Yardbarker: Jermaine Dye

Top 10 MVP Candidates. 5 AL and 5 NL

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:54:57 -0500

A look at the MVP races in the NL and AL.

MLB Fantasy Minute - Week 18

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:00:14 -0500

Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon breaks out his famed MLB Fantasy Minute and breaks down the MLB's top five stories while channeling a little John Denver. All those pitchers who were traded now have something to prove. Outfielders continue to dominate the AL. And the Indians' Cliff Lee could make history. Mr. Yoon has all if it covered and much more.

Trade Deadline Deals - Impact on Your Fantasy Team

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:18:52 -0500

What are the fantasy impacts of the trade deadline deals? Which players gained the most value (hint, Andy LaRoche), and which lost the most (Andruw Jones)? Foxsports Fantasy breaks it down for you.

Best Hitters from July 21st-27th

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:46:01 -0500

It seems as if the move to LF hasn't affected Arizona 1B/LF Conor Jackson offensively what-so-ever as he sits atop our list again this week with a line of 9/3/7/1/.542/.593 (R/HR/RBI/SB/BA/OBP). Another LF sits in the # 2 spot this week as the White Sox Carlos Quentin was 1 of 4 players on this top 10 list who hit 4 HRs this past week. With 3 SB and 3 HRs the Phillies CF Shane Victorino is 3rd on this week's list. As one of the only players who seem to be hitting in San Diego this year, Adrian Gonzalez had yet another great week! He continues to hit HRs (3) in a non-Homer-Friendly ballpark (as well as on the road) and RBIs in what seems to be an otherwise, anemic line up for the Padres. The month of July has seen the return of the old bat of the Met's Carlos Delgado as he is once again hitting around .280 in this time and swatting HRs (4). He's the only player in this top 10 list with double digit RBIs (10). Rounding out the bottom 5 players of this list are the red hot Brewer's LF Ryan Braun and Pirate's 1B Adam LaRoche, both of whom hit 4 HRs this week while hitting .400 or better (LaRoche even had an OBP of .500). They are joined by White Sox RF Jermaine Dye who continues to dominate and last come two relative unknowns outside of their team's fan base in the Angel's C Jeff Mathis and Ranger's 1B Chris Davis. Mathis, who is a catcher, actually had a stolen base to add to his impressive week. What catcher not named Martin does that often (aside from the Pirate's Doumit who also stole a base this week, but he can also play in the OF)? Player Team P R HR RBI SB AVG OBP Total Conor Jackson ARI 1B 9 3 7 1 .542 .593 21.135 Carlos Quentin CHW LF 9 4 7 0 .273 .407 20.680 Shane Victorino PHI CF 7 3 6 3 .375 .423 19.798 Adrian Gonzalez SD 1B 7 3 9 0 .333 .419 19.752 Carlos Delgado NYM 1B 4 4 10 0 .280 .387 18.667 Ryan Braun MIL LF 4 4 9 0 .448 .455 17.903 Adam LaRoche PIT 1B 7 4 6 0 .400 .500 17.900 Jermaine Dye CHW RF 6 3 7 0 .450 .500 16.950 Jeff Mathis ANA C 4 2 9 1 .375 .474 16.849 Chris Davis TEX 1B 8 3 5 0 .423 .423 16.846

Tonight, there’s only one man more hated than Matt Millen in Detroit. That man is Todd Jones

