MLB 2012 - The Toronto Ban Jays

[Griever20]

Grueling Sanctions for Blue Jays Revealed!
stadiumreport.bbn

March 1st, 2012

The moment every Blue Jays has dreaded, has come, and it is not pretty, but it is not the end of the franchise. Due to blatantly obvious breaches of MLB rules of trade and violation of MLB contract law and national contract law in Canada and the USA, the front office of the Toronto Blue Jays get a lifetime ban on baseball from now on, and that is not the only sanction imposed on the Toronto Blue Jays by MLB and the MLB Players Association.

#1 From Opening Day 2012, March 29th, the Toronto Blue Jays receive an UNLIMITED BAN on trade activities. They are not allowed to acquire assets via trading away players in any way, shape or form.

#2 From Opening Day 2012, March 29th, the Toronto Blue Jays receive an UNLIMITED BAN on signing free agents to major league contracts.

#3 From Opening Day 2012, March 29th, the Toronto Blue Jays receive an UNLIMITED BAN on signing players that are 24 years or older on minor league contracts.

#4 From Opening Day 2012, March 29th, the Toronto Blue Jays may only acquire players on a minor league deal that are 23 or younger via the Rule 5 draft.

#5 From Opening Day 2012, March 29th, the Toronto Blue Jays receive an UNLIMITED BAN on acquiring players through waivers.

#6 Every player currently on the Toronto Blue Jays 40-man roster has the right to force a trade or a contract release from today until the 29th of March, and the new front office has to trade or release the player before opening day. In order to make this possible, MLB will cover the salaries of the players.

#7 In order to fill out the MLB roster, the Toronto Blue Jays may acquire any free agent still out in the market until March 29th. MLB will pay one year of salary for those players plus 50% bonus for any player willing to sign with the team.

#8 Free agents that are willing to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays on a minor league contract will receive a bonus depending on their value. This bonus will be decided by an MLB arbitrator, and the Bonus will be signed by MLB. This only applies until March 29th.

#9 The Toronto Blue Jays are still eligible to add players via the First Year Player Draft and sign international amateur free agents.

#10 In a settlement between the Toronto Blue Jays, MLB and the MLB Players Association in combination with the Supreme Court, the Toronto Blue Jays receive the right to have first priority on any international scouting discovery by all other MLB teams, and are allowed to sign those players despite another team making the find.

This means, that the Toronto Blue Jays will not get relocated or contracted, but may allow to continue in Major League Baseball… but… the rules of the game has changed, and new General Manager K.C. Martin, an outsider with no previous experience in Baseball, now has to guide this team through uncharted waters…

Already, Toronto Blue Jays' stars like Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Darren Oliver, Brett Lawrie, Casey Janssen and dozen others have sent in their wish to be traded away from the team.

[Griever20]

Five Days Earlier – February 24th, 2012
Rogers Communications Headquarters

“This is the lay of the land K.C.. Please note that these informations may not leave this office. I only got them because the Commissioner pities us so…”

I reacted with a grunt. “I kinda understand why. This means that the team is insanely limited in the way it can acquire talent and build a winning team. Would be easier to contract the team or force us to sell it. Which we probably still should do.” I shake my head, trying two comprehend the document in front of me. “So, the whole front office is banned for life, and so is John Farrell as manager right? Who’s in charge now.”

Mike Nicol looks at me with a smile. “First of all, we can’t be contracted, and we can’t relocate. And we can’t sell the team unless Rogers Communications can prove that they are close to bankrupt or need the money in any way, and even then, the sanctions would stand. That was the price to get the concession about international free agents. You looked shocked, ” he added with a smile.

“So, you are saying, Rogers Communication and Toronto is stuck with this for basically foreever… What do the other owners say? Can this be renegotiated in a CBA? Anything?”

Nicol shook his head. “No. This is final and would need the greatest rush of all to change anytime soon. This is a big task. Rogers Communications, the city of Toronto and the Canadian Government all support this new project and want this team to continue. All we need is a helmsman. The right GM that is able to think out of the box. Someone like you.”

“NO,” I almost scream. “Why me? I’m a baseball fan, yes, but I am not a baseball GM. I don’t know those things. How to handle baseball players. And I’ll be sitting there, being the GM of probably the worst team in baseball in history for years. Why me?”

Another smile. “I’ve known you for 15 years ever since you became my assistant at Rogers West Coast. You are smart. You think out of the box. You can build up projects and see ideas that nobody else does. The Toronto Blue Jays don’t need a classic GM. They need someone who can build a concept, a blue print on how to turn this into a winning team. And you are the guy,” he says, still with a smile on his face as he zips on his coffee.

My mind races, and I there is one question on my mind here that I need to settle. “If this is ever going to work, I need two things. The green light to completely tear down the existing team, tho I expect that that will happen by itself when the first players opt out and decide to be traded. The second thing I need is the commitment that WHEN we have somehow amassed a quality roster, you give me the financial flexibility to sign players to long-term, big money extensions to keep the talent we have together. With the rules they are, we can not afford to let one good player leave as a free agent. NOT ONE.”

“You got it.”

[Griever20]

One day earlier – February 28th, 2012
Toronto Blue Jays Main Meeting Room

There was stunned silence after the officials from MLB and MLBPA left the meeting room, having explained the new Blue Jays brain trust the sanctions and the way the next 30 days are going to go. Assistant GM(Baseball) Andy Maurer sat there, mulling over his papers. He worked for the Cardinals before and caught our eye with his revolutionary takes on minor league baseball and development… that the Cardinals didn’t like.

Scouting director Sam Grant already started typing in his laptop, opening several documents and the internal scouting database as if he was plotting his move… but looked distressed nonetheless. Our new manager, Nick Bannister, a 36-year old former college coach that we picked for his ability to develop young players, looked unfazed on the outside, like he usually does… but the twitching of his hands told me… he was probably asking himself… what the hell did I get into.

Assistant GM(Business) Michelle Wilke, a good colleague from Rogers Communications and my personal assistant and (sometimes) babysitter sat beside me, and wrote on a piece of paper to me. “Let’s drop the next bomb, shall we?”. She was right.

“Ok, now we have to set up the next 30 days. Sam, you have the list of available free agents that we talked about ready? One list that are players that you deemed very good, but unobtainable, one list of players that are obtainable and good enough to play on a 100-loss team. Please, hand that list over to Andy. Andy, I want you to contact all of them. Tell them, we want them. MLB is going to pay this year’s salary. The big guys, especially V-Mart and Pineda are represented by everybody’s favourite Scott Boras. Tell him this, when you talk to him. Legal got that one covered, but keep it for yourselves. No leaks.” Michelle then handed Andy Maurer a piece of paper that he read… and fel into stunned silence.

Our Director of Farm and partner in crime of Andy Maurer, Tom Scannell leaned over and asked, “I assume we need to fill out the major league roster with kids from the minors, and that we need to be ready for new arrivals. I’ll give you a list of players that you can run out there that will not embarrass us, and whose development won’t be crucial for the future. We started to hand out releases to older players as we talked last week. Shall we stop that?” – “No,” I quickly answered. “We stay our course. The international amateurs that we scoop up from the other teams shall fill out our system from the bottom, and we still can sign minor league free agents. And thank you for the list of players, we will need them very soon.”

Sam Grant decided now to speak up. “Filling up is one thing, getting ‘rid’ is another. The rest of the league is going to get bat **** crazy when this gets released and will want to trade with us, getting basically free players. We need this to go right.” – Michelle nodded and answered right away. “We will, and on our turf. I will rent a small convention hall near Dunedin and invite all GM’s that want to do business with us for the 15th and 16th of March. That is the place where the trades will go down. No other way, no endless phone calls. Our turf, our rules. They come by, or they let it be.”

“We have to get the maximum out of this,” I remarked sternly. “If we can get a prospect haul that can shape this team for the next 15 years, and add some talent via the draft and the international players, we may get some success and change the outlook of this. I got the commitment by Rogers Communications to go above the old budget constraints to extend players that we want to keep. We have to find those guys. Those next 30 days will be crucial. Let’s not mess it up.”

[Griever20]

The Blue Jays Saga Continues with Free Agent Drama For The Ages
stadiumreport.bbn

March 5th, 2012

Using the set up Toronto Blue Jays sanction board, the team went on a signing spree on the free agent market that would make any fan smile… until reality hit the front office and MLB in a way they never expected.

The announcement of the free agent signings at 10 o’clock in the morning surprised the other owners as the Toronto Blue Jays signed:

RHSP Michael Pineda(23, 3.5*, 1x All-Star) 9-10 3.74 173K 28GS 3.3WAR with SEA for 1y/$12M paid by MLB.
RHSP Carlos Carrasco(25, ¾*) 8-9 4.62 85K 21GS 1.1WAR with CLE for 1y/$5M paid by MLB.

RHRP Ryan Madson(31, 4.5*) 4-2 32SV 2.37 62K 62G 1.7WAR with PHI for 1y/$8M paid by MLB.
RHRP Joakim Soria(27, 3.5*) 5-5 28SV 4.03 60K 60G 0.5WAR with KC for 1y/$5M paid by MLB.

C Victor Martinez(33, 4.5*, 4x All-Star 1x Silver Slugger) .330-12-103 .850OPS 145G 4.2WAR with DET for 1y/$27.5M paid by MLB.

In a horrible turn of events that nobody except Scott Boras had in mind, Pineda, Madson and Martinez announced that they would execute their right as players on the Toronto Blue Jays 40-man to demand be traded or released until opening day.

Lawyers from the Blue Jays and MLB as well as the MLBPA were shocked and double checked the settlement… just to realize that they did not think of this scenario and that Scott Boras and his clients have to right to do exactly what they did. This gives the Toronto Blue Jays three more trade options as Carrasco and Soria waived their rights and announced that they want to stay at the Rogers Center for the season.

[Griever20]

March 15th – Dunedin Convention Center

“Ok, here is the deal. We got Detroit here with Dave Dombrowski, Kenny Williams from the White Sox, Mike Rizzo from the Washington Nationals, Walt Jocketty from the Cincinnati Reds and Andrew Friedman from the Tampa Bay Rays who already showed big time interest in players, and then there is both New York teams, San Francisco, Boston and the Dodgers who sent representatives to talk with us today, and others that are willing to opt in depending what happens today. So, your call boss. What’s the plan?” Michelle told me on the morning of the meeting.

“The plan is, we work through the GM’s one by one and they either leave with a done deal, or no deal. They all got the physicals done for the whole roster, they now the players, they got told to come prepared. By the time this is over tomorrow, the trade window is shut. And we start with someone pissed. Dave Dombrowski.”

March 15th – 08:22
“Look Dave, I am as pissed as you are on him, but you can either watch another playoff bound team have V-Mart hit bombs against you, or we do a little magic here, it is all on you.”

March 15th – 12:10
“The Red Sox and Yankees WILL come next if you don’t make this deal. They will realize what we are doing here. C’mon Andrew, you did your homework. You know that your team is good enough for a pennant. If I load up those division rivals, you have done all the work for nothing. All you need is to give up some prospects, and I guarantee you not to do business with the other teams in the division. You did your homework, you know the value of those players. ”

March 15th - 16:48
“Walt, you and I know that the Cardinals are a bit deeper set up than you are and with the Dodgers’ new ownership group, there is even more trouble on the horizon in the NL. I have the guys you need to fill your holes this season before you get into money troubles next year, trying to hold your core together. I don’t know why I’m giving you that good of an offer.”

[Griever20]

March 16th – 8:12
“That is three years of a guy that collected 8+WAR in the last two years, you have to give me something man. The Red Sox are coming up and they have prospects in their pockets I cannot refuse. It’s this deal or no deal. Imagine Bryce Harper AND Jose Bautista in your outfield with Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman and your rotation… you will be unstoppable. All you need is this arm and that guy that is blocked by your franchise player anyways.”

