Saturday and Sunday are typically slower days here in Da Box, and for good reason: the hard-working members of the ZLC are enjoying their brief Canadian summer, to say nothing of their days off, and have better places to be. But we here in the United States are a similarly industrious lot, so here I am, providing weekend material for one and all to enjoy when they choose, if they choose. It is true that I am not your typical hard-working American -- indeed, I am not even working -- but we'll ignore the fact that my weekends range from Monday-Sunday and head to the baseball stuff.
The Marlins paid a huge bounty to acquire Ugueth Urbina. Adrian Gonzalez was the number one overall pick in the 2000 draft, and, while he has struggled a bit at the AAA level -- he was recently demoted to AA -- he's only 21-years-old and has a very high ceiling, obviously. Gonzalez would have been sufficient enough, but Texas also received Will Smith, supposedly a solid fourth-OF type, and Ryan Snare, a LH pitcher who was a second-round pick in the 2000 draft. Even if only one of the players pans out, the Rangers win this deal, because there's no point having a Proven Closer on a last-place team.
I question the acquisition of Gonzalez, however. While he's no doubt a top prospect, the last thing the Rangers need is another hitter, the impending retirement of Rafael Palmeiro notwithstanding. They need pitching (duh), and they need it bad. I'm not suggesting they should have turned down Gonzalez, but it would behoove them to collect two pitchers for every hitter. Make no mistake, though, this is a nice trade by John Hart -- and the words "nice trade" and "John Hart" don't flow often in the same sentence, unless it's something like this: "In a nice trade for the Pirates, Indians GM John Hart has shipped Brian Giles for situational left-handed reliever Ricardo Rincon." One can only assume that the tempestuous Juan Gonzalez is next, provided Mr. Cheerful agrees to a deal. Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus suggested a couple of weeks ago that the Rangers bench Gonzo until he accepts a trade. I second the nomination.
Due to trades and injuries, the Rangers now have a good number of prospects in their lineup: Ryan Ludwick, Mark Texeira, Hank Blalock, and Laynce Nix will all see regular time for a little bit, and any of those four would be top young players on most teams. Needless to say, the Rangers will keep scoring runs. If the upper tier of the Blue Jays minor-league pitchers -- i.e. Jason Arnold, David Bush, Justin McGowan, et al -- do not develop, and the Rangers continue to view the likes of Chan Ho Park as valuable commodities, Texas/Toronto games in the 2006 season could very well be more high-scoring than NBA games.
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In a move not mentioned here in Da Box (I think), Doug Davis has refused assignment to the minors and is now a free agent. When another team signs him, this will immediately be good news for all the hitters in the league. I do not claim to be as erudite and snappy as BP's Chris Kharl, but here are some other under-the-radar transactions from the past week, with my comments following.
Minnesota signed former Pirate Kevin Young to a minor-league deal
With all the available talent at 1B/DH/OF in the Twins system, this has got to be the strangest signing I've seen in a long time, even if it is literally a minor deal. Even assuming Pittsburgh is on the slab for most of Young's salary, if it cost the Twins $4 for calling Young's agent, $.35 for faxing the contract, and any incidental costs, then the Twins are literally throwing money away. Sure, it's a pittance, but they would have been better off donating the small change to the Democratic Party.
Cincinnati designated Todd Van Poppel for assignment
It's sad to say, but this may be the end for Van Poppel; if Don Gullett can't resurrect your career, you're in trouble. (Et tu, Bruce Chen?) I remember when the A's moved Van Poppel to the bullpen in 1995, and I particularly remember a three-plus inning stint he had against the Mariners in Seattle. He struck out six guys in 3 2/3 innings, using a 98-MPH fastball that he snaked on the black in addition to a viscious 12-6 curve ball he seldom commanded as a starter. I don't think a hitter even hit a sharp grounder that night. So right away I made offers to the owner who had Van Poppel in my AL-only fantasy league, because TVP looked like he was going to embark on a serious run as a dominant high-leverage reliever. The A's, though, insisted on putting Van Poppel back in the rotation -- he was, after all, only 24-years-old at the time -- and the rest we know. Van Poppel did eventually enjoy some moderate success as a set-up guy, and I will certainly never forget those three magical innings. It is hard to believe Van Poppel is only 31-years-old, yet he may be done with baseball.