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:12:41 -0500

Let's get out the pitchforks and torches, because it's time for Jonesy to go. I'm cross-posting what I just wrote at my other Detroit sports blog, The Wayne Fontes Experience, because I'm absolutely livid after what I just witnessed. Ahem… Words can't describe how pissed I am at Todd Jones right now… But "DFA his useless fucking puff ball throwing homophobic washed up ass immediately" comes close. Damn close. I don't normally let bad losses get to me all that much. It's not worth it. I also try not to blog mad. But tonight's loss really struck the wrong chord. The wrong fucking chord. All because of the Tigers' "closer."(Term used laughably loosely) He's now the devil incarnate who happens to wear the Olde English D on his chest. What little goodwill Jones may have had left with the Detroit fanbase evaporated the moment Jermaine Dye's fly ball left Comerica. In the biggest game of the season, a game the Tigers desperately needed to win, Todd Jones came up woefully short. This one hurt. Hurt a lot. A combined gut/nut punch of a loss. You can't blow this game. You just can't. But Jones did, and did so in the most painful fucking way possible. In the eyes of the fans, Jones is done. Fini. Toast. Kaput. An ex-closer. I can only hope the Tigers feel the same way. Thanks for letting me vent, and we now return to your regularly scheduled Detroit Lions blogging.

Bullpen Implodes As White Sox Overpower Rangers, 10-8

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:53:40 -0500

While trade rumors continue to sizzle, Eddie Guardado and C.J. Wilson contribute to a heartbreaking Texas Rangers meltdown at U.S. Cellular Field.

MLB Injury Report

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:36:25 -0500

Jermaine Dye Dye could miss several days after being hit in the knee with a pitch. Alfonso Soriano It's unclear as to when exactly Soriano will return, but it will be this week. Khalil Greene Greene is day-to-day with a stiff lower back. Carlos Guillen Guillen is out indefinitely as he tends to his wife who is suffering from complications during childbirth. David Ortiz Big Papi has homered in 3 straight games during his rehab stint and is expected the rejoin the Sox on the 25th. Troy Tulowitzki Tools is expected to return to the Rockies lineup on Monday. Frank Thomas Thomas will be out at least 2 more weeks. Ryan Zimmerman Zimmerman will rejoin the Nationals on Tuesday. Gary Matthews Jr. It's possible that Matthews will have season-ending knee surgery.