March 16th – 10:33
“Look, the fans are livid that we have to trade him away, and he will solidify third base for years for you. All I need I a little bit of help for our major league roster, and a little bit of fringe talent, like Devanski… Oh it’s Devinski, see, I don’t even know his name.”

March 16th – 14:12
“Look, I’m only asking for an outfield prospect to have some depth in the minors for the next years. You get two pieces that you can move around your major league roster. Christ, the kid hit 23 home runs last year.”

March 16th – 20:18
Sitting with my assistant GM Michelle Wilke in my makeshift office, eating pizza, we worked though the players we got, the players we have… and the players we still have an offer on. But, the trading frenzy was done. Two small last minute deals went through later, negotiated by Andy Maurer separately where we unloaded more stuff for minor 2.5* potential players, but nothing stunning. Now, we have to build a roster… and go for the first year of the Toronto Ban Jays.

[Griever20]

Your 2012 Toronto Blue Jays:

Starting Pitching

RHSP Henderson Alvarez III(21, 2.5*) 1-3 3.53 40K 10GS 63.2IP 0.8WAR // 1-3 3.53 40K 10GS 63.2IP 0.8WAR (career)
The kid made his MLB debut last season and is one of the few leftovers that decided to say with the team. A control artist whose stuff does not blow anyone away, our scouting department is not too thrilled about him but as a groundball pitcher with good control… he will do.

RHSP Carlos Carrasco(25, 3/4*) 8-9 4.62 85K 21GS 1.1WAR (CLE) // 10-15 4.93 134K 33GS 124.2IP 1.3WAR(career)
One of the free agents that decided to stay around, Carrasco will be our opening day starter and important piece on a 1-year deal. He will be arbitration eligible for a $2.4M estimate that we should definitely pay as he has good control and a five pitch mix with some room for growth on the slider and fastball. Throwing 95-97 on the heater, he definitely is the best starter of the bunch.

RHSP Kyle Davies(28, 2.5*) 1-9 6.75 50K 12GS 0.5WAR (KCR) // 43-65 5.59 545K 151G/144GS 768IP 3.8WAR (career)
Not exactly a thrilling arm, but with some MLB experience. Davies got lit in 13 starts last season, and his career year in 2008 where he had a career low ERA of 4.06 with a career high 9 wins is years away. Average in every sense of the way in the scouting report… he is a warm body to hold the fort until our prospects make their way.

LHSP Scott Kazmir(28, 2.5*) 0-0 27.00 0K 1.2IP 1GS -0.2WAR (LAA) // 66-61 4.17 993K 180G/179GS 1022.0IP 14.7WAR (career)
Another project that we decided to acquire as a free agent, Kazmir has had great success with the Tampa Bay Rays when he was a 2x All-Star in a strech of four sub 4 ERA years. Since then, the fastball has dropped a lot of velocity and zip due to Tommy John surgery, and now, Kazmir is looking for a job to stay in the show. He got one with us.

RHSP Marcus Stroman(20, 2/3.5*) DNP // DNP (career)
An extreme groundball pitcher, the 20-year old was placed on the 40-man by the previous regime and while it may be a bit early for him, we decided to make him the fifth starter here. Control, movement and some of his pitches are still not where we want them to be, but he can go deep into games and with a good defensive alignment behing him, we hope that Stroman can survive.

Relief Pitching:

RHRP Al Alburquerque(25, 2.5*) 6-1 0SV 1.87 67K 43.1IP 41G 1.3WAR (DET) // *) 6-1 0SV 1.87 67K 43.1IP 41G 1.3WAR (career)
Signed to the minimum with only limited service time, Alburquerque was a key pickup in the trading frenzy as he provides us with a controllable arm that has some MLB experience and success. The stuff is elite due to his nearly unhittable slider and sinker, but his control tends to let him down from time to time. Acquired from DET in 2012 offseason.

RHRP Jesse Chavez(28, 2/2.5*) 0-0 0SV 10.57 8K 7.2IP 4G -0.3WAR (KCR) // 6-10 0SV 5.36 116K 143G 152.2IP -1.1WAR (career)
The righty was signed on a $700k deal this offseason for depth, but in the situation that we are, depth becomes opening day roster member. Chavez has had little success in the majors and the potential he had never materialized with his secondary pitches not developing and his movement being below expectations… but he is a warm body.

LHRP Bobby Cramer(32, 2.5*) 0-1 0SV 1.08 6K 8.1IP 5G 0.1WAR (OAK) // 2-2 2.53 19K 9G/4GS 32IP 0.0WAR (career)
Got to hand it to Cramer, he really held out though years of minor league ball to get this chance, and signing on a minor league contract that quickly became a 26-man roster spot… he got it. Technically more a starter than a reliever, we wanted him as a lefty in the pen, and there is some upside on the curveball and changeup,

RHRP Yoslan Herrera(30, 2.5*) DNP // 1-1 9.82 10K 18.1IP 5GS 0.1WAR (career)
Herrera is a mystery that our scouting department found somewhere. He has not pitched since 2008 where he had five starts with the Pirates and that is where the lead was buried. Our scouts say his movement will be ‘good enough’ for us… don’t want to know what that means.

LHRP Luis Perez(27, 2.5*) 3-3 0SV 5.12 54K 65IP 37G/4GS -0.2WAR // 3-3 0SV 5.12 54K 65IP 37G/4GS -0.2WAR (career)
Perez survived and stayed through the purge, and should give us another solid arm out of the pen. A bit better than most of the other scrubs we have in the pen, he is a tad above average and can get the ball on the ground.

RHRP Joakim Soria(27, 3.5*) 5-5 28SV 4.03 60K 60.1IP 60G 0.5WAR (KCR) // 13-15 160SV 2.40 341K 298G 315.1IP 5.8WAR (Career)
We have a closer! Soria took the chance on us and got a lot of money paid by MLB… just to then realize that he is arbitration eligible and will get an estimated $2.7M next year… We take it gladly. Featuring a deep arsenal of a fastball, slider, curveball, changeup and cutter, the 2x All-Star can close games and really help us bring home those precious wins…

RHRP Arodys Vizcaino(21, 2.5/3*) 1-1 0SV 4.67 17K 17.1IP 17G 0.1WAR (ATL) // 1-1 0SV 4.67 17K 17.1IP 17G 0.1WAR (career)
Vizcaino was available as a minor league free agent and got the job quickly as he was looking to find a home, and we like the upside he can provide. A four pitch arsenal with a strong changeup that has room for growth, his control can be lackluster as he walked 4.7 batters per nine innings. We are taking a chance here, but the kid is young and not that bad.

RHRP Blake Wood(26, 2.5*) 5-3 1SV 3.75 62K 69.2IP 55G 0.6WAR (KCR) // 6-6 1SV 4.30 93K 119.1IP 106G 0.5WAR (career)
Wood was another free agent pickup that we managed to seal here and that was willing to stay. At age 26, he has two solid years of major league experience with solid ERA’s and why nobody else picked him up is beyond me. Throwing 91-93, there is nothing too special in him, but he gets the job done.

Catcher

C Travis d’Arnaud(23, 2.5*, R) .311/.371/.542 21HR 78RBI 114G 4.7WAR (AA) // DNP (career)
d’Arnaud will be rushed through the minors in order to cover the backup catcher spot. Not a great defensive catcher, the 23-year old can hit some, and had a good year in AA… but if we somehow find a better defensive catcher… his days may be limited.

C Devin Mesoraco(23, 2.5/3.5*, R) .180/.226/.360 2HR 6RBI 18G 0.0WAR (CIN) // .180/.226/.360 2HR 6RBI 18G 5R 9H 0.0WAR (career)
Mesoraco will be our starting catcher and get a LOT of time behind the plate, based on two things. a.) he will develop into a way better hitter than d’Arnaud as he should be come a home run threat, and Devin is the better defender. Acquired from CIN in 2012 offseason.

Infield

1B David Cooper(25, 2.5*, L) .211/.284/.394 2HR 12RBI 27G 0.1WAR // .211/.284/.394 2HR 12RBI 27G 9R 15H 0.1WAR (career)
After a monster of a AAA season, batting .364-9-96 .974OPS in 120 games, Cooper moved up to play 1B against left-handed hitters with the big show. He won’t hit a ton of home runs, but the ability to make contact and avoid strikeouts is solid.

1B Eric Thames(25, 2.5/3*) .262/.313/.456 12HR 37RBI 95G 1.9WAR // .262/.313/.456 12HR 37RBI 95G 58R 95G 1.9WAR (career)
Similar to Cooper, Thames is coming off a strong 2011 in AAA with a .352 batting average, but also had a good cup of coffee in the majors. He will get every chance to shine this season, and scouts think there is some untapped potential… at age 25, this may not lead to much tho. Will be a everyday player at DH or 1B.

2B Eduardo Escobar(23, 2/3*) .286/.286/.286 0HR 0RBI 9G 0.0WAR (CWS) // .286/.286/.286 0HR 0RBI 9G 0R 2G 0.0WAR (career)
At age 23, Escobar would need another year in AAA to hone his swing and his ability to go to the gaps with line drives for doubles… but we don’t have the time. His defence is not super impressive and he lacks a standout offensive trait, but he should be good enough for us.

IF Adeiny Hechavarria(22, 2*) .389/.431/.537 2HR 11RBI 25G 1.1WAR (AAA) // DNP (career)
A good defender that has some speed and some singles in his bat, Hechavarria got the backup job as we were looking for a controllable infielder that can play all three infield positions left of first base. He won’t become a star but will help us stay afloat.

3B Scott Sizemore(27, 2.5*) .245/.342/.399 11HR 56RBI 93G 2.1WAR (OAK) // .239/.329/.382 14HR 70RBI 69R 122H 158G 2.3WAR (career)
The one player where we decided to take a chance on a below average defender. Sizemore was available as a free agent and his main skills are taking a walk, and if there is contract between ball and bat, hitting a double. He brings two years of MLB experience to the plate and should help us on offense.

SS Ryan Goins(24, 1.5/2*, L) .286/.343/.408 3HR 52RBI 101G 2.5WAR (A) // DNP (career)
Can play 2B and short with great defence. We don’t talk about the rest. PLEASE! Just kiddin. His bat is work in progress and barely MLB ready, but we lack a good shortstop and the next best guy is more a center fielder than a shortstop so…

Outfield

LF/RF Ben Francisco(30, 2*, R) .244/.340/.364 6HR 34RBI 100G/63GS 1.1WAR (PHI) // .260/.332/.430 45HR 174RBI 181R 349H 460G 6.5WAR (career)
The veteran has hit some solid slashlines for Cleveland and Philadelphia, but his performance has been trending down in the last years. He is a decent corner outfielder that is signed on small money and will be mainly playing DH against lefties or riding the pine.

LF Jordan Danks(25, 2.5*, L) .257/.344/.425 14HR 65RBI 133G 18/22SB 3.2WAR (AAA) // DNP (career)
The Chicago White Sox didn’t want him and we wanted him. His bad, as with so many players here, is nothing special, but he still is expected to get on base for a decent clip and our scouting tagged a good 70 on his left field defence. Solid MLB player which we will have under control for six years.

LF/RF Travis Snider(24, 2.5*, L) .225/.269/.348 3HR 30RBI 49G -0.1WAR // .248/.307/.423 28HR 104RBI 102R 198H 232G 2.3WAR (career)
Snider has been up and down between AAA Las Vegas and the big show for the last four years now, but this is his chance to become our regular right fielder. At age 24, his bat still has some room for power and we hope to catch a bit of his AAA success from 2011 where he hit .327 down there… or his 2010 form with 14 home runs in 82 games in MLB.

