A’s Are Changing Their Second Half Identity… Again
Like so many other years, last year’s Oakland A’s team was built for the AL West crown. They had a couple of young pitchers in Gio Gonzalez and Brett Anderson anchoring a veteran rotation that included former All-Star Justin Ducscherer, Dallas Braden and Ben Sheets. Eric Chavez was healthy, Kevin Kouzmanoff was on board, Daric Barton and Ryan Sweeney were coming into...
Via Rant Sports
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August 16, 2011
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August 16, 2011
Discuss
Approximately Just 8 weeks of Shirtless Driving Season Remain
On an extremely hot, humid and sunny mid June 2010 day, I was sitting in the visiting clubhouse at Wrigley Field. The Oakland Athletics were the Cubs’ opponent that day, and after speaking with A’s Manager Bob Geren, I was patiently waiting to talk with any Athletics with time to kill before the 7:05 first pitch.
And then it happened.
The highlight of the summer.
Former...
Via The Sports Bank
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July 20, 2011
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July 20, 2011
Where Have All the Strikeouts Gone?
It seems like only yesterday when the Big Unit was racking up monster strikeout games like nobodies business. However, his last 18+ Strikeout game was all the way back in May of 2001. Since that game only one pitcher has ecliped this elusive 18 strikeout plateau. Ben Sheets in 2004. Just last week we passed the seven year anniversary of the last 18+ strikeout game. Where have...
Via Future of Fantasy
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May 21, 2011
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May 21, 2011
Which MLB Teams Are the Best at Spending Money?
Everyone knows richer teams do better. A well-funded team—let’s call them the “Yew Nork Nankees”—has a major advantage because it can retain its homegrown players past their cost-controlled years and bring in high-paid stars via trade or free agency. The richest of the rich can stay afloat even when one of their most expensive players turns into a bust.
Meanwhile...
Via Wahoo Blues
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April 27, 2011
Ben Sheets not negotiating with any teams at the moment
Right handed pitcher Ben Sheets, who sat out all of the 2009 and part of the 2010 season because of injuries, hasn't solidified his plans for this year reports ESPN'sOlney Buster .
The former Athletic, is not negotiating with any teams at the moment and we could only assume he will sit out at least the first half of the 2011 season. If Sheets can stay healthy and is in baseball...
Via PRO Rumors
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March 17, 2011
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March 17, 2011
Misc. Links: on Luis at 2B, Koufax & Cap, and Young
SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt believes Luis Castillo has already moved ahead of Daniel Murphy and Brad Emaus as the possible starting second baseman on Opening Day.
Sandy Koufax told the St. Lucie News that Chris Capuano is like Ben Sheets in his hey day, with a “good fastball and good overhand curveball.”
Chris Young is still tinkering with a split-fingered fastball, according...
Via Matthew Cerrone's Mets Blog
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February 28, 2011
Payroll Amounts for Players on the DL in 2010
Teams lose players to the disabled list every year, but which teams had the most money tied up with these injured players in 2010? The following list ranks the teams that had the most dollars spent on players on the disabled list and the percentage of total payroll allocated to these days lost:
A couple of surprises are near the top of the list with two small-market teams, Minnesota...
Via Fangraphs
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January 11, 2011
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January 11, 2011
MLB 2011 Free Agents
Yahoo! sports baseball writer Jeff Passan ranked the top free-agents for this offseason. His list begins with Cliff Lee ranked No.1 and ends with Ben Sheets at No.164. I gathered and listed all the remaining unsigned free-agents from his list … Continue reading →
Via Sports Blog Net
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January 11, 2011
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January 11, 2011
The Most Intriguing Starters Left on the Board
There are 27 free agent starting pitchers left on the market. Andy Pettitte is one of them but we won't include him. He will either pitch for the Yankees or retire. We also won't include Carl Pavano who should sign any day now with the Twins (now that he's seen he won't get three years anywhere). Brian Bannister has signed to play in Japan. Ben Sheets will miss the...
Via The Flagrant Fan
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January 10, 2011
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January 10, 2011
What happened to Ben Sheets?
During the past week and a half we've spent a lot of time discussing various pitchers connected to the Yankees. I wanted to switch gears for a change of pace and take a look at a pitcher who (a) I've been advocating for for quite some time; (b) I wanted the Yankees to sign last offseason; and (c) they will have absolutely zero interest in because after a fairly middling comeback...
Via Yankeeist
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January 09, 2011
How the West will be Won – By the A’s
Last year the Oakland Athletics quietly managed to finish .500 to snap their losing-season streak at three and have just as quietly been making additions across the board to bolster the team all off-season – and they aren’t done. If these players hold up (a big “if”), this team will be playing ball in the post-season – and with their rotation, they could be the team to...
Via Dugout Central
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January 02, 2011
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January 02, 2011
With A Name Like Moose Haas He Has To Be Good
Over the years the Milwaukee Brewers had some memorable characters, and one guy who was a little different was Moose Haas. He came to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1976 and pitched until 1985 for the Milwaukee Brewers. He never had an outstanding season, but on April 12, 1978, Haas struck out 14 batters, breaking record for strikeouts in a single game for the Brewers. It took 26 years...
Via Brew Crew Central
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January 01, 2011
A’s New Year’s Resolution: Stay Healthy
Can the A's stay healthy in 2011, or will House and the team need to send them to the ER?