Mid Season Report

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:54:07 -0500

The first half of the 2008 Major League Baseball season has been full of surprises, from the Tigers to the Rays to the Padres to the Braves. Most surprising of all, at least to the Phillies faithful, is that at the All Star break the Phillies were in first place atop the National League East. The Phillies are currently a half a game ahead of the Mets and one a half games up on the Marlins. Lets go through the majors and recap the season so far. AL East Perhaps the biggest story in the majors this year is the surprising play of the Tampa Bay Rays, who at the break were just half a game behind the first place Red Sox, and that's with a seven game losing streak. The Rays have been bolstered by one of the most talented young lineups in the majors in years, as well as some timely defense and a great, young rotation led by ace Scott Kazmir. They are definitely the Cinderella, the darlings of the 2008 season, much to the chagrin to their division rivals the Red Sox. Boston fans are upset that some of the media focus and the limelight has been diverted from their beloved Sox. The reigning champs continue to be one of the best teams in baseball, despite losing pitcher Curt Schilling for the year (and perhaps for good) and a decline in production from slugger David Ortiz (including a stint on the disabled list). It looks like this could be the first time in years that the New York Yankees won't make the playoffs. They currently sit six games back of Boston and it just looks like there is too much talent in Tampa and Boston for the Yanks to make up enough ground. That being said, I am loathe to ever count the Yankees out of anything. Red Sox win division. If it wasn't for the Rays, the debacle in the AL Central would be the biggest story of the season. The Tigers, whom I picked to win the World Series, are a disappointing .500 on the season. Even more surprising, the Indians are in last place, 12 games under .500. The Chicago White Sox are sitting pretty atop the Central at 14 games over .500, led by 10 game winner, and former Phillie, Gavin Floyd. Erratic closer Bobby Jenks, despite being on the DL, has 18 saves with a 1.95 ERA. On offense, the White Sox have a tandem of heavy hitting outfielders in Jermaine Dye and Carlos Quentin. I have to admit, I'm not overly impressed by the White Sox. In large part, I think they have overachieved so far this season. I think they will come back to earth, which will leave an opening for the Minnesota Twins to step in and take the division. The Twins, led by first baseman Justin Morneau, DH Jason Kubel, and catcher Joe Mauer, are right on the tail of the White Sox, just a game and a half back, and with star pitcher Francisco Liriano waiting in the wings of AAA, the Twins are poised to move into the post Santana era. Twins win the division. AL West Until the Texas Rangers find someone who can pitch (Vicente Padilla currently leads the team in wins with 10), the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the prohibitive favorites to win the division for years to come. The Rangers can hit, led by the top individual story of the year Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Milton Bradley, but their pitching is a joke. They boast a rotation of Kevin Millwood, Padilla, Jamey Wright and Kason Gabbard. Until they can get at least one pitcher, they could have all the offense in the world, they still won't be able to compete with Los Angeles. The Angels' pitching rotation, which boasts John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders and Jered Weaver, not to mention closer Francisco Rodriguez who is on pace to shatter the single season saves record, is arguably the best in the majors. Their offense, while not being the power heavy lineup that Texas or Boston has, plays small ball like no other team in the majors. The obvious offensive leader is Vladimir Guerrero, accompanied by Torii Hunter. But the offense works so well because of intelligent baseball guy like Chone Figgins, Howie Kendrick, and Garret Anderson. The Oakland Athletics have basically traded themselves out of contention and the Seattle Mariners have the worst record in baseball. Needless to say, Angels win the division. I think the Rays win the AL Wild card this year. They are too talented to fall behind the likes of the White Sox or Rangers. In the end however, the Red Sox have too much experience and skill to be taken down. They beat the Angels to go on to the World Series. NL West Many commentators are calling this the NL Worst, and it's hard to argue with that. After starting out red hot, division leading Arizona is now one game below .500. That's right. The division leader has a losing record. Need I say more? The reigning NL Champion Colorado Rockies are fourth in the division with a record of 39-57, topped only by the San Diego Padres, an incomprehensible 37-58. The Dodgers are one game back of the Diamondbacks, trailed by the San Francisco Giants in third place. This division is a crapshoot at this point, but the Diamondbacks' pitching, led by Brandon Webb and Dan Haren is just too good and the offense is not going to continue to struggle in the mighty fashion it has over the past month or so. With up and coming stars like Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson and Chris Young, the Diamondbacks are going to eventually right their ship. Arizona wins