home runs and 80 RBIs. The right-hander also garnered 36 doubles, six triples and 23 stolen bases.

Austin’s OBP/SLG/OPS was a very respectable .400/.559/.960.

Now entering the 2013 campaign, this 2012 Futures Game selection has been invited to spring training (per Kurt Aschermann of the Rockdale Citizen).

This is a pretty neat development, considering Austin is not on the Yankees’ 40-man roster.  

But what makes Austin so impressive is not so much the fact he was not selected until the 13th round of the 2010 First Year Player Draft.

It is more how this young man carries himself that may eventually thrust him into fan favorite status in the Bronx and beyond.

From Austin’s recent interview with MilB.com writer Danny Wild, this guy looks like a quiet, humble and hard-working player who is willing to do whatever it takes to help the Yankees succeed.

Austin also seems very coachable; and he does not hide his “kid in a candy store” mindset (when talking about being able to play ball with current Yankees’ stars).

And whether it means playing catcher, manning third base, or roaming the outfield, Austin also appears willing to deploy wherever Yankees manager Joe Girardi tells him to go.

This is refreshing to see, especially in an era where many athletes seem to have become so specialized.

More impressive, Austin is a resilient person who has beaten cancer. He has also bounced back from a scary incident of being hit square in the head during the 2012 Future’s Game.

While Austin will probably begin 2013 for the Double-A Trenton Thunder, Yankees’ fans should track this guy’s progress closely—maybe even snag a rookie card or two.

Because Austin seems like a special ballplayer that comes along only so often.

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Baltimore Orioles nation is grieving, after learning of the sad passing of legendary manager Earl Weaver.

Saturday ESPN reported the 82-year-old collapsed while aboard the Orioles Fantasy Cruise. The Orioles’ official website claimed the cause of death was an apparent heart attack.

For older Orioles fans, losing Weaver has to be especially difficult. For this St. Louis native exemplified “the Oriole Way” that nearly died before Buck Showalter breathed life back into it.

Weaver’s death comes on the near eight-year anniversary of the untimely passing of another Orioles legend: Elrod Hendricks. Hendricks died of a heart attack on Dec. 21, 2005, just before the same annual cruise was to leave port.

Just a few hours prior to Weaver’s death, Hall of Fame St. Louis Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst celebrated his 90th Birthday with 300 close friends in St. Louis (per Dave Jobe of Fox 2 St. Louis).

Now, according to Marty Noble of MLB.com, Cardinals Hall of Fame Slugger Stan Musial has passed away at 92.  

The reason for revealing these ironies is not to scare fans into speculating about what iconic manager will walk through the valley of the shadow of death next.

In the sincerest sense, this has to do with the fact that Weaver’s death symbolizes the MLB is slowly losing an era of brilliant field generals, all of whom were born in a time when America faced incredible hardships as a growing nation.

Born in the midst of the Great Depression and World War II, Weaver is the member of an exclusive club of skippers that include Billy Martin, Gene Mauch, Sparky Anderson and Red Schoendienst.

This fine club is defined by the same hard-nosed passion, tough-as-nails mentality and never take anything in baseball (and in life) for granted approach, typical of many born during this time in history.

While major league history is rife with colorful stories about the aforesaid managers—some good, some bad and some worthy of Broadway production—behind the theater were men who truly cared about the health and welfare of their players.

And while cynics deployed Weaver and Company to the same mental camp as General George S. Patton, the men who played for these managers loved taking to the baseball battlefield for these fearless leaders every summer.

This shows in the major league record books: Weaver, Anderson, Martin, Mauch and Schoendienst combined for a 7,870 managerial wins.  

As a baseball fan, I deeply respect and admire these men because they fought tooth-and-nail for what they believed in. They also fought for what was fair (which is maybe why umpires feared Weaver most of the time).

I also admire these men because I see this same tough World War II era mentality in my grandmother, a metro Detroiter who is also in her 80s.

My grandmother was the Earl Weaver of our family. She was the wife of a major league prospect turned Army Air Corps engineer aboard B-17’s during WWII. Like Weaver, my grandmother was a tough cookie but caring person … and she never let our spirits and stomachs run empty.

For this, I am grateful.

Equally grateful is Orioles’ nation. For as Baltimore begins to grieve the loss of Weaver—on this the day the great Edgar Allen Poe was born—fans should take time to reflect on the seemingly endless cabinet of great moments this legendary manager inspired. 

Fans should also wonder if Weaver will track down Sparky, Gene or Billy for a cold one, once he gets settled in the kingdom.

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Veteran left-hander Joe Saunders is increasingly becoming the source of opposing viewpoints among Baltimore Orioles fans. 

Saunders, 31, was traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks in August 2012 in exchange for reliever Matt Lindstrom.

Since joining the Orioles, Saunders has compiled a 3-3 record with a 3.63 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in seven regular-season starts.