Seattle placed Greg Colbrunn on the DL
Rotoworld had it right when they wondered how Colbrunn could get hurt playing once every three weeks. And this was the second time Colbrunn has been on the DL this year. The Yankees get much (deserved) abuse for their absurd depth, but the Mariners signed Colbrunn as a $3.6 million Edgar Martinez insurance policy. Very few teams have that kind of flexibility.
San Francisco optioned Jesse Foppert to Phoenix
Before the season started we talked about the Giants' three young future aces, and a consensus of sorts was reached that one would break down, one would be OK, and one would get traded. Here's what Coach said, which is interesting and amusing:
John Sickels says one of the Giants' three phenoms will be a star, one will be traded and one will get hurt. He admits he has no idea which is which; one of the most refreshing and candid prospect evaluations I've seen. (Right now I'll guess Ainsworth gets dealt, "Doc" Williams breaks down and Foppert makes it, but who knows?)
I was the most pessimistic of the group -- big surprise -- as I thought all three would fizzle. Having said that, I would not have thought Jerome Williams to be the one to succeed, because he is the youngest of the three. Foppert reminds me very much of Kevin Millwood, from their builds and motions right down to the numbers on their backs. However, Foppert isn't quite as smooth as Millwood, which makes me think that at some point he'll hurt his arm -- the Giants do not have a track record for developing pitchers, or anyone for that matter -- and he doesn't have Millwood's raw power. Some of the Giants' announcers compare Williams to Doc Gooden, a comparison made, I believe, because both pitchers are black. (I don't believe this is done with any racist intent, by the way, any more than me comparing Millwood to Foppert is racist. The Star may differ.) Their motions aren't too similar, Williams' breaking ball isn't nearly as sharp as Doc's, he doesn't throw as hard as Gooden, and while Gooden reached the Show when he was 19, Williams was in the minors at that age. Other than that, then yes, you can't tell them apart. Until Williams goes through the league a second time, and until he cleans up his K/BB ratio (55/41 in 93 innings), I will remain pessimistic. If someone does in fact get moved, it looks like Foppert may be the one, since Kurt Ainsworth has little value until his health is proven to be sound and since Williams has been lights out so far. Of course Foppert may yet return to the rotation after the all-star break. With the injury to Kirk Rueter, the Giants' pitching is in serious trouble; they may not be able to keep Foppert in Phoenix. But he may also be traded. Stay tuned.
Cleveland acquired Lyle Mouton for Aaron Myette
I mention this trade in the event one of Mouton or Myette's relatives does a Google search for either of their names. Perhaps it might make the families proud if they see that an obscure little Web site north of the border noticed this deal, because surely nobody else did. And with good cause.
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It is often said that we go to sporting events, baseball games in particular, because there is always the chance we will see something we have never seen before -- and possibly never will see again. I'm curious to know of some events the ZLC will never forget from baseball games they've attended. I was fortunate to be at Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, and it would be very difficult to top that moment, but I've also been lucky enough to see a triple play, a one-hitter by Steve Ontiveros against the Yankees, a bench-clearing brawl involving Neil Allen and Mark McGwire, the Royals clinch the 1987 pennant in Oakland, two all-star game workouts (including the 1984 one in Candlestick which featured the 1984 USA Olympic team), countless Barry Bonds and McGwire home runs, and much, much, more. (I also saw McGwire hit the longest foul ball I've ever seen, as I've described somewhere on Batter's Box, and that memory sticks out as much as the "real" ones.) What are some of your strongest memories? None are too trivial. The only rule is that you were at a big-league stadium. As an example of a seemingly throwaway event, the triple play I remember not only because of the action itself (Rafael Ramirez of the Braves hit the ball), but also because I had gotten to Jack Murphy Stadium three hours before the game to watch batting practice -- only to discover that sometimes they don't take batting practice on Sunday, this particular Sunday being one of those "sometimes."
I'll be back tomorrow with more garbage. Enjoy the weekend.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20030712032303999