the division. NL Central This is the best division in baseball. The Cubs are tied with the Angels for the best record in baseball. Four and a half games behind them are the Cardinals, with the Brewers just a half game behind them. All three of these teams are going to be better in the second half. The Cubs traded for Rich Harden last week, and the Brewers added reigning AL Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia. The Cardinals are getting ready for the return of Adam Wainwright and former Cy Young Chris Carpenter. Both pitchers are aces on almost any other team in the majors. The Cubs and Brewers already have bona fide aces on their teams in Carlos Zambrano and Ben Sheets, respectively. This is, without a doubt, the toughest division in baseball in some time. I think the Cubs are ultimately the most complete team in the league, and certainly the division. Now let me just say, here and now, there is no way Ryan Dempster continues to pitch this well. He just isn't this good. He will come back down to earth. But even with The Dumpster coming back to reality, the Cubs are bolstered by some serviceable pitching in Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis, in addition to Zambrano and Harden. On offense, the Cubs' lineup reads like it's very own All Star roster, led by Derek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and Geovany Soto. Cubs win the division. NL East The Phillies came into today with a half game lead over the Mets. The Marlins sit just one game behind the Mets. It is a division up for grabs to say the least. The Marlins boast a talented, young roster rivaled by only Tampa Bay and Arizona. Led by Hanley Ramirez, Mike Jacobs, Dan Uggla and Josh Willingham, they have an offense that puts the in a position to win every night. That being said, their pitching is thin, with Ricky Nolasco leading the team with 10 wins and a 3.70 ERA. The Braves are most likely looking to scrap this year and go into rebuilding mood, if only temporarily. First baseman Mark Teixeira is a free agent at the end of this year and chances are that the Braves are going to move him before the trade deadline. Their pitching is pretty banged up, and old. John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton are all currently on the disabled list. Not to mention that they are six and a half games out of first place. The Mets pose the biggest threat to the Phillies' playoff hopes. Winners of nine straight coming into the break, the Mets are batting .320 as a team during that time. They also only gave up a total of 19 runs over the same span. They are hot, no doubt, led by Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Fernando Tatis. But therein lies the problem for the Mets. They have been winning in large part as a result of the contributions of usual bench players like Tatis, Endy Chavez, and Damion Easley. The Mets' pitching is also suspect after you get past Johan Santana and John Maine, neither of whom have been stellar this season. After having a impressive season last year, Oliver Perez is 6-5 with a 4.44 ERA. His record is somewhat deceiving, as he has been wildly inconsistent this year. Pedro Martinez continues to battle being really old. Originally set to return this week, his next start is being skipped. I just don't think the Mets have the talent to overcome a Phils team with a much more potent offense and what could end up being a more stable pitching rotation. The Phillies acquired Joe Blanton from the Athletics Thursday, and while Blanton has not had much of a year so far this season (5-12, 4.96 ERA), he has show some real talent and a change of location could be all he needs to break out. More importantly, the addition of Blanton means that Adam Eaton is out of the starting rotation. Brett Myers is progressing nicely in AAA and is set to return to face the Mets on July 23rd. JA Happ threw a no hitter today in his minor league start and it is only a matter of time before he is brought up to the major leagues for good. The biggest cause for concern for the Mets is that the Phils' struggles have in large part been due to a lack of offense. This coming from one of the most offensively talented teams in the league. Jimmy Rollins, Chasey Utley and Geoff Jenkins are eventually going to turn things around. Ryan Howard continues to lead the league in home runs and RBIs. Pat Burrell is going to eclipse his usual 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. And that's without the possible addition of another bat, like Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. I say this with the caveat that I generally have no faith in the Phillies in ever winning anything, and at the risk of tempting fate, I pick the Phillies to win the division. I pick the Brewers to win the NL Wild Card this year. I'm going to be very cliche and pick the Cubs to win the NL Pennant over the Brewers. I think unless the Phillies add a serious starting pitcher, ala Erik Bedard, they are not going to be able to compete with the Brewers in the playoffs. That will bring us to the ESPN's ultimate dream, a Red Sox Cubs World Series. Bristol could fawn all over the lovable losers from Chicago and Boston. Seriously though, just thinking about it makes me want to throw up. Boston wins, again. (Just threw up again) Should be a very exciting second half. Continue to check out Hot Stove Philly as we bring you all the latest scores, trades, rumors, and general sports drama.