The Virginia native also went 1-0 with an impressive 1.59 ERA in two postseason starts for the Orioles. One of these starts included a stout 5.2 inning outing in Baltimore’s 5-1 victory over the Texas Rangers in the 2012 AL Wild Card Game.

In his seven year career, Saunders is 78-65 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.34 WHIP.

Yet with just over one month left before spring training, the Orioles have yet to sign Saunders, even though Saunders has expressed interest in returning to Charm City, ­per Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.

According to Orioles beat writer Eduardo A. Encina (also of the Baltimore Sun), a major sticking point in negotiations involves the length of contract Saunders and his agent are requesting—three years.

This issue has fostered an increasingly sharp debate between Orioles fans regarding why Birds brass is reluctant to pull the trigger on a midterm contract for Saunders.

Fans that support the Orioles signing Saunders to this length cite three reasons.

First, Saunders is a cool-headed all-star that will solidify a rotation that is unsettled beyond Jason Hammel and Wei-Yin Chen.  Second, Saunders boasts healthy playoff experience the Orioles could benefit from. Third, Saunders has a solid ability to mentor younger pitchers on the Orioles, especially the lefties.

But a second camp of fans argue signing Saunders to a three-year deal is way too long, if not risky.

Fans in this camp think the Orioles potentially have several hidden gems that will be fighting for spots in the Orioles rotation this spring.

And despite Saunders’ upside, giving this southern gent such a contract may prove too expensive in the long run, especially if Saunders does not perform to the level of the big sum of money his contract may entail.

For these fans, a one-year deal for Saunders may suffice. Should Saunders pitch well, then the Orioles may consider long-term options.

So if you were a leader in the Orioles front office, what would you do?  Would you take a gamble on Saunders, even if this gamble may not work out?  Would you sign Saunders to a one- or two-year deal, perhaps as a stepping stone to something bigger downstream?

Or would you do what a third camp proposes: let Saunders walk altogether?

These are tough questions to answer, especially when one considers the highly competitive nature of the AL East in 2013.

But if the Orioles play their cards right, and a little luck falls this team’s way, landing Saunders at the right time and price may benefit this franchise for years to come.

For more Orioles’ Features, Sign Up for B/R’s Baltimore Orioles Newsletter! 

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Just a month and change remains before the thrilling kickoff to spring training 2013.

As the thump and thwack and crunch of cleats scurry through our imaginations, questions remain regarding what the everyday lineup for the New York Yankees will look like this campaign.

One thing fans do know, however, is that Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki and Robinson Cano will be swinging at the top of the Yankees order come April.

For Yankees fans, this fact fosters mixed feelings. These feelings really come to light when fans consider that both Jeter and Ichiro lead an aging Yankees fleet, and also how Cano has not yet signed an extension.  

Blend this uncertainty with star outfielder and leadoff specialist Michael Bourn still lingering on the free-agent market, and many Yankees fans have cause for concern.  

But through this tunnel of uncertainty lies an exciting silver lining: The Pinstripes have the opportunity to bust team record books wide open this season.

Should Jeter, Ichiro and Cano each earn 200 hits this year, then this trifecta would be the first in Yankees’ history to achieve that feat.

Per MLB.com, it would also make this the 12th set of major league teammates since 1900 to do it—the fourth in the post-World War II era. 

Only the 1929 Philadelphia Phillies and 1937 Detroit Tigers have had four hitters on the same team to get 200 hits in one season.

Now, in an era of cynicism, it is easy to point to Jeter’s and Ichiro’s ages and say there is not a shot in hell this will happen. To those who support this thinking, saying “Maybe if Jeter and Ichiro were younger…”—you certainly pose a solid argument.

But it is not beyond the realm of possibility that Jeter, Ichiro and Cano achieve 200 hits in 2013 when fans ponder the following points.

While Jeter, Ichiro and Cano are not spring chickens, this outfit has shown incredible durability, especially of late. For example, last year these three men missed a total of four regular-season games—combined.

And while Ichiro is 39 and coming off a down year in 2012, he still raked in 178 hits in 162 ball games.

Perhaps a full year in pinstripes, surrounded with much better talent ( more than the Seattle Mariners) will help Ichiro get those 22 big hits required for 200.

Jeter will turn 39 this June. He is fresh from a terrific year in which he batted .316 with a nearly career-high 216 hits (he had 219 hits in 1999). Jeter also had 15 home runs and 58 RBI to his credit.

Jeter is coming off a tough ankle injury that occurred during last postseason, and some wonder if he will fully recover.

However, as per Howie Rumberg of the Associated Press, Jeter will be ready for Opening Day, and he said the following:

I feel good. It was tough first five, six weeks where you sit on your couch with your feet elevated, but now I feel as though I’m moving around pretty good. I think I’m right where I need to be.