CF Jake Marisnick(21, 2/2.5*, R) .320/.392/.496 14HR 77RBI 37/45SB 118G 5.5WAR (A) // DNP (career)
Marisnick had a big year in single A and has the ability to steal a lot of bases and we are willing to bet the family farm that he will win a Gold Glove in the outfield one day. He will not make a killing with the bat anytime soon tho, but center field is his for the year.

CF Anthony Gose(24, 2*, L) .253/.349/.415 16HR 59RBI 70/85SB 137G 4.2WAR (AA) // (career)
This is a tricky one. The numbers say… Gose destroyed AA with home runs and stolen bases. Our scouts and trainers say… fooled you! They say he will never hit double digit home runs again, his bat will top at .250 batting average and they dislike his personality and describe him as unmotivated… which is why he will be the backup outfielder.

[Griever20]

Preseason Prediction:
55-107, 5th in AL East, 36G behind New York Yankees

Predicted Top Players:
none

Pretty much where we should be, our MLB roster is hot garbage. We live for the minor league system and the kids developing down there and will be fighting hard for the first overall pick in 2013.

The huge questions going into 2012 are:
How will the kids develop?
Can Carrasco make the final step to become the first ‘Ban’ Jays ace?
How will the makeshift rotation fare?
Can our bullpen survive?
Who will hit from this bunch of maybes and may be some day?
Will we earn the first overall pick in 2013?

The Division:
The New York Yankees are expected to win 91 games and compete with the Rays for the division, and nobody is surprised by that. Veteran pitchers CC Sabathia(31, 3*, 19-8 3.00 230K 33GS 6.4WAR) and Hiroki Kuroda(37, 3*, 13-16 3.07 161K 32GS 2.6WAR) will be crucial for them and 2B Robinson Cano(29, 4*, .302-28-118 .882OPS 159G 5.5WAR) will give their old core some youth. The performance of 3B Alex Rodriguez(36, 3.5*, .276-16-62 .823OPS 99G 3.1WAR) and CF Curtis Granderson(31, 3.5*, .262-41-119 .916OPS 7.0WAR 156G) as veteran leaders should add to that… or subtract if they regress.

Tampa Bay always is a team that can mix things up in the AL East and they are also expected to go to 91 wins. With ace David Price(26, 3.5/4*, 12-13 3.49 218K 34GS 4.7WAR), wingman James Shields(30, 3.5*, 16-12 2.82 225K 33GS 4.8WAR) and trade acquisition Brandon Morrow(27, 3/3,5*, 11-11 4.72 203K 30GS 2.9WAR), they have a deep rotation. Adding 1B Edwin Encarnacion(29, 3.5*, .272-17-55 .787OPS 134G 2.9WAR) to help 3B Evan Longoria(26, 4*, .244-31-99 .850OPS 133G 4.2WAR) will certainly help there offense… this will be interesting.

With 85 games, the Boston Red Sox are in a strange position as they lack quality starting pitching apart from Jon Lester(28, 3*, 15-9 3.47 182K 31G 2.6WAR), yet they should score a lot of runs. 2B Dustin Pedroia(28, 3.5/4*, .307-21-91 .861OPS 6.3WAR) should be close to the top of the lineup with CF Jacoby Ellsbury(28, 3.5/4*, .321-32-105 .928OPS 8.0WAR) and 1B Adrian Gonzalez(29, 4*, .338-27-117 .957OPS 6.9WAR) and DH David Ortiz(36, 4*, .309-29-96 .953OPS 146G) will be driving them in.

Expected to run in at 75 wins, the Baltimore Orioles are expecting big things by 1B Chris Davis(26, ¾*, .226-5-19 .707OPS 0.5WAR) who Las Vegas has around +- 44 home runs but they lack other impact talent… their minor league system looks great tho.

Top Position Player


Top Pitcher

Baseball America announced their Top 100 prospect list:
#1 CF Bryce Harper, 19, Washington Nationals(MLB)
#2 CF Christian Yelich, 20, Miami Marlins(AA)
#3 CF Mookie Betts, 19, Boston Red Sox (AA)
#4 RHSP Jacob deGrom, 23, New York Mets (AAA)
#5 2B Jean Segura, 22, Los Angeles Angels (AAA)
#6 RHSP Gerrit Cole, 21, Pittsburgh Pirates (AAA)
#7 RHSP Jose Fernandez, 19, Miami Marlins (AAA)
#8 #8 3B Anthony Rendon, 21, Toronto Blue Jays(AAA)
#9 CF Yasiel Puig, 21, Los Angeles Dodgers(MLB)
#10 3B Nolan Arenado, 20, Colorado Rockies(AAA)

Toronto Blue Jays on the list:
#17 LF Nick Castellanos, 20, Toronto Blue Jays(A)
#34 LHSP Blake Snell, 19, Toronto Blue Jays(AAA)
#37 RHSP Marcus Stroman, 20, Toronto Blue Jays(MLB)
#41 RHSP Noah Syndergaard, 19, Toronto Blue Jays(AA)
#47 3B Eugenio Suárez, 20, Toronto Blue Jays(A)
#48 RHSP Chris Archer, 23, Toronto Blue Jays(AAA)
#65 C Devin Mesoraco, 23, Toronto Blue Jays(MLB)
#71 RF Avsail Garcia, 20, Toronto Blue Jays(A)
#85 LHRP Felix Vazquez, 20, Toronto Blue Jays(AAA)

International Amateur Discovery Adds:
SS Jesus Lopez(16, 3*) 60/80/45/60/65 hitting potential, 45D at SS discovered by KCR

[Griever20]

Transactions:
None!

Series:
1-2 @ CLE (2B Eduardo Escobar 3-3 R TP BB)
2-1 vs BOS (SP Henderson Alvarez 9IP 4H 0ER 1BB 1K W)
0-3 vs BAL
2-1 vs TBR (DH Ben Francisco 2-3 2R 2RBI DB HR(1))
1-3 @ KCR (SP Kyle Davies 5.2IP 5H 0ER 1BB 6K W(1-2 4.50))
0-3 @ BAL
1-2 vs SEA (SP Marcus Stroman 5.2IP 2H 0ER 3BB 7K W(1-3 5.79))
1-0 vs TEX (SP Kyle Davies 6IP 1H 0ER 1BB 6K W(2-3 4.05))

Record: 8-15
April: 8-15
Runs Scored: 67(14th)
Batting AVG: .217(14th)
OBP: .290(14th)
Home Runs: 11(13th)
Stolen Bases: 15(8th)
Runs Against: 103(9th)
Starters ERA: 4.26(8th)
Bullpen ERA: 3.8(7th)
Defensive Eff.: .690(6th)
Zone Rating: +6.0(4th)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: RHSP Kyle Davies 2-3 4.05 24K 2.96FIP 0.8WAR 5GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: C Devin Mesoraco .271/.342/.486 2HR 5RBI 0.9WAR 19G

Hey we are not the worst in baseball… by three wins! Our defence and pitching has been rock solid and middle of the pack, but as expected when we constructed the roster and looked at our opening day roster, we lack offense. With three hitters under the Mendoza line and only six players hitting home runs this month, I would say that we are in for a hard year… no surprise.

Funny enough, we are tied with the Tampa Bay Rays despite Brandon Morrow going 2-2 2.81 and Edwin batting .341-5-8 1.005OPS 1.3WAR, and over in the NL, Jose Bautista is batting .256-5-16 .918OPS 0.6WAR… for the Washington Nationals of course.

The hardest part of being a GM of this team is… you can’t do **** apart from calling up players from the minor leagues or signing minor league free agents 23 or younger. I would love to already plot the next wave of trades and look for the big next deal… but all I can do is wait this one out, scout the draft, look for the international free agents… and be patient. Speaking of the draft, we will have the 17th pick in the first round, and assuming our scouts aren’t completely incompetent, there could be a player around a 4*-4.5* ceiling in for us… just have to not draft a bust.

Minor League Report and Awards:
AAA RHRP Chris Heston(24, 2/2.5*) 1-0 5SV 0.00 12K 11.2IP 8G 0.3WAR
AA RHSP Chase De Jong(18, 1.5/2*) 3-1 1.09 18K 4GS 24.2IP 0.7WAR
A RHSP Joe Musgrove(19, 1.5/3*) 3-0 0.72 24K 4GS 25IP 0.9WAR
R RHSP Tom Robson(18, 1*) 4-0 2.21 24K 4GS 20.1IP 0.4WAR
won Pitcher of the Month Awards in their leagues!

In addition to that, we saw a hot start by 3B Anthony Rendon who hit .338-4-13 1.039OPS 0.6WAR in AAA, but some struggles with the pitching as our highly talented AAA rotation in Snell, Syndergaard, Archer and Giolito only have a starters ERA of 5.35… and the truth is, we are not planning any callups of our top prospects this season. 2012 will be a season of pain.

That being said, we have the future of our franchise in the minors and build up a structure of youth. Nobody in AAA that has less than 2.5* potential is older than 25, and the age structure in AA and below is similar. Let the young kids play and the old, hopeless players leave. Also, we will use the development lab very aggressively on our prospects… as our major league team sucks anyways.

International Amateur Discovery Adds:
None significant. We stocked up on some 2.5* potential players to fill out our minor league system, but that is pretty much it. Over all players, the best find was 16-year old 2B Jesus Lopez(3*) who is batting .375-1-5 1.224OPS in rookie ball, but may need some work on his defence.

In Other News:
April 7th- Brewers LF Ryan Braun(28, 4.5*) collected 3 HR on opening day, going 4-5 3R 6RBI 3HR in a wild 10-9 extra inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The 2011 NL MvP obviously is coming off a monster year, .332-33-111 .994OPS 8.9WAR in 150 games.

April 15th- Rangers C Mike Napoli(30, 4.5*) had a career night today in a 9-5 win over the Twins, going 5-5 3R 2RBI with two doubles and a home run. The upcoming free agent is batting .367-2-6 1.095OPS 0.6WAR in the first eight games.

April 18th- Brewers RHSP Yovani Gallardo(26, 3*) dominated the Los Angeles Dodgers today with a 3-hitter with 0BB and 10K. The 2010 NL All-Star moved to 3-0 1.69 18K 0.9WAR in three starts.

April 21st- Cardinals RHSP Kyle Lohse(33, 2.5*) needed 114 pitched today to pitch a complete game 2-hitter against the Pirates, walking none and striking out 6 in a 8-0 win. The veteran moved to 2-1 1.23 13K 0.7WAR in 3 starts.

April 25st- Cincinnati RHSP Mat Latos(24, 3.5*) seemingly toyed with Giants hitters today, pitching a complete game 6-hitter with 2BB and 7K in a 5-0 win. The young stud is 3-1 1.41 22K 0.7WAR in 4 starts.

April 27th- Brewers RHSP Marco Estrada(28, 2.5*) blanked the Cardinals 5-0 while holding them to 4 hits, 1BB an striking out six. The changeup artist moved to 2-0 3.07 19K 0.6WAR in four starts.

April 27th- Oakland RHSP Brandon McCarthy(28, 3*) sent the home crowd home unhappy as he pitched a gem today on the road, 9IP 4H 0ER 1BB 7K in a 10-0 over Baltimore. The master of pinpoint control is 2-2 2.43 30K 0.6WAR in 6 starts.

April 30th- Brewers LF Ryan Braun(28, 4.5*) collected 3 HR for the second time this month, going 3-5 3R 5RBI 3HR in a 11-10 instant classic win over the Padres. The reigning NL MvP is batting .450-9-30 1.448OPS 2.0WAR in 23 games.

