NATIONAL PASTIME
Latest Blog Entries
Cooperstown Bound? - Jim Rice
2009 will mark former Red Sox outfielder Jim Rice's 15th and final year on the Hall of Fame ballot and if he were to come up short once again his only chance for induction would rest with the Veterans Committee. Since 1995 - his first year of eligibility - Rice has received as little as 29.4 percent of the vote (1999) and as much as 72.2 percent (2008). With an unchanged resume and such a large disparity in voting percentage, it's clear that Rice's case for induction is one of the more interesting and complex to be examined thus far by National Pastime. By Nick Leco.
KILL - Cooperstown Bound? - Jim Rice
2009 will mark former Red Sox outfielder Jim Rice's 15th and final year on the Hall of Fame ballot and if he were to come up short once again his only chance for induction would rest with the Veterans Committee. Since 1995 - his first year of eligibility - Rice has received as low as 29.4 percent of the vote (1999) and as high as 72.2 percent (2008). With an unchanged resume and such a large disparity in voting percentage, it's clear that Rice's case for induction is one of the more interesting and complex to be examined thus far by National Pastime. By Nick Leco.
My Five - What if ... ?
Thus far in my columns I have kept the analysis on the diamond, but today I'm dusting off my imagination cap from kindergarten and stepping outside the box. We all know the cliche about excuses and posteriors, but when you're just a bystander in the whole mess it's good fun to second-guess. What follows will be less of a ranking in the traditional My Five sense than simply a collection of hypotheticals I found interesting. By Sean Raposa.
KILL - My Five - What if ... ?
Thus far in my columns I have kept the analysis on the diamond, but today I'm dusting off my imagination cap from kindergarten and stepping outside the box. We all know the cliche - excuses are like rumps, we all have one and they all stink - but when you're just a bystander in the whole mess it's good fun to second-guess. What follows will be less of a ranking in the traditional My Five sense than simply a collection of hypotheticals I found interesting. By Sean Raposa.
Prospect Q&A - Jason Castro, Astros
As a left-handed hitting catcher with already solid and still-improving skills behind the plate, Stanford's Jason Castro was a no-brainer for the Astros at the No. 10 spot in this year's draft. And while many of this year's top picks dragged out their contract negotiations right up until the Aug. 16 signing deadline, Castro quickly agreed to a deal that included a $2.07 million signing bonus and began his journey to the big leagues with the short-season Class A Tri-City ValleyCats. By Jay LeBlanc.
KILL - Prospect Q&A - Jason Castro, Astros
As a left-handed hitting catcher with already solid and still-improving skills behind the plate, Stanford's Jason Castro was a no-brainer for the Astros at the No. 10 spot in this year's draft. And while many of this year's top picks dragged out their contract negotiations right up until the Aug. 16 signing deadline, Castro quickly agreed to a deal that included a $2.07 million signing bonus and began his journey to the big leagues with the short-season Class A Tri-City ValleyCats. By Jay LeBlanc.
Amateur Hour - NY's loss UCLA's gain
UCLA scored a major coup this past week when right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole - the 28th pick in June's MLB draft - turned down a multimillion dollar bonus from the Yankees to play for the Bruins. Meanwhile, the Harwich Mariners captured their first Cape Cod Baseball League title in 21 years and Team USA advanced to the semifinal round in Beijing with a little help from the squad's lone collegian, San Diego State righty Stephen Strasburg. By Tom Stad.
KILL - Amateur Hour - Yanks' loss is UCLA's gain
UCLA scored a major coup this past week when right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole - the 28th pick in June's MLB draft - turned down a multimillion dollar bonus from the Yankees to play for the Bruins. Meanwhile, the Harwich Mariners captured their first Cape Cod Baseball League title in 21 years and Team USA advanced to the semifinal round in Beijing with a little help from the squad's lone collegian, San Diego State righty Stephen Strasburg. By Tom Stad.
Prospect Q&A - David Hernandez, Baltimore Orioles
David Hernandez has shown an uncanny ability to strike hitters out as a pro, but his high K totals didn't translate to the kind of success on the mound that he or the Orioles hoped for in his first two-plus seasons. The 23-year-old righty has found his groove in 2008, however, leading the double-A Eastern League with 156 strikeouts and ranking fourth with a 2.58 ERA as a member of the stacked Bowie Baysox starting rotation. By Jay LeBlanc.
Cooperstown Bound? - Mike Mussina
The debate over whether Mike Mussina is Hall of Fame material has really started to heat up of late. Many people had written the "Moose" off entering 2008, but he's rebounded with a solid showing this season and re-emerged as the Yankees' ace. Mussina's renaissance and his climbing career win total have some making his case for Cooperstown, while his detractors insist that no starting pitcher without a Cy Young Award, 20-win season or World Series ring belongs in the Hall. By Nick Leco.
My Five - Spoilers
Last Tuesday, I tabbed the Phillies as my No. 1 contender in this space, then endured watching them get swept by the surging Dodgers, get beaten by the lowly Padres and have their reigning N.L. MVP proclaim his own fans "front-runners" days after I had praised his past leadership. I'm not waffling on them yet, but let's just say they failed to back me up and this week, I'm exploring other angles. Today we dip outside my contenders in search of the top spoilers - teams that could nose baseball's front-runners out of the money. By Sean Raposa.
KILL - Cooperstown Bound? - Mike Mussina
The debate over whether Mike Mussina is Hall of Fame material has really started to heat up of late. Many people had written the "Moose" off entering 2008, but he's rebounded with a solid showing this season and re-emerged as the Yankees' ace. Mussina's renaissance and his climbing career win total have some making his case for Cooperstown, while his detractors insist that no starting pitcher without a Cy Young Award, 20-win season or World Series ring belongs in the Hall. By Nick Leco.
KILL - My Five - Spoilers
Last Tuesday, I tabbed the Phillies as my No. 1 contender in this space, then endured watching them get swept by the surging Dodgers, get beaten by the lowly Padres and have their reigning N.L. MVP proclaim his own fans "front-runners" days after I had praised his past leadership. I'm not waffling on them yet, but let's just say they failed to back me up and this week, I'm exploring other angles. Today we dip outside my contenders in search of the top spoilers - teams that could nose baseball's front-runners out of the money. By Sean Raposa.
Prospect Q&A - Derrick Robinson, Kansas City Royals
Some people are fast, some are really fast, and then there's Derrick Robinson. The 5' 11", 170-pounder was a standout defensive back in high school and reportedly ran a 4.25-second 40-yard dash before signing a letter of intent to play football for the Florida Gators. However, Robinson also showed enough promise as a high school outfielder to be selected by the Royals in the fourth round of the 2006 MLB draft, and he's now putting his speed to good use on the diamond. By Jay LeBlanc.
Checking in on the 1st round picks
Oh, what a night. Ten first-round draft picks had yet to agree to terms as of yesterday morning, and while most of them hammered out deals in the final hours before the midnight signing deadline, it was unclear whether the second and third selections in the draft had signed long after the deadline had passed. Now that the drama has ended, with all but three first-rounders choosing to sign, let's check in on all of this year's top picks. By Jay LeBlanc.