Cubs headed to World Series?

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:55:17 -0500

Equipped with keen hitters seemingly all throughout the lineup and a devastating 1-2-3 punch of Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Rich Harden on the mound, the Cubs seem to have their best shot at bringing the title home. And while high expectations are the norm in Wrigleyville, this bunch has delivered all season long...

Bodog AL MVP Odds

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:52:52 -0500

On to Bodog's MVP odds. They're all listed prior to their write-ups, so I won't bother posting a table up top.

Josh Hamilton, +200
Last night certainly helped, although his odds haven't changed since Monday afternoon. The Triple Crown talk has fizzled, at least for the moment, as his average is down to .310. The MVP campaign is obviously still in full force though, as he has 25 more RBIs than anyone else in the league.

There are various concerns here. One is how his body will hold up. He played just 90 games last year, and only 26 after July 7. But the more important issue is the quality of his team. Thanks to a team ERA+ of 81, the Rangers are 7.5 games back in the West, and only fifth in the Wild Card race, six games behind Tampa. It's entirely possible that Hamilton wins the MVP, but he's got way too much going against him to be worth it at +200 in mid-July.

Justin Morneau, +400
Morneau is a former MVP, has 68 RBIs, and his team is overachieving. That is essentially his campaign at the moment. Considering the Twins' chances of making the playoffs are about +400, and it's highly unlikely he wins the award if they don't, this is certainly not a good price.

Ian Kinsler, +550
This number actually came out at +400. There is no doubt Kinsler's having a great year, hitting .337/.397/.548 with 23 steals in 24 attempts. The second baseman leads the league in VORP, at 52.4. But the MVP? Even with his first half, he hasn't received much hype at all. He runs into the same problem as Hamilton, of playing on a third place team, except Kinsler is miles behind him in terms of name recognition, public perception, and the ever-important RBIs (Kinsler has 58).

Alex Rodriguez, +750
He missed three weeks, which means his counting stats won't jump off the page at the end of the year, so the Yankees would have to make a run at the playoffs for him to have a shot. He does have a current line of .312/19/53, so it's not unreasonable to think he could end up at .310/40/115. The problem is that won't be good enough if the Yankees don't make the playoffs, and it's far from a lock if they do. He's got a shot, but it's probably more like 12-1.

Carlos Quentin, +1200
I'd say this is the best value on the board. Quentin is looking great in the HR (22) and RBI (70) categories, and his batting average isn't bad at .276 (his OBP is .375; he walks a lot, but I doubt that'll help his case too much). He has the added advantage of his team is the favorite to win their division. If he had more of a name, he'd probably be the second favorite after Hamilton.

As it stand, though, the fact that he was a relative unknown before this year will hinder his campaign. It also makes it unlikely he can sustain this pace--his PECOTA, pro-rated for 650 PAs, coming into the year was .263/17/77. Even considering that, I think we'll start hearing a lot more about him in the national media if the White Sox stay on top of the Central, and he's got a chance at winning the MVP.

Jermaine Dye, +1500
Manny Ramirez, +1500
Evan Longoria, +2000
J.D. Drew, +2000
Joe Mauer, +2000

Dye would have to catch up to Quentin--he only has 56 RBIs--to receive any serious consideration. Considering some of the years that Manny has had without ever even finishing second, he would have to have an absolutely enormous second half. Longoria has gotten a lot of attention recently, but he's still only at .275/16/53, and his team isn't exactly a lock to make the playoffs at this point. Drew is having a monster year--.302/.412/.572--but his counting stats aren't as impressive, and it's likely that his reputation precedes him with a loft of the writers. Most of Mauer's value is in his position, his defense, and his OBP, which aren't exactly in the forefront of the voters' minds.

Francisco Rodriguez, +2500
Grady Sizemore, +2500
Kevin Youkilis, +2500
Carl Crawford, +3000
Mariano Rivera, +3000
Milton Bradley, +3000
Miguel Cabrera, +5000

Did you know K-Rod has walked 26 guys in 42 innings? That certainly doesn't portend well for his ERA over the next 2.5 months. Thigpen in '90 isn't the great comparison, since he had a better ERA (1.83), but his team didn't make the playoffs (he finished 5th). In '03, when Gagne went 55/55 with three losses and a 1.20 ERA, the Dodgers missed the playoffs and he finished sixth, while winning the Cy Young. The best comparison is probably Smoltz in 2002; 55 saves, 3.25 ERA, Braves won the division by 19 games. He finished eighth.

Field, +550
The only hitters I can reasonably makes a case for here--and this is really stretching it--are Vlad, Curtis Granderson, Jim Thome, and Magglio. I guess you can throw Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay in the mix, and maybe some unlisted closers--Papelbon, Nathan, maybe Jenks. Regardless, I can't see there being any value in this. Those guys are all real longshots.