May 1st – Red Sox DH David Ortiz(36, 4*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .354 with 5 home runs, 12RBIs and 19 runs scored for the month.

May 1st – Brewers LF Ryan Braun(28, 4.5*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .450 with 9 home runs, 30RBIs and 18 runs scored for the month.

May 1st – Mariners RHSP Felix Hernandez(26, 4*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 1.10 41K in 41IP for the month.

May 1st – Giants RHRP Sergio Romo(29, 4*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 3-0 8SV 01.00 11K in 12IP and 11G for the month.

May 1st – Rangers RHSP Yu Darvish(25, 4*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after going 2-1 3.07 24K in 29.1IP and 5 starts for the month.

May 1st – Padres C Yasmani Grandal(23, 3/3.5*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after batting .388 with 0 home runs, 15RBIs and 10 runs scored for the month.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
May 22nd – OF Anthony Gose(21, 2*, .250-0-6 .674OPS 4/5SB 0.0WAR 25G) was placed on the 15-day IL with a hyperextended knee one week . OF Juan Lagares(23, 2* .229-4-17 .627OPS -0.2WAR 37G AAA) was placed on the 40-man aand promoted to the majors.

Series:
0-2 vs TEX
2-2 @ LAA (SP Scott Kazmir 6IP 4H 0ER 3BB 0K ND, DH Ben Francisco 2-5 R 3RBI HR(2))
0-2 @ OAK
1-3 @ MIN (RF Travis Snider 2-2 2R 2RBI 2BB HR(3))
1-1 vs TBR (C Devin Mesoraco 3-5 4R RBI)
2-0 vs NYY (IF Adeiny Hechavarria 2-3 R 3RBI DB HR(1), SP Henderson Alvarez III 6IP 5H 2ER 0BB 6K ND)
1-2 vs NYM (LF Jordan Danks 1-3 R 3RBI BB HR(4))
1-3 @ TBR (C Devin Mesoraco 2-3 2R 2RBI 2BB HR(5))
0-3 @ TEX
2-1 vs BAL (SP Carlos Carrasco 6IP 6H 1ER 2BB 3K W(3-4 5.62), SP Scott Kazmir 5.1IP 2H 0ER 1BB 4K W(2-6 2.83))

Record: 18-33
May: 10-18
Runs Scored: 174(14th)
Batting AVG: .225(14th)
OBP: .288(14th)
Home Runs: 32(13th)
Stolen Bases: 35(6th)
Runs Against: 222(7th)
Starters ERA: 4.49(9th)
Bullpen ERA: 3.09(2nd)
Defensive Eff.: .693(5th)
Zone Rating: +12.0(2nd)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: RHSP Scott Kazmir 2-2 2.62 26K 3.84FIP 0.6WAR 6GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: C Devin Mesoraco .329/.391/.494 3HR 10RBI 0.8WAR 24G

Now we are second worst in baseball. Yaay. Carlos Carrasco has been a hot disappointment on top of the rotation and Kyle Davies has cooled off significantly, so our starting pitching took quite a hit… and well, the Mendoza line is still a challenge for three of our hitters. That being said, all hail Devin Mesoraco, batting .302 for the season and hitting bombs. The guy we are most concerned about is 3B Scott Sizemore tho. He was supposed to produce with his bat and not be a too big liability on defence… he is both now.

Around the league, the San Francisco Giants are trucking along with a 20-9 month and Buster Posey batting .354. It is Win Now! for them as the farm is barren but they won it all two years ago and look primed to return to the playoffs. On the other end of the spectrum are the Houston Astros. Being as bad as we are, the only positive ray of light is 2B Jose Altuve(22, 3/5*) playing a breakout year, batting .330-1-12 .798 11/15SB 0.8WAR in 48 games.

Minor League Report and Awards:
Short A LF Jesse Winker(18, 1/4*) .323-4-19 .994OPS 1.1WAR 28G
Short A RHRL Kevin Comer(19, 1.5*) 2-0 9SV 0.57 21K 15.2IP 0.9WAR
R 2B Abiatal Avelino(17, 0.5/1.5*) .352-2-17 .949OPS 0.8WAR 27G
R LF Danny Zuniga(16, 0.5/2*) .434-11-49 1.343OPS 1.6WAR 26G
R LHSP Alberto Diaz(16, 1/3*) 4-0 0.69 43K 39IP 1.8WAR 6GS
Won Awards this month

Our AAA roster is starting to click as Rendon continues to hit with a .364/9-26 1.110OPS 1.7WAR season and Snell(3.41) and Syndergaard(1.91) had good months of May. The scouting reports are still fringe for major league players so there is no reason to rush, but progress is progress.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
RHSP Carlos Lemus(16, 3*) Stuff 40 Movement 50 Control 80 Fastball 40 Slider 40 Changeup 50 Sinker 45 Splitter 45 Stamina 75 from Cincinnati Reds.
The kid started 2-2 3.16 30K in 25.2IP in the Golf Coast League and is looking good, but has a long way to go if he wants to really finish up his development with a 80 control ceiling.

In Other News:

May 2nd – Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria(26, 4*) parked 3 home runs in the seats today in a 8-0 win over the Seattle Mariners, going 4-5 4R 6RBI DB 3HR. The 3x All-Star is batting .312-9-22 1.045OPS 1.5WAR in 23 games.

May 5th – Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria(26, 4*) DOES IT AGAIN! 4-5 3R 6RBI 3HR, this time in a 8-3 win over the Oakland Athletics. He is now batting a glowing white .321-12-28 1.111OPS 1.9WAR in 26 games.

May 8th – Atlanta 3B Chipper Jones(40, 3.5*) collected five singles and nothing else in a 7-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs. the 7x All-Star is batting .366-6-12 1.024OPS 1.6WAR in 29 games.

May 9th – Miami RF Giancarlo Stanton(22, 4/4.5*) got his very own 3HR game, going 3-4 3R 3RBI 3HR in a 7-3 win over the Astros. The kid is batting .276-16-31 1.094OPS 2.1WAR in 32 games.

May 12th – White Sox 1B Paul Konerko(36, 3*) collected career home run #400 today in a 8-3 win over Kansas City. The 5x All-Star is a career .282/.358/.499 400HR 1284RBI 2057H 1060R 47.8WAR player in 2031 games.

May 14th – Oakland RHSP Bartolo Colon(38, 2.5*) pitched a 3-hitter with 1BB and 7K today, beating the Angels 8-0. The 2005 AL Cy Young Winner moved to 6-1 1.84 32K 1.2WAR in 7 starts.

May 21st – San Francisco C Buster Posey(25, 5*) hammered Brewers pitching in a 9-6 win, going 5-5 2R RBI. The 2010 NL Rookie of the Year is batting .336-4-27 .884OPS 1.6WAR in 36 games.

May 23rd – White Sox RHSP Jake Peavy(30, 2.5*) beat the Twins 11-0 with a complete game 5-hitter with 2 walks and 9 strikeouts. The 2x All-Star is struggling this season, 2-5 7.59 37K 40.1IP 11G/7GS -0.3WAR.

May 25th – Oakland CF Coco Crisp(32, 3*) not only saw his team lose 13-2 to the Yankees, but also lost his 24-game hitting streak. The AL stole base champ in 2011 is batting .299-3-17 .802OPS 23/24SB 2.0WAR in 42 games.

May 26th – Oakland 2B Brandon Moss(28, 2.5/3*) saw his team lose the second day in a row, but still had a 3-5 3R 3RBI 3 home run day. The lefty hitter is batting .278-12-39 .893OPS 1.4WAR in 46 games.

May 28th – Phillies 2B Chase Utley(33, 3* ) saw his team lose to the Mets 6-3 despite his big 5-5 R RBI DB game. The 5x All-Star is batting .288-4-13 .788OPS 0.9WAR in 41 games.

June 1st – Tigers 3B Miguel Cabrera(29, 5*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .387 with 10 home runs, 24RBIs and 26 runs scored for the month. The 6x All-Star is batting .347-13-33 1.038OPS 2.3WAR for the year.

June 1st – Giants C Buster Posey(25, 5*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .402 with 5 home runs, 20RBIs and 21 runs scored for the month. He is batting a hot .354-7-35 .971OPS 2.6WAR in 44 games.

June 1st – Yankees LHSP CC Sabathia(31, 3*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 6-0 1.49 30K in 42.1IP for the month. The 2007 AL Cy Young winner is 9-2 2.10 63K 2.1WAR in 11 starts.

June 1st – Dodgers LHRP Clayton Kershaw(24, 4.5/5*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 1.59 47K in 39.2IP and six starts for the month. The reigning NL Cy Young winner is 7-2 1.95 85K 3.0WAR in 11 starts.

June 1st – Baltimore LHSP Wei-Yin Chen(26, 2.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after going 3-0 1.02 30K in 35.1IP and 5 starts for the month. The Taiwanese import is 5-2 2.13 53K 1.5WAR in 10 starts.

June 1st – Nationals CF Bryce Harper(19, 3.5/5*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after batting .317 with 5 home runs, 16RBIs and 16 runs scored for the month. The lefty hitter is batting .275-5-27 .819OPS 0.8WAR in 48 games for the season.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
June 7th – OF Juan Lagares(23, 2*, .167-0-1 .333OPS 0.1WAR 3G) was sent back down to AAA and OF Anthony Gose(21, 2*, .250-0-6 .674OPS 4/5SB 0.0WAR 25G) got activated off the IL.

Series:
3-0 vs BOS (CF Jake Marisnick 3-3 R 4RBI DB HR(2), 1B David Cooper 3-4 2R 2RBI DB)
0-3 @ CWS
1-2 @ ATL (1B Eric Thames 2-5 2R 6RBI 2HR(10))
0-3 vs WSH
1-2 vs PHI (SP Marcus Stroman 6.2IP 5H 3ER 3BB 2K W(2-8 5.01))
0-3 @ MIL
1-2 @ MIA (SP Kyle Davies 6.2IP 6H 2ER 1BB 3K W(4-6 5.30))
1-2 @BOS (LF Jordan Danks 1-2 2R RBI 3BB)
1-2 vs LAA (RF Travis Snider 2-3 2R 2RBI BB DB)

Record: 26-52
June: 8-19
Runs Scored: 269(14th)
Batting AVG: .226(14th)
OBP: .290(14th)
Home Runs: 52(14th)
Stolen Bases: 52(4th)
Runs Against: 375(11th)
Starters ERA: 4.83(11th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.05(9th)
Defensive Eff.: .690(7th)
Zone Rating: +15.2(3rd)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: RHCL Joakim Soria 0-0 0.77 3SV 13K 1.56FIP 0.4WAR 11.2IP 11G
Toronto Position Player of the Month: C Devin Mesoraco .265/.322/.506 4HR 12RBI 0.6WAR 24G

And now we reached the worst record in baseball. With Devin Mesoraco slowing down and Eric Thames following suit, there is simply not enough offense in this roster. Nuff said. There is little MLB ready talent in AAA to help us, the only one is Rendon… and that’s off the table. Now, some good news, Marcus Stroman made some progress lately and improved his control and Arodys Vizcaino added some zip to his fastball. Little improvement, but improvement.

Looking around the AL, there is no reason to look further than Detroit in the AL Central. Miguel Cabrera is hitting bombs (See PotM), and then there is Prince Fielder(28, 4*, .324-13-50 1.020OPS 2.7WAR) and obviously DH/C Victor Martinez(33, 4.5*, .328-4-25 .822OPS 1.1WAR) and ace SP Justin Verlander(29, 4*, 4-7 3.90 87K 2.0WAR 16GS)… dangerous.