This leaves Cano, who is in the final year of his current contract.

Cano, 30, is coming off a solid 2012, in which he batted .313 with 196 hits, 33 homers and 94 RBI in 161 regular-season games.

Barring injury or shocking trade, fans can bet Cano will be extra-motivated to have a monster year so he can get a huge payday (wherever he lands the following season).

Adding beef to this argument is the fact Jeter, Ichiro and Cano have all shared 200-hit campaigns with teammates in the past.

Jeter paired with Bernie Williams to do this in 1999 and again with Cano in 2009. Ichiro paired with Bret Boone in 2001 to do the same (per MLB.com).

The only other teammates in Yankees’ history to pair for 200 hits apiece are Earle Combs and Lou Gehrig (1927), Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio (1936/37), and Alfonso Soriano and Bernie Williams (2002).

This is some pretty impressive company.   

Even if two of three of the aforesaid got 200 hits each, they would join just 66 other pairs of big league players since 1900 to do this (also per MLB.com).

Now, realistically speaking, will it take a perfect storm for Jeter, Ichiro and Cano to become the first trio in Yankees’ history to bust the 200-hit record? Yes. To do this, these men will have to stay healthy, and they will have to slam the accelerator from the get-go and stay on it all season.  

This may sound far-fetched to the cynic.

But for three guys who have had unworldly careers already, this would make for one memorable nugget to add to resumes already overloaded with achievements.  

Even cooler, I could not imagine a better experience (besides winning the World Series) than to be a fan that gets to watch Jeter and Ichiro approach the ends of their careers in style.

For this thought alone, it is worth watching Yankees baseball in 2013. 

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The starting rotation war between pitchers for the Baltimore Orioles will be one of the most intriguing storylines to watch come spring training.  

In this dynamic arms race, no lead will be safe.

It will feature possibly 13 pitchers who will fight for the right to take to the hill for the Birds every five days this summer.

Yes. I said it. 13.

There is Jason Hammel, Wei-Yin Chen and Chris Tillman. These gents combined for a 29-20 record with a 3.61 ERA in 2012.  

But do not tell that to Miguel Gonzalez, Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta and Steve Johnson. These hurlers have the ability to pitch well at the major league level, though Gonzalez and Johnson have shown the most consistency in this bunch.   

Tommy Hunter is also in the mix. As is rookie phenom Dylan Bundy, who has the talent to throw a huge wrench into the plans of the aforesaid. 

Then there is Rule five pick T.J. McFarland, and the all-but-forgotten Tsuyoshi Wada.

According to Sporting News, this left-handed Japanese import may be ready to compete for a spot in Baltimore’s starting rotation this spring.

Do not let off the accelerator. Per MASN’s Roch Kubatko, the Orioles are also still interested in re-signing lefty Joe Saunders…for the right price.

If this is not head-spinning enough, Baltimore and Detroit have been in contact about a potential trade for Tigers’ starter Rick Porcello (according to Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun).

There will be little room to breathe. 

The five Baltimore starters that emerge from this fog of war will be instantly deployed into a combat zone that is the AL East…a zone that includes serious talent, muscle and hustle (and in the New York Yankees case, age and experience).  

In this environment, Hammel and Co. will have to carry this team with enough skill to support an Orioles offense that, while flexible, is unpredictable (and sometimes anemic).

Fresh off a (.247) team batting average in 2012, the Birds have yet to acquire a game changing bat that can hit for average.

This is not to say a lineup that includes Nate McLouth, Nick Markakis, (a healthy) Brian Roberts, Adam Jones, Chris Davis,  Matt Wieters, J.J. Hardy, Manny Machado, and (add DH here) cannot scrap enough runs together help this team win.  

But while the Birds have potential to pound the ball hard in any given game, it is difficult to envision (at this point), this team doing this nearly every night.

This is why it is critical the Orioles get its rotation in order early and often in 2013. Unlike the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore does not have the luxury of squandering runs and still finding consistent victory.

In a super competitive AL East, there is very little wiggle room for long losing streaks this season. 

Baltimore can do it. They have the depth. But every starter must be spot on nearly every night.

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Recently, ESPN writer David Schoenfield wrote a detailed feature about the New York Yankees and their success in spite of old age.

Rebuking doomsayers, Schoenfield time-traveled 18 seasons (to when Jack McDowell wore pinstripes) to show why it would be unwise to count the Yankees out in 2013.

Absorbing the chart Schoenfield provides in his feature, he makes a valid argument. After all, it is tough to argue with a 1,731-1,163 team record and an average plus-148 run differential since 1995.

What is debatable however (and not mentioned in Schoenfield’s work) is that this present Yankees ball club fields one of the oldest Yankees teams in the past 18 years.

Frankly, Yankees fans accused of grumbling have every right to grumble. As the recent signings of Ichiro Suzuki and Kevin Youkilis can attest, it seems the Yankees look like a team one year away from a monster overhaul.