Longoria, Hart Win Fan Vote on MLB.com. Record Set

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:27:19 -0500

Tampa Bay Rays rookie third baseman Evan Longoria and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Corey Hart were chosen by fans as the winners of the Monster 2008 All-Star Game Final Vote in record-shattering voting exclusively on MLB.com (http://mlb.com/), the official website of Major League Baseball. Baseball fans supported the 10 candidates named by All-Star managers Terry Francona and Clint Hurdle in unprecedented fashion by casting a record 47.8 million votes since the program commenced on Sunday, July 6 at 3:00 p.m. (EDT). This year’s record number of votes represents an increase of 107 percent from the previous mark of 23.1 million set in 2007. Since its inception in 2002, the Monster All-Star Game Final Vote has now recorded nearly 130 million votes. The American League winner, Longoria, received the highest total number of votes ever and led all vote-getters with nine million en route to becoming the second consecutive rookie to win the balloting, following Boston’s Hideki Okajima last year. He was followed by Jermaine Dye of the Chicago White Sox; Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees; Brian Roberts of the Baltimore Orioles; and Jose Guillen of the Kansas City Royals. On the National League ballot, Hart became the second Milwaukee player to win the Monster All-Star Game Final Vote by holding off a late charge from David Wright of the New York Mets to claim the final spot on the National League All-Star roster with a final tally of eight million votes. Hart and Wright were followed by Pat Burrell of the Philadelphia Phillies; Aaron Rowand of the San Francisco Giants; and Carlos Lee of the Houston Astros. Previous winners of the Monster All-Star Game Final Vote include: Okajima (AL, 2007); Chris Young (NL, 2007); A.J. Pierzynski (AL, 2006); Nomar Garciaparra (NL, 2006); Scott Podsednik (AL, 2005); Roy Oswalt (NL, 2005); Hideki Matsui (AL, 2004); Bobby Abreu (NL, 2004); Jason Varitek (AL, 2003); Geoff Jenkins (NL, 2003); Johnny Damon (AL, 2002); and Andruw Jones (NL, 2002).Source: MLB Advanced Media Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/), which includes The Biz of Baseball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/), The Biz of Football (http://www.bizoffootball.com/), The Biz of Basketball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/) and The Biz of Hockey (http://bizofhockey.com/). He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus (http://baseballprospectus.com/news/?author=124), and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content view=article id=47 Itemid=18) He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_contact view=contact id=2 Itemid=29).

White Sox Have Fireworks, Fireworks

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:34:09 -0500

The White Sox played a wild game on Wednesday night, overcoming a five run deficit to defeat the Kansas City Royals 7-6. Carlos Quentin got the fireworks started with 2 home runs, while Jermaine Dye and Orlando Cabrera created some of their own fireworks in the dugout. During Dye's 8th inning at bat, Cabrera stole 3rd, apparently distracting Dye from his current at bat and leading to them exchanging words in the dugout. Before things could escalate, OF DeWayne Wise stepped in and separated the two. While many will look at this as an ominous sign for the first place team, I think I would rather have my team showing some fire than playing without passion in the thick of a pennant race. The White Sox have arguably the most fiery manager in the league and their players seem to be following suit.

Billy Beane: GM Genius Or Trigger Happy Fool...You Decide

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:25:07 -0500

Watching Mark Mulder leave after just three hitters last night reminded me of how good Oakland A's General Manager Bill Beane can look at times. Let's see, he traded... www.rawsportsblog.com

Dye not helping All-Star Cause in KC

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:28:38 -0500

Let's see how Jermaine Dye has done since being named one of five players eligible for the final spot on the American League All-Star ballot Sunday. Tuesday - 0-6, 2 K's, 3 LOB Wednesday - 0-4, 2 K's, 2 LOB, near Michael Barrett-Carlos Zambrano incident in dugout Apparently, Dye and Orlando Cabrera have talked things over and hugged [...]

Dye not helping All-Star Cause in KC

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:28:38 -0500