Now, talking about a team with a potential bright future… ask around in Miami. Not only is RF Giancarlo Stanton(22, 4*, .276-24-60 .982OPS 3.6WAR) looking like he is ready for the next step, the #1 prospect in baseball CF Christian Yelich(20, 1.5/5*), the #7 prospect in baseball in RHSP Jose Fernandez(19, 2/5*) and the #13 prospect LF Marcell Ozuna(21, 1.5/4*) is also close… they could become a force with a little help.

Minor League Report and Awards:
AA LF Nick Castellanos(20, 1.5/4*) .365-3-16 1.028 OPS 1.2WAR 27G
Short A RHRL Kevin Comer(19, 1.5*) 2-0 9SV 0.57 21K 15.2IP 0.9WAR
A RHRP Chris Devenski(21, 1.5/3*) 2-1 8SV 1.42 12K 9.1IP 11G 0.6WAR
R RHSP Tony Sanchez(16, 1/2.5*) 4-0 0.86 32K 31.1IP 6GS 1.3WAR
C Bobby Cary(16, 0.5/2.5*) ,395-12-44 1.391OPS 1.2WAR 22G
Won Awards this month

In AAA, Archer(6.25) and Giolito(5.31) are struggling and Snell(6-5 4.00) is just hanging on, but our hopes are still high that Anthony Rendon can make the final step with a bit more time and will be our best player come spring 2013, and the same goes for Syndergaard(2.98) on the pitching side. Castellanos(.307-7-40.898OPS 1.6WAR) heating up in AA is a nice sign… but it’s the waiting game we have to play.


International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
SS Rafael Hernandez(17, 0.5/3*) Contact 55 Gap Power 65 Power 50 Eye 50 Avoid K’s 50 Defence at 2B & 3B 80 Defence at SS 75 from the San Francisco Giants.
OF Luis Garza(16, 3*) Contact 70 Gap Power 80 Power 45 Eye 50 Avoid K’s 80 Defence at LF 65 from the San Francisco Giants.

That makes it four 3* prospects acquired this way. The San Francisco Giants must be fuming. Those kids are long term projects and we obviously hope that they can become part of our core in the future.

In Other News:
June 2nd – Tampa Bay SS B.J. Upton(27, 2.5/3*) collected a rare 3 home run game today, going 4-5 4R 6RBI TP 3HR in a 12-5 over the Orioles. The 27-year old is batting .180-6-17 .671OPS 5/7SB 0.2WAR in 31 games.

June 13th – Phillies 3B Placido Polanco(36, 2.5*) put career hit #2000 on the board today in a 13-11 win over the Twins. The 3x Gold Glover, 1x Silver Slugger and 2x All-Star is a career .301/.346/.405 101HR 692RBI 2001H 961R 80/110SB 30WAR hitter in 1755 games

June 20th – Phillies LHSP Cliff Lee(33, 4*) continued a strong season with a 6-hitter of the Colorado Rockies today, walking one and striking out eight in a 5-0 win. The 2008 AL Cy Young is 8-4 2.72 106K 3.4WAR in 15 starts for the season.

June 23rd – Cardinals RF Carlos Beltran(35, 4*) has joined the 2000 hit club today in a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals. The 3x Gold Glover, 2x Silver Slugger, 6x All-Star and 1999 AL Rookie of the Year is a career .284/.361/.498 hitter with 319HR 1211RBI 2000G 1231R 297/344SB 58.7WAR in 1837 games.

June 28th – White Sox SS Alexei Ramirez(30, 3*) went hitless for the first time in 26 games today in a 9-1 loss to the Yankees. The 2010 AL Silver Slugger is batting .338-7-40 .876OPS 10/13SB 3.4WAR in 74 games.

June 29th – Tigers 3B Miguel Cabrera(29, 5*) now has 300 home runs for his career as he hit that milestone in a 5-4 loss to Tampa Bay. The 6x All-Star and 3x Silver Slugger is a career .318/.396/.561 300HR 1039RBI 1696H 915R 53.1WAR hitter in 1426 games.

July 1st – Tigers 3B Miguel Cabrera(29, 5*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .344 with 10 home runs, 22RBIs and 22 runs scored for the month. The 6x All-Star is batting .346-23-55 1.079OPS 4.0WAR in 76 games for the year.

July 1st – Rockies RF Tyler Colvin(26, 2.5*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .340 with 9 home runs, 30RBIs and 21 runs scored for the month. He is batting a hot .269-15-50 .831OPS 0.9WAR in 77 games.

July 1st – Oakland RHSP Brandon McCarthy(28, 3*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 2.27 41K in 43.2IP for the month. The control artist is 6-6 4.39 85K 1.1WAR in 17 starts.

July 1st – Phillies LHRP Cole Hamels(28, 3.5*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 1.67 45K in 43IP and six starts for the month. The 2x All-Star is 9-3 2.86 104K 3.0WAR in 16 starts.

July 1st – Oakland LF Yoenis Cespedes(26, 3.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after batting .271 with 9 home runs, 21RBIs and 17 runs scored for the month.. The Cuban is batting .269-18-48 .871OPS 2.3WAR in 67 games.

July 1st – Cardinals RHRP Shelby Miller(21, 2.5/3*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after going 1-0 2SV 1.23 16K 14.2IP in 15 games for the month. The #82 prospect is 1-0 2SV 3.68 39K 36.2IP 0.4WAR in 35 games.

[Griever20]

2012 First Year Player Draft:
The Major League Baseball moguls will be maneuvering, conniving and cajoling today to get the pick of the litter in this year's amateur draft. They will be drooling and salivating over the new pups available in the rookie player draft. Houston, Minnesota, Seattle, Baltimore and Kansas City have plenty to bark and yelp about, since they will have the first five picks. In the opinion of most baseball experts, these are the most highly prized players in the 2012 draft:

1. Justin Rimmele, 21 year-old SS out of college.
2. Bill Fowlkes, 22 year-old 1B out of college.
3. Chris Cunningham, 20 year-old CF out of college.
4. Jesus Muniz, 21 year-old SS out of college.
5. Ryan Bates, 19 year-old CF out of high-school.
6. Jim Hatfield, 20 year-old SS out of college.
7. Erick Abler, 18 year-old 2B out of high-school.
8. Chris Miller, 19 year-old CF out of high-school.
9. Brian Fox, 18 year-old RHP out of high-school.
10. Matt Clement, 22 year-old 3B out of college.

1st Round, 1st Pick(1st overall) Houston Astros select 1B Bill Fowlkes(22, 2/5*) out of Creighton University (Omaha, NE)
Good Competition: .303-39-87 1.337OPS 83G 8.7WAR
Signability: Normal, Bonus Demand: $3.0M
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Work Ethic, Baseball IQ
A first baseman with 80 power potential and 80 batting eye potential, Bill Fowlkes has slugger written all over him. Impressive kid.

1st Round, 17th Pick(17th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select SS Jim Hatfield(20, 1.5/4.5*) out of Louisburg College (Louisburg, NC)
Poor Competition: .317-20-51 27/39SB 1.298OPS 54G 5.5WAR
Signability: Easy, Bonus Demand: $1.5M
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Loyalty, Adaptability, Work Ethic, Financial Ambition. Baseball IQ
A switch-hitting infielder with 60 defense at shortstop, 70 at third and 65 at second base, he could be a fixture in our infield. With 60-65 speed and aggressiveness on the basepaths and a solid bat that can hit a ton of doubles and triples.

2nd Round, 17th Pick(47th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select RHRP Ricardo Maurer(18, 1.5/4.5*) out of Oklahoma State University
Average Competition: 2-0 7SV 0.96 73K 37.1IP 13G/3GS 1.9WAR
Signability: Extremely Hard, Bonus Demand: $240k
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Adaptability, Financial Ambition
A groundball pitcher with a 95-97mph heater with 98-100mph and the potential for a great curveball, the 18-year old Curacaoan only lacks a bit of control to become elite. We need good relievers and we decided to reach for the kid a bit early.

3rd Round, 17th Pick(77th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select 1B Adam Brzezinski(23, 1.5/4*) out of Vassar College
Average Competition: .312-30-76 1.330OPS 16/20 SB 8.6WAR 81G
Signability: Very Easy, Bonus Demand: $1.1M
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Financial Ambition
A first baseman with 80 power and 85 batting eye potential, his biggest weakness is that he is prone to striking out a ton. A College senior, we hope he can develop quickly….

4th Round, 17th Pick(107th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select OF Jake Harris(18, 0.5/4*) out of Point Loma Nazarene University
Average Competition: .495-4-19 1.539OPS 10/17SB 6.3WAR 45G
Signability: Impossible, Bonus Demand: Unknown
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Work Ethic, Financial Ambition, Leader
The kid is kinda committed to college, and is someone with low financial ambition, so we may not be able to sign him, but we will try. He projects as an elite contact bat that can play solid defense in left field.

5th Round, 17th Pick(137th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select LHRP Mike Cosens(22, 2/3.5*) out of University of Florida
Great Competition: 7-1 2.27 100K 87.1IP 2.9WAR 16G/13GS
Signability: Normal, Bonus Demand: Slot
Injury Proneness: Fragile
Personality: Work Ethic
Same argument as with our 2nd rounder, we really need relievers and he was the best lefty in the class. The 22-year old has a 95-99 mph header with a slider and projects quite well… but is a bit fragile.

6th Round, 17th Pick(167th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select OF Ian Dellaripa(19, 0.5/3*) out of New Hyde Park Memorial High School
Great Competition: .500-9-47 1.704OPS 5.4WAR 33G
Signability: Extremely Hard, Bonus Demand: $480k
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Baseball IQ, Financial Ambition
A good defender in left and right and decent in center, he is a good overall prosepct that should hit some and play decent defense. We have way too many outfield prospects now by what the hell.

7th Round, 17th Pick(197th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select 1B Vinny Rincon(17, 0.5/3*) out of University of Southern California
Average Competition: .407-23-57 1.635OPS 17/18SB 6.2WAR 42G
Signability: Extremely Hard, Bonus Demand: $370k
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Leader, Work Ethic, Financial Ambition
Very similar to our third rounder, we simply could not pass up the opportunity to sign another slugging first baseman. 80 power, 75 batting eye, strikeouts for days. We will see how he develops.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
None

Series:
1-0 vs LAA (1B Eric Thames 3-5 2R 4RBI DB HR(13))
2-2 vs KCR (SP Carlos Carrasco 7.1IP 4H 1ER 0BB 7K W(4-7 5.83), 3B Scott Sizemore 2-3 R RBI 2BB DB)
2-1 @ CWS (SP Scott Kazmir 7IP 5H 0ER 3BB 7K W(3-11 3.47))
2-1 vs CLE (SP Kyle Davies 5IP 3H 1ER 4BB 4K W(5-7 4.86))
1-2 @ NYY
1-2 @ BOS (1B David Cooper 3-5 2R 4RBI 2HR(5))
0-3 @ OAK
0-3 vs DET
1-1 @ SEA (SP Marcus Stroman 6IP 5H 2ER 2BB 5K W(4-11 4.60))

Record: 35-68
July: 9-16
Runs Scored: 364(14th)
Batting AVG: .230(14th)
OBP: .294(14th)
Home Runs: 78(13th)
Stolen Bases: 85(5th)
Runs Against: 479(9th)
Starters ERA: 4.74(11th)
Bullpen ERA: 3.87(9th)
Defensive Eff.: .692(6th)
Zone Rating: +20.0(3rd)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: RHSP Marcus Stroman 1-2 3.29 25K 3.81FIP 0.6WAR 27.1IP 5GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: 1B Eric Thames .-337/.417/.518 1HR 14RBI 0.9WAR 24G

We had some solid games, but also some horrible games this month. Yet, we are not as horrible as we could have been, but there are still some concerns. First, Carlos Carrasco is a train wreck and was recently rated dow not a 2.5* starter from 3*, which still means we probably keep him around given our limited ability to add players… but we had hope for more. Second… Scott Sizemore is getting on my nerves with his .191 batting average… my god.