Double-strength aspirin in the medicine cabinet—could there something deeper going in the Yankees front office?

More specifically, is Brian Cashman and Co. simply buying time until the Yankees’ core of home-grown prospects is ready for the show? Or is pinstripe’s brass hoarding a bomber load of cash to make a few huge free-agent landings in 2014?

With the Yankees, answering these questions is always a challenge. Perhaps a hybrid of events is occurring here.

But should the Yankees be looking to enter splash mode, this slideshow will highlight seven in-their-prime free agents that might be available come 2014. 

Begin Slideshow

For many baseball fans, catching a glimpse of diamond heroes creates happy memories that are unshakable from the human psyche.

Mine being the time I met Atlanta Braves hurler Steve Avery, I can only imagine what baseball fans fans are feeling after seeing recently released and rare video of pitching legend Satchel Paige on the hill in 1948.  

According to NESN writer Zach Stoloff, members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Film Archive discovered a 16mm video of Paige pitching in a 1948 exhibition game. This film, found on the estate of filmmaker Richard Brooks, was taken at a minor league field in Los Angeles.

You can watch the video below. 

While footage of Paige in this film was in the twilight of his career, I wonder how great this must be for older generations (who were kids then) to see actual color footage of one of the most iconic hurlers of that time.

Even for regular baseball fans, it has to be pretty neat.

I had always heard of Satchel Paige. One of the first baseball books I ever read as a kid had a picture of the legend in his Kansas City Monarch’s uniform.

But to see color video of Paige is truly surreal. It brings this seemingly mythological being to real-life.

A tall, lanky fireballer, Paige barnstormed the western world, entertaining fans for nearly 40 years with batter-baffling pitches…pitches he often gave nicknames to. 

According to Cool Papa Bell, Paige “made a living by throwing the ball to a spot over the plate the size of a matchbook.”

A five-time Negro League All-Star and a two-time MLB All-Star, Paige was a colorful comic who trumped racism and segregation to earn a 232-89 career record.

Per Paige’s Baseball Hall of Fame Bio, he is the oldest player to make his Major League debut at age 42. This occurred with the Indians in 1948, the same year Cleveland won the World Series.

It was also the same year this historic video was filmed.  

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Butts—in—seats.

This the new and exciting reality in the AL East after a Los Angeles Dodgers-like splurge by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Somebody speed dial Dick Vitale; the AL East in 2013 is going to be mayhem, baby!

With one swift swoop, the Jays just transformed from an aging F-16 to a brand new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Every day (barring injury), AL East teams will have to contend with a more potent Jays lineup and much improved pitching staff.

Calm down? Curb my excitement?

Why should I?

How ‘bout everyone stop living in denial regarding the impact of the Jays monster splash?

It is going to be fun to see the Jays strive to become the division’s new “Evil Empire.”

Thanks to Toronto, the sheer unpredictability of what will happen next season could transform into a veritable arms race. It will be sweet to see traditional AL East powerhouse teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox battle with the Jays for divisional superiority.

This, just a short time removed from watching the Baltimore Orioles throw a wrench in the plans of their divisional rivals.

The Yankees may have some issues with an aging lineup, but they are still the Yankees. If they can shore up their starters and continue to groom stud prospects like Tyler Austin and Gary Sanchez to be eventual future stars, this team will be in the thick of things.

The Red Sox may look like they are in rebuilding mode after unloading old inventory on the Dodgers, but they boast an impressive stock of upcoming youth. They also have a load of cash to spend. I may be one of the few in this camp, but I am very excited to see how things pan out with shortstop Jose Iglesias.

Butts—in—seats.

This will be the sight at Camden Yards in 2013, quite the opposite from back when paid attendance was a whopping 6,000.

If I could give one piece of advice to the leaders of these orange-and-black journeymen, it would be this: DO NOT TINKER.

Let this band of baseball brothers continue to grow up together. The Orioles will be fascinating to watch in 2013, especially if their starting rotation further solidifies. Hitters like Chris Davis and Mark Reynolds (if he returns) will be unstoppable if they improve on breaking-ball hits.

I still think Buck Showalter got ripped off, but hey, a lot of things in life do not go as anticipated…

Such as the Tampa Bay Rays failing to make the postseason. Do not expect a team with such an ironclad pitching staff to make the same mistake again in 2013. I fully expect Joe Maddon to clean things up, en route to rectifying a disappointing 2012 season.

Sad as it may be, I do not know what this team has to do to put butts in seats. It seems no matter how well this team does, they cannot fill the park. Perhaps adding a superstar like Josh Hamilton alongside Evan Longoria in the lineup could do the trick.

Or they could always pay some movie extras.

Whatever the course the Rays take, they are part of an AL East that will be making headlines well into the 2013 season..

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