The A’s will enter the new year as an upgraded team thanks to a series of additions this offseason, but the team will need to stay healthy in 2011 if they are to catch the Texas Rangers in the AL West. The A’s finished the 2010 season on a winning note, as the team won four...
Via Swingin A's
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December 31, 2010
Brandon Webb
Brandon Webb agreed to a one year contract Sunday night with the Texas Rangers. He is slated to be their fourth or fifth starter. ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that the deal is worth $3 million dollars in base salary with a possibility of earning an additional $2 million in performance-based incentives.Webb only made one appearance in 2009 lasting just four innings...
Via Dribbling Drivel
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December 28, 2010
The Allure Of Brandon Webb In Black And Yellow
2010 Photoshop. Pirates fans are tired of the teams meatball pitching staff and with Brandon Webb on the market some fans are excited about the Pirates interest in the former Cy Young winner.
Nearly a month ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates were first mentioned in the same sentence with former Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb. So why is he still available?
Since Dejan first...
Via Rum Bunter
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December 25, 2010
Crasnick: Yankees Have Some Interest in Francis
When healthy, Francis is a fine pitcher - he limits walks, keeps the ball on the ground, and garners a respectable amount of strikeouts. His 5.00 ERA is a bit unsightly, but his 3.88 FIP and 3.94 xFIP suggest that a fair bit of bad luck was at play, particularly when taken in kind with his solid 2.91 K/BB and 47.0% ground ball rate. The issue here, though, is that Francis hasn't...
Via Sliding Into Home
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December 22, 2010
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December 22, 2010
The Brandon Webb Kerfuffle
Let's go ahead and face it: people love getting a good deal and, to take that a step further, also love the mere thought of getting a good deal. They also love the thought of their favorite sports team getting a good deal, and it is for that reason that I believe there is a strange sort of positive connotation attached to the phrase "low-risk, high-reward signing."...
Via Baseball Time in Arlington
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December 22, 2010
The Invasion of Godzilla
The Oakland A’s finally made a rumbling in free agency by agreeing to a one-year contract with Hideki Matsui for somewhere in the neighborhood of $7 million. Not too bad when you think about the fact that the Oakland A’s were paying Eric Chavez about $12 million last year to sit on the bench and grow out his hair. And, they paid Ben Sheets $10 million to lose 9 of his...
Via Beanes Bunch
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December 14, 2010
Yankees Interested in Rich Harden
As per Jon Paul Morosi of MLB Buzz.Rich Harden represents one of several high-risk, high-reward arms on the market, alongside Justin Duchscherer, Ben Sheets, and Brandon Webb. Each has shown flashes of ace-level potential, yet none have done a great deal over the past two years - in fact, the four have combined for only 384.1 IP over the last two seasons. I suppose it's worth...
Via Sliding Into Home
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December 07, 2010
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December 07, 2010
Making a Splash
The Royals Hot Stove has been fairly quiet lately save for the occasional tidbit about Greinke going one place and not another. Since making some minor moves earlier in the offseason, it’s been slow.
I can almost assure that news will pick up quickly starting with the Winter Meetings next week, but I like hypothesizing grand situations even when untrue. So, I got to thinking...
Via Kings of Kauffman
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December 03, 2010
Pirates and Webb Have Mutual Interest
The Pirates and Webb have a mutual interest.
Dejan Kovacevic spoke today with Brandon Webb's agent, Jonathan Mauer, about whether Webb would be interested in signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Mauer, who also represents Pirates' infield prospect Josh Harrison, mentioned that not only was Webb open to signing with the Pirates, but that the Pirates were one of the teams...
Via Pirates Prospects
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December 01, 2010
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December 01, 2010
Oakland A’s NOT Bay Area’s Highest Paid Athletes
I was looking through the San Jose/Silicon Valley Business Journal yesterday and saw their list of the top 25 highest paid Bay Area athletes. Not too much to my surprise there is not one Oakland A’s player on the current roster that made the list. In fact, Eric Chavez was # 4 on the list making $12.5 million and “Big Bust” Ben Sheets was #9 making $10 million but...
Via Beanes Bunch
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November 21, 2010
Hindsights: The Giants in Your Backyard, etc.
Pitching in for a burned-out Joey this morning. I didn't get his request to cobble together some content until 5:15 am, so forgive the brevity. This is what has been on Mike's mind lately....
While Rangers fans wait with baited breath to learn whether their rent-an-ace will return to front the rotation in 2011, their foe from the San Francisco Bay sits chilly knowing...
Via Baseball Time in Arlington
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November 16, 2010
Free Agent Stock Watch: Brandon Webb
The Athletics guaranteed $10MM to Ben Sheets in January even though he'd missed the entire 2009 season due to elbow surgery. The signing was not a success, but Sheets' upside must have been tantalizing for the A's. This winter, free agent Brandon Webb presents a more exaggerated risk/reward scenario for teams. Webb is two years removed from the Majors due to shoulder...
Via MLB Trade Rumors
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November 15, 2010
Fixing the Milwaukee Brewers Pitching for 2011
To understand what ails the Milwaukee Brewers and how to fix it for 2011, we first must go back in time and look at where the team has come from.
The summer and fall of 2008 was the best year of my baseball life. Ben Sheets was healthy and pitching like everyone knew he was capable of. Jeff Suppan, Manny Parra, and Dave Bush were all pitching well enough to keep the team in games...
Via Reviewing the Brew
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November 08, 2010
THE ATHLETICS HOT 25
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