All that prompted us to reorder our lineup with Snider, Danks, Cooper, Thames and Mesoraco top 5 against RHP and Danks, Escobar, Mesoraco, Thames and Snider against LHP… by the way, Ben Francisco sucks as right-handed DH… Help from AAA? I’m tempted by nobody there and our scouts agree unfortunately.

Well, around the league… what a trade deadline frenzy (see below) and we could not take part. Still, I think our minor league system is amazing. And we are rank one by a wide margin. Trust me, this team will win a AL East pennant in the next 10 years… maybe.

Oh and congratulations to a lefty nobody cares about. He is our All-Star representative.

Minor League Report and Awards:
AAA 3B Anthony Rendon(22, 2.5/4.5*) .471-12-31 1.535OPS 2.5WAR 26G
AA LF Nick Castellanos(20, 2/4*) .412-13-32 1.327OPS 2.2WAR 26G
A 3B Eugenio Suarez(21, 1.5/3.5*) .375-5-23 1.156OPS 1.6WAR 29G
Short A LF Jesse Winker(18, 1/4*) .278-4-22 .896OPS 0.8WAR 25G
R Alex Navarro(16, 0.5/2.5*) .419-7-27 1.272OPS 1.2WAR 19G
R 2B Jesus Lopez(16, 0.5/2.5*) .331-5-47 .930OPS 2.1WAR 63G
Won Awards this month

So, one thing right away, LF Nick Castellanos was promoted to AAA as for today. He is ready for the next step and can start building a relationship with his fellow new teammates Anthony Rendon, Chris Archer(5-7 5.49) and Noah Syndergaard(6-6 3.63), the three closest to winning a job next spring.

As for our draft haul, we signed the whole bunch of them and for some reason, our first rounder SS Jim Hatfield is the #5 prospect in baseball… which is surprising. Why did he fall to #17? What is wrong with him?

Anyways, he might move up another spot soon as Boston promoted top prospect Mookie Betts(19, 2/5*) to the majors…

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
OF Franklin Garcia(16, 3*) Contact 60 Gap Power 70 Power 45 Eye 50 Avoid K’s 65 Defense at LF 60 from the Cincinnati Reds.
SS Dave Cardenas(16, 3*) Contact 75 Gap Power 50 Power 50 Eye 45 Avoid K’s 85 Defense at SS 40 from the Cleveland Guardians.

Two more of those. Unfortunately, some of the other kids were ranked down to 2.5*, so our haul is down to these two and defensive ace Rafael Hernandez and OF Luis Garza when it comes to 3* or above prospects. We will see how this developes, so far they are depth.

In Other News:
July 3rd – Milwaukee SP Zach Greinke(28, 3.5*) dominated the Marlins 10-0 today, working 9IP 4H 0ER 1BB 10K. The 2009 AL Cy Young Winner is 10-2 2.81 95K in 16 starts.

July 4th – Cincinati SP Johnny Cueto(26, 3.5*) had a huge day at Dodger Stadium, pitching 9IP 7H 0ER 1BB 5K in a 8-0 win over LA. The Dominican is 6-7 4.15 89K 2.2WAR in 17 games.

July 6th – Arizona 2B Aaron Hill(30, 3*) saw his team win 2-1, but lost his 27-game hitting streak today to the Dodgers. The 2009 AL Silver Slugger is batting .264-11-29 .777OPS 1.8WAR in 78 games.

July 14th – Philadelphia C Carlos Ruiz(33, 4*) had a big 5-hit day at the plate, going 5-5 4R 3RBI 2DB with a home run in a 11-6 road win in Colorado. The 2012 NL-All-Star is batting .332-7-39 .925OPS 3.8WAR in 75 games.

July 15th – Arizona RF Justin Upton(24, 4*) joined the 5-hit fun with a 5-5 3R 3RBI 2DB HR day in a 13-3 win over Chicago. The 3x All-Star is batting .286-19-66 .915OPS 12/14SB 2.8WAR in 85 games.

July 17th – Baltimore RF Nick Markakis(28, 2.5/3*) has hit for the CYCLE today in a 7-4 win over the Twins, going 5-5 R 2RBI DB TP HR for the night. The 2011 AL Gold Glover is batting .285-8-38 .765OPS -0.1WAR in 85 games.

July 18th – Yankees SP CC Sabathia(31, 3*) added to a strong season with a 3-hit shutout with one walk and 9 strikeouts over the Oakland Athletics, winning 6-0. The veteran is 12-6 2.94 120K 2.9WAR in 20 starts.

July 23rd – Nationals CF Bryce Harper(19, 3.5/5*) lost an impressive 28-game hitting streak today as he was called to pinch-hit in a 6-3 win over the New York Mets. The #1 prospect in baseball is batting .319-11-40 .938OPS 2.6WAR in 72 games.

July 25th - Cincinati has just acquired SP Josh Johnson(28, 3.5*, 9-5 3.91 50K 1.7WAR 20GS) from the Marlins. The 2x All-Star is a free agent this winter. In return, Miami received two unranked 2.5* prospects.

July 26th - Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen(25, 4.5*) had a hitting streak… until today as he lost it at 21-games today in a 6-2 loss to the Houston Astros. The 2011 NL All-Star is batting .283-14-50 .826OPS 2.0WAR in 95 games.

July 28th – The Texas Rangers(56-42) traded away the (family farm) today to acquire SP Anibal Sanchez(28, 3.5*, 8-6 3.07 34K 2.3WAR 19GS) from the Marlins in exchange for a prospect package around RF Joey Gallo(18, 1/3*) and three others.

July 28th – In a trade that reshapes both playoff hopefuls, the Chicago White Sox(51-48) acquire LF Seth Smith(29, 3.5*, .259-12-45 .794OPS 1.3WAR 99G) from the Oakland Athletics(59-40) in exchange for SP Jake Peavy(31, 2.5*, 8-7 4.76 94K 1.0WAR 22G/18GS) and two minor prospects.

July 28th – The New York Mets(51-48) just bolstered their playoff hopes by adding LF Alex Gordon(28, 3.5*, .276-14-447 .813OPS 1.2WAR 87G) from the Royals for two minor prospects.

July 29th – Adding some pop, the San Diego Padres(63-39) traded prospect SP Joe Ross(19, 1/3*) to the Royals for impact 1B Billy Butler(26, 3.5*, .30-7-30 .784OPS 1.2WAR 83G).

July 30th - Cincinati acquired two month of superstar C Joe Mauer(29, 5*, .276-3-43 .733OPS 2.6WAR 84G) in exchange for three 2.5* prospects going to the Twins.

July 31st – In a trade that alienated a lot of their fanbase, the Rockies traded 1B Todd Helton(38, 3*, .255-9-40 .733OPS 0.4WAR 99G) to the Seattle Mariners for a catching prospect.

July 31st – And the final big trade of the window sees Miami
3B Hanley Ramirez(28, 3*, .267-16-56 .791OPS 1.7WAR 97G) move to the White Sox for AAA CL Addison Reed(23, 3*, 2-7 20SV 4.24 43K 1.8WAR AAA) and a minor prospect.

August 1st – Tigers 1B Prince Fielder(28, 4*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .337 with 7 home runs, 17RBIs and 20 runs scored for the month. The 4x All-Star is batting .328-20-67 1.051OPS 4.0WAR in 89 games for the year.

August 1st – Padres LF Carlos Quentin(29, 3.5*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .347 with 9 home runs, 26RBIs and 18 runs scored for the month. The 3x All-Star is batting .292-28-85 .963OPS 3.9WAR in 103 games.

August 1st – Seattle RHSP Jon Garland(32, 2.5*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 1.18 24K in 38IP for the month. The veteran and 2005 All-Star is 8-6 3.29 64K 1.1WAR in 20 starts.

August 1st – Nationals RHRP Stephen Strasburg(24, 3.5/4*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-1 1.65 57K in 43.2IP and six starts for the month. The third year pro is 11-6 3.86 160K 3.1WAR in 22 starts.

August 1st – White Sox LHSP Jose Quintana (23, 3*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after going 3-1 2.67 22K in 30.1IP and 5 starts for the month. The Colombian is 7-10 4.19 103K 2.6WAR in 21 starts.

August 1st – Nationals CF Bryce Harper(19, 4/5*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after batting .373 with 5 home runs, 10RBIs and 17 runs scored for the month. The young phenom is batting .311-11-41 .918OPS 2.7WAR in 78 games.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
None

Series:
1-0 @ SEA (SP Kyle Davies 6.2IP 4H 1ER 3BB 3K W(6-8 4.74))
0-4 @ OAK
2-1 @ TBR (SP Henderson Alvarez III 5.2IP 5H 1ER 2BB 5K W(5-12 4.44), SP Carlos Carrasco 5.2IP 4H 1ER 2BB 5K W(6-9 5.82))
1-2 vs NYY (SP Scott Kazmir 6IP 5H 1ER 0BB 7K W(5-15 3.51))
2-2 vs CHI (SP Henderson Alvarez III 7.0IP 4H 2ER 2BB 8K W(6-12 4.35), IF Adeiny Hechavarria 2-4 2R 3RBI BB)
0-3 vs TEX
0-3 @ DET
2-1 @ BAL (LF Travis Snider 2-3 2R RBI 2BB HR(15), 3B Scott Sizemore 2-3 R 3RBI BB HR(9))
1-2 @ NYY (C Devin Mesoraco 3-5 3R 3RBI HR(15))
0-2 vs TBR

Record: 44-88
August: 9-20
Runs Scored: 455(14th)
Batting AVG: .229(14th)
OBP: .293(14th)
Home Runs: 96(13th)
Stolen Bases: 111(5th)
Runs Against: 643(10th)
Starters ERA: 4.71(10th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.49(13th)
Defensive Eff.: .689(6th)
Zone Rating: +24.4(3rd)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: LHSP Scott Kazmir 1-3 1.76 29K 2.62FIP 1.1WAR 30.2IP 5GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: C Devin Mesoraco .311/.354/.500 2HR 7RBI 0.6WAR 26G

The pitcher of the year for us is definitely Scott Kazmir. The guy is having a vintage season that is unfortunately wasted on our team, but makes for some fun nights at the ballpark. The same goes for Joakim Soria who is the closer of the worst team and only got 8 saves but is silently pitching very well.

As for the offense, we struck gold in Devin Mesoraco and had a lucky break at shortstop as Ryan Goins outperforms his batting ratings and delivers the defense that we hoped for. On the other end of the spectrum, Cooper, Thames, Francisco and Sizemore are… questionable with Francisco likely to go out of the door this winter. Oh, the rosters expanded, and we did nothing by the way. Only OF Juan Lagares is on the 40-man and he is batting .248 in AAA so…

Now looking around the league, the New York Yankees didn’t want our guys via trade, and did not need them. They lead the league in runs scored and runs against and of all guys, 3B Alex Rodriguez(37, 3*, .336-14-36 .963OPS 3.2WAR 60G) has a hot stretch after missing some time to injury.

By the way, the absolutely loaded Cincinnati Reds followed up their July shopping spree with a 20-9 month with Josh Johnson going 4-1 3.89 and Joe Mauer hitting .284-2-10 .763OPS 0.6WAR .

Minor League Report and Awards:
AAA 3B Anthony Rendon(22, 2.5/4*) .361-7-19 1.112OPS 1.4WAR 27G
AA SP Justin Nicolino(20, 2*) 5-1 2.87 30K 37.2IP 1.5WAR 6GS
A RHCL Chris Devenski(21, 1.5/3*) 1-0 8SV 0.00 13K 8.2IP 0.6WAR
Short A LF Jesse Winker(18, 1.5/4*) .343-6-24 1.080 OPS 1.9WAR 28G
R SS Jim Hatfield(20, 1.5/4.5*) .333-4-24 1.152OPS 1.9WAR 26G
RHSP Tony Sanchez(16, ½.5*) 4-0 3.55 34K 1.0WAR 33IP 6GS
R RHCL Joe Tietz(18, 1.5/2.5*) 1-0 5SV 0.00 18K 9.2IP 0.8WAR
Won Awards this month

So, Nick Castellanos joined AAA and hit .316-8-18 .983OPS 0.5WAR… well he is looking to get ready for Spring ball. Our AAA pitching group is not performing well tho and I am really not confident in Syndergaard(out with injury), Snell, Archer and Giolito being super good next season right away… Development Lab is calling tho.

In short A, Jesse Winker is having a monster season, batting .304-18-89 .980OPS 4.7WAR, but just broke through the 1.5* barrier, so he will stay where he is for September. By the way, I need 20 Development Lab slots, he needs a defensive upgrade.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
None

In Other News:
August 5th – Seattle RF Ichiro Suzuki(38, 2.5*) made another career milestone as he hit #2500 today. The 10x Gold Glover, 3x Silver Slugger, 10x All-Star, 2001 AL RotY &MvP is a career .323/.367/.417 95HR 623RBI 2502H 1157R 441SB 37.2WAR in 1821 games.

August 6th – White Sox LHSP Jose Quintana(23, 3*) added to a big season with a complete game 7-hitter with 1BB and 4K, winning over the Royals 2-0. The 23-year old moved to 8-10 3.90 107K 2.9WAR in 22 starts.

August 6th – Cardinals 1B Allen Craig(18, 4*) went yard three times today, going 3-3 4R 5RBI BB 3HR in a 9-5 win over the San Francisco Giants. The 2012 NL All-Star is batting .311-28-91 .957OPS 4.4WAR in 108 games en route to a career year. In the same game, Cardinals LF Matt Holliday(32, 4*, .316-18-64 .910OPS 2.4WAR) lost a 24-game hitting streak.

August 16th – Angels SS Erick Aybar(28, 2.5*) had a night at the plate that made headlines as he went 5-5 R 3RBI DB in a 6-4 win in Tampa Bay. The 2011 AL Gold Glover is batting .272-4-41 .705OPS 0.6WAR in 99 games.

August 24th – Angels LF Kendrys Morales(29, 2.5/3*) tortured the Tigers today, going 4-6 3R 5RBI 3HR in a 12-2 rout. The hard-hitting first baseman is batting .270-26-84 .799OPS 1.5WAR in 124 games.

August 31st – Guardians RHSP Kevin Slowey(28, 2.5*) blanked the Rangers 5-0 with a 7-hitter with 2BB and 8K. The control artist is 2-2 2.92 30K in 49.1IP and 13G/6GS, good for 0.7WAR.

August 31st – In what the newspapers called the Dodgers Slaughter, Arizona RF Justin Upton(25, 4*, .283-29-104 .901OPS 3.5WAR) had a career night, 4-5 4R BB 2B with 3 home runs and 11 RBI’s. He was joined by fellow teammate 3B Willie Bloomquist(34, 2.5*, .254-0-35 .602OPS -0.3WAR) with a 5-6 4R RBI night to sink the Los Angeles Dodgers 17-6.

September 1st – Angels CF Mike Trout(21, 5*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .385 with 6 home runs, 24RBIs and 22 runs scored for the month. The first time All-Star is batting .329-23-76 1.032OPS 26/28SB 5.7WAR in 114 games for the year.

September 1st – Nationals RF Jose Bautista(31, 4*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .340 with 11 home runs, 25RBIs and 25 runs scored for the month. The 2x All-Star is batting .262-30-94 .923OPS 2.4WAR in 125 games.

September 1st – Oakland RHCL Grant Balfour(34, 3*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 1-0 11SV 0.64 15K in 14IP for the month. The veteran is 6-6 34SV 3.67 56K -0.7WAR in 57 games.

September 1st – Phillies LHRP Cliff Lee(34, 4*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 1.94 47K in 46.1IP and six starts for the month. The 4x All-Star is 15-7 2.77 183K 5.1WAR in 27 starts.

September 1st – Oakland LF Yoenis Cespedes(26, 3.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after batting 306 with 6 home runs, 26RBIs and 20 runs scored for the month. The Cuban and first time All-Star is batting .267-28-88 .857OPS 3.8WAR in 116 games.

September 1st – Cardinals SP Michael Wacha(21, 2.5*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after going 4-1 3.38 31K 34.2IP in 6 starts for the month. The talented righty was just called up on August 1st.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
September 9th – LHSP Scott Kazmir(28, 2.5*, 5-19 3.46 146K 2.9WAR) signed a 2y/$10M contract extension today!

Series:
0-2 vs TBR
3-0 vs BAL (SP Carlos Carrasco 7.1IP 3H 1ER 0BB 4K ND(8-10 5.26), SP Henderson Alvarez III 7IP 2H 0ER 1BB 5K ND(6-14 4.15), SP Marcus Stroman 6.2IP 4H 3ER 2BB 7K ND(4-15 4.95))
0-3 @ BOS
2-1 vs SEA (SP Henderson Alvarez III 7.1IP 3H 0ER 2BB 2K W(7-14 3.97), SP Marcus Stroman 7.1IP 6H 2ER 0BB 4K W(5-15 4.82))
2-1 vs BOS (SP Carlos Carrasco 7.2IP 3H 0ER 2BB 6K W(9-11 4.95), 1B David Cooper 4-4 2R RBI 3DB)
2-1 @ NYY (SP Scott Kazmir 5.1IP 2H 1ER 4BB 6K W(6-20 3.60), SP Kyle Davies 6.1IP 2H 1ER 1BB 7K W(7-15 5.50))
2-1 @ TBR (LF Travis Snider 3-4 2R 4RBI HR(20), SP Henderson Alvarez III 6IP 1H 0ER 2BB 2K ND(8-14 3.83))
1-2 @ BAL (SP Marcus Stroman 7.2IP 2H 1ER 1BB 6K W(6-16 4.82))
4-0 vs NYY (SP Scott Kazmir 7IP 1H 0ER 5BB 7K W(7-20 3.46), C Devin Mesoraco 3-4 2R 3RBI 2HR(19))
1-2 vs MIN (SP Carlos Carrasco 7.1IP 4H 0ER 2BB 7K W(11-12 4.58))

Record: 61-101
September & October: 17-13
Runs Scored: 522(14th)
Batting AVG: .230(14th)
OBP: .293(14th)
Home Runs: 121(13th)
Stolen Bases: 130(6th)
Runs Against: 744(9th)
Starters ERA: 4.44(9th)
Bullpen ERA: 4.27(12th)
Defensive Eff.: .700(3rd)
Zone Rating: +38.0(2nd)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: RHSP Carlos Carrasco 2-2 1.87 25K 2.82FIP 1.1WAR 33.2IP 5GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: LF Travis Snider .255/.296/.500 7HR 17RBI 0.5WAR 25G

With a 17-13 end of season run, we managed to (blow the first overall draft pick next season) stay above our preseason predictions with some good pitching performances, but don’t get fooled, those were like, 2-0 wins. But, the gang showed up a bit more, some run scoring happened at the right time, and even Carlos Carrasco managed to get his ERA down with some good starts. To be fair, his FIP is at 3.70, given that we have a top three defense in the AL, I don’t know how he did have an ERA of 4.58 with that.

Hitting wise, the lineup didn’t improve their numbers much, tho I still love Devin Mesoraco with all I’ve got. Improving this lineup will be a long drawn out process tho…

Now, around the league! The only two batters above 7 WAR are Mike Trout(.341/.452/.602 29HR 95RBI 8.2WAR) in the AL, and Buster Posey(.333-21-109 .922OPS 7.5WAR) in the NL with only Posey making the playoffs of those two. The only 20-game winner was White Sox aceChris Sale(20-11 3.61 255K 217IP 6.1WAR) while the 73-89 Los Angeles Dodgers wasted another huge year by Clayton Kershaw(15-7 2.36 237K 225IP 8.1WAR).

As for the team with the most wins, Billy Beane is playing moneyball again as the Oakland Athletics topped all other teams with a 98-64 record and a team without a real superstar… tho rookie Yoenis Cespedes(.276-36-112 -880OPS 5.3WAR) is surely looking like a superhero, yet he is behind 2B Cliff Pennington(.289-5-39 .751OPS +13.7ZR at 2B(88G), +9.0ZR at SS(60G) 6.5WAR) in the WAR department as the latter has put up absurd defensive metrics this season.

Yet, they have to survive against the offensive juggernaut that are the Detroit Tigers with 1B Prince Fielder(.338-37-117 1.088OPS 6.5WAR) and 3B Miguel Cabrera(.341-41-112 1.037OPS 6.4WAR) and the veteran pitching of the Yankees with CC Sabathia(19-10 2.75 217K 5.9WAR) and Hiroki Kuroda(17-10 3.50 184K 3.3WAR) topping their playoff rotation.

Minor League Report and Awards:
AAA RHRP Chris Heston(24, 2/2.5*) PCL Rel. of the Year – 6-7 18SV 3.05 69K 85.2IP 1.9WAR
AAA 3B Anthony Rendon(22, 2.5/4*)PCL MvP - .383-34-101 1.159OPS 6.8WAR 135G
A SP Joe Musgrove(19, 1.5/2.5*) MWL PotY - 6-9 3.39 169K 4.4WAR 156.2IP 29GS
A 3B Eugenio Suarez(21, 1.5/3.5*) FSL MvP - .324-18-67 1.025OPS 28/40SB 5.6WAR 116G
Short A LF Jesse Winker(19, 1.5/3.5*) NWL MvP - .325-19-102 .998OPS 5.5WAR 135G
R RHSP Tony Sanchez(16, ½.5*) APPY PotY – 11-2 2.62 130K 4.1IP 130.2IP 25GS
R RHSP Danny Ortiz(17, 1/3*) GULF PotY – 2-7 2.97 158K 3.5WAR 115IP 24GS
R 2B Jesus Lopez(16, ½.5*) APPY MvP - .337-15-102 .988OPS 4.6WAR 111G
Won End of Season Awards

Short A LF Jesse Winker(19, 1.5/3.5*) .432-1-13 1.098OPS 1.2WAR
R RHSP Ed Mora(16, 1/3*) 3-0 2.33 27K 19.1IP 1.0WAR
R 2B Jesus Lopez(16, ½.5*) .354-6-34 1.200OPS 1.3WAR 21G
R RHCL Ricardo Maurer(18, 2/4*) 1-0 5SV 0.00 15K 0.6WAR 8IP 7G
Won Awards this month

Looking at this, we will have to make some tough decisions when it comes to the offseason development lab. We see two options. Go by age, which puts Stroman, Rendon, Archer, Avsail Garcia, Eugenio Suarez, Adam Brzezinski, Nick Castellanos and Noah Syndergaard/Jim Hatfield on the list.

Or, do we go by proximity to the majors? Stroman, Rendon, Archer, Syndergaard, Snell, Castellanos, Giolito, Avsail Garcia?

Or potential… difficult questions here.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
2B Tony Hernandez(16, 3*) Contact Potential 60 Gap Power Potential 75 Power Potential 45 Eye Potential 45 Avoid K’s Potential 70 Defense at 2B 50 found by our scouts.

Not much, but gives depth, we have now a glut of 2.5-3* prospects from this channel… maybe the winter is kind to us.

In Other News:
September 2nd – Royals RF Jeff Francoeur(28, 2.5*) had a big 5-5 4R 3RBI 2HR night in a 11-2 win over the Twins. The 2007 NL Gold Glover is batting .242-8-47 .632OPS -1.1WAR in 128 games.

September 2nd – Athletics SP Bartolo Colon(39, 2.5*) blanked the Red Sox 10-0 with a complete game 1-hitter with 1BB and 4K. The 2x All-Star is pitching 14-8 3.29 113K 2.4WAR in 27 games.

September 2nd – Reds SP Mat Latos(24, 3.5*) continued their surge by pitching a 9IP 5H 0ER 0BB 6K in a 2-0 win over the Houston Astros. The 24-year old moved to 15-7 3.49 150K 4.0WAR in 28 starts.

September 4th – Miami LF Logan Morrison(25, 3*) had 5-5R 3RBI 2DB night in a 12-5 win over the Brewers. The third-year pro is batting .270-22-78 .863OPS 2.9WAR in 128 games.

September 8th – White Sox SP Jose Quintana(23, 3/3.5*) continued his strong rookie season with a 9IP 4H 0ER 2BB 8K game in a 5-0 win over the Royals. The 23-year old moved to 11-12 3.58 135K 3.8WAR in 28 games.

September 10th – Guardians SP Corey Kluber(26, 2.5/3.5*) pitched a complete game 5-hitter with 0BB and 10K in a 8-0 rout of the Twins. The second year pro is 8-15 4.59 156K 2.2WAR in 29 starts.

September 18th – White Sox SP Chris Sale(23, 3.5/4.5*) tailored together his own 2-hit shutout, walking none and striking out 8in a 4-0 win over the Royals. The lefty moved to 18-10 3.64 233K 5.2WAR in 31 starts.

September 19th – Angels 2B Howie Kendrick(29, 2.5*) saw the end of a 24-game hitting streak in a 6-4 loss to the Rangers. The 2011 AL All-Star is batting .248-14-64 .681OPS 15/19SB 0.9WAR in 137 games.

September 19th – Red Sox CF Jacoby Ellsbury(29, 3.5*) had a monster game as he hit for the CYCLE, 5-6 4R 3RBI DB TP HR in a 14-7 win in Tampa Bay. The 2x All-Star is batting .310-12-48 .830OPS 25/31SB 3.4WAR in 144 games.

September 28th – Cleveland LF Johnny Damon(38, 3*) lighted up the scoreboard with a 5-5 3R 2RBI night in a 12-10 loss to the Royals. The 2x All-Star is batting .267-14-65 .752OPS 2.6WAR in 126 games.

October 1st – Angels CF Mike Trout(21, 5*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .381 with 6 home runs, 18RBIs and 21 runs scored for the month. The PotM for the second month in a row, he is batting .339-29-94 1.050OPS 35/38SB 8.0WAR in 141 games for the year.

October 1st – Chicago RF David DeJesus(32, 3*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .450 with 3 home runs, 17RBIs and 30 runs scored for the month. The veteran is batting .278-6-52 .746OPS 2.5WAR in 152 games.

October 1st – Rangers RHSP Yu Darvish(26, 3.5*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 1.59 41K in 39.2IP in six starts for the month. The rookie is 13-4 2.93 241K 5.0WAR in 34 starts.

October 1st – Mets RHRP R.A. Dickey(37, 3*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 3.05 31K in 41.1IP and six starts for the month. The knuckleballer is 16-5 2.91 175K 3.9WAR in 33 starts.

October 1st – Rangers RHSP Yu Darvish(26, 3.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after going 5-0 1.59 41K in 39.2IP in six starts for the month.

October 1st – Nationals CF Bryce Harper(19, 4/5*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after batting .277 with 5 home runs, 14RBIs and 24 runs scored for the month. The left-handed hitter is batting .272-18-60 .841OPS 21/25SB 2.8WAR in 132 games.

[Griever20]

And it all came out differently. The Nats and Reds were bowled out in the Division Series and the Yankees were swept after winning over the Tigers… and in the end, it’s the Texas Rangers that won it all.

Led by rookie phenom Yu Darvish(26, 3.5*, 13-4 2.93 241K 5.0WAR), 2x All-Star RF Nelson Cruz(32, 3.5*, .273-35-103 .854OPS 4.3WAR), 3x Silver Slugger 3B Adrian Beltre(33, 3.5*, .301-34-94 .890OPS 5.0WAR) and star C Mike Napoli(31, 4*, .242-32-86 .844OPS 3.7WAR), they managed to win it all… respect for that.

Transactions:
October 6th – LF Ben Francisco(30, 2*, .155-6-26 .507OPS -2.1WAR 83G) was placed on waivers and designated for assignment today. He passed through waivers and was sent to the AAA roster and will be a minor league free agent this winter. Good luck for him.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
RHRP Jorge Diaz(16, 4*) Stuff Potential 75 Movement Potential 55 Control Potential 50 Stamina 50 fragile from Chicago White Sox.

In Other News:
None!

[Griever20]

Salary Arbitration:
SP Carlos Carrasco(25, 3/3.5*, 11-12 4.58 141K 3.9WAR 182.2IP) Estimate $2.2M, offered $2.15M extension
RHRP Jesse Chavez(29, 2/2.5*, 1-0 3SV 2.80 57K 0.0WAR 64.1IP) Estimate $1.3M, offered $1.25M extension
RHRP Joakim Soria(28, 3.5*, 2-2 8SV 2.50 74K 1.6WAR 72IP) Estimate $2.496M, offered 3y/$12.26M extension
RF Travis Snider(24, 2.5*, .229-22-67 .687OPS 1.3WAR) Estimate $3.4M, offered $3.3M extension

Upcoming Free Agents:
SP Kyle Davies(29, 2.5*, 7-16 5.72 127K 1.1WAR) – not interested in resigning, we obviously did not offer a $15.8M qualifying offer.
LF Ben Francisco(31, 2* .155-6-26 .507OPS -2.1WAR 83G) – non-tendered and will be a minor league free agent.

Development Lab:
MLB SP Marcus Stroman(21, 2.5/3.5*) Improve Movement
AAA SP Chris Archer(24, 2/3.5*) Improve Control
AAA SP Noah Syndergaard(20, 2/3.5*) Improve Control
AAA 3B Anthony Rendon(22, 2.5/4*) Improve Infield Defense
AAA LF Nick Castellanos(20, 2/4*) Quality of Contact
R SS Jim Hatfield(20, 1.5/4.5*) Gap Power
R 1B Adam Brzezinski(23, 1.5/4*) Generate Batspeed
R 2B Dave Cardenas(16, 0.5/3*) Improve Infield Defense

[Griever20]

First Update: Nov. 24th
STOPPED: AAA 3B Anthony Rendon(22, 2.5/4*) Improve Infield Defense STOPPED
ADDED: Short A LF Jesse Winker(19, 1.5/4*) Improve Outfield Defense
Anthony Rendon wasn’t making progress and was visibly frustrated so we stopped things…

Blue Jays Awards:

RHCL Mariano Rivera(42, 4.5*, 6-2 9SV 1.07 69K 2.8WAR 75.2IP) wins his 7th Reliever of the Year Award.
1B David Ortiz(36, 4*, .303-20-70 .901OPS 2.6WAR) wins his 6th Silver Slugger Award.
LF Ryan Braun(28, 4.5*, .337-35-111 1.030OPS 4.8WAR 141G) wins his 5th Silver Slugger Award.

Major Awards:

Transactions:
November 6th – In order to avoid minor league free agency, AAA SP Chris Archer(24, 2/3.5*) was placed on the 40-man.

November 10th – All our arbitration candidates signed their contract extensions!

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
1B Ricky Garcia(16, 3*) 60/55/55/55/60 potential, 35D at first base, from Seattle Mariners.

[Griever20]

Free Agent Signings:
Los Angeles Dodgers SP Zach Greinke(29, 3.5*, 16-7 3.30 199K 5.6WAR) 7y/$202M – 1x PotY, 2x All-Star
Miami Marlins C Joe Mauer(29, 4.5*, .275-5-60 .724OPS 3.4WAR) 7y/$166M – 1x MvP, 3x GG, 4x SS, 4x All-Star
Chicago Cubs LF Aaron Gordon(28, 3.5*, .271-23-76 .796OPS 2.8WAR) 7y/$140.8M – 1x GG, 1x All-Star
Chicago Cubs C Carlos Ruiz(33, 4*, .302-11-65 .822OPS 5.1WAR) 5y/$132.2M –1x All-Star
San Diego Padres 1B Adrian Gonzalez(30, 3.5*, .276-19-93 .766OPS 1.9WAR) 6y/$132.2M –1x SS, 3x GG, 4x All-Star
Chicago Cubs RF Shane Victorino(32, 3.5*, .268-7-41 .746OPS 3.1WAR) 5y/$90.2M – 3x GG, 2x All-Star
San Francisco Giants SP Josh Johnson(28, 3.5*, 16-6 3.84 192K 4.7WAR) 4y/$92M – 1x SS, 4x All-Star
Houston Astros 2B Dustin Pedroia(29, 3.5*, .283-14-40 .760OPS 1.4WAR) 6y/$108.6M – 1x MvP, 1x RotY, 2x GG, 1x SS, 4x All-Star
Minnesota Twins SS Hanley Ramirez(28, 3.5*, .277-25-82 .805OPS 3.1WAR) 6y/$108.4M – 2006 RotY, 2x SS, 3x All-Star
Oakland Athletics 1B Billy Butler(26, 3.5*, .274-12-56 .720OPS 0.7WAR) 7y/$102.2M
Arizona Diamondbacks RF Carlos Quentin(30, 3.5*, .275-38-113 .909OPS 4.6WAR) 5y/$97M – 2x SS, 3x All-Star
Chicago White Sox RF Hunter Pence(29, 3.5*, .279-26-90 .804OPS 4.1WAR) 7y/$93.1M – 2x All-Star
San Francisco Giants C Victor Martinez(34, 4*, .313-5-36 .774OPS 1.1WAR) 4y/$92M – 1x SS, 4x All-Star
Houston Astros LF Nick Swisher(32, 3.5*, .278-30-100 .894OPS 5.3WAR) 4y/$81.2M –1x SS, 2x All-Star
New York Mets RF Carlos Beltran(35, 3.5*, .300-29-105 .848OPS 4.9WAR) 3y/59.4M – 1x RotY, 3x GG, 2x SS, 7x All-Star
Texas Rangers 1B David Ortiz(37, 4*, .303-20-70 .901OPS 2.6WAR) 2y/$48M – 7x SS, 8x All-Star


Trade News:

Transactions:
December 20th – AAA LF Nick Castellanos, SP Blake Snell, SP Noah Syndergaard, CF Kevin Kiermaier, RHRP Chris Heston, AA RF Avsail Garcia and A 3B Eugenio Suárez were placed on the 40-man to protect them for the Rule 5 draft.

December 21st – We selected RHRP Tyler Duffey(21, 2/3*) from the Minnesota Twins in the Rule 5 Draft. We lost AAA OF Adam Duvall(24, 1.5/2.5*) and AA RHRP Sam Dyson(24, 2/3*) in the draft.

January 22nd – We blew our whole international amateur budget on 17-year old RHSP Victor Torres(1.5/5* 70/65/70 65 Stamina). The kid has high adaptability, work ethic and baseball IQ and is a groundball pitcher.

[jparker2112]

This is awesome!!!!