Yardbarker: Esteban Loaiza

These Are Not The 2004 Yankees

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:40:00 -0500

Ladies and gentlemen, meet your 2009 American League Champions, the New York Yankees:After the Yankees won the ALCS last night 4 games to 2, it was pretty clear that these are not your 2004 "choke's on us" Yankees. Actually it was clear before that, but for Yankee fans, it probably was hard to see the proverbial forest for the trees.The trees in this case would be inviduals like AJ Burnett, Phil Hughes and Nick Swisher. Some would add Andy Pettitte to this mix. I could not belie...

Worth the Wrist

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:00:28 -0500

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP Joel Pineiro prepares a soliloquy during the Cardinals' 2-1 victory over the Diamondbacks on July 19, 2009. Browse more photos » I'm fine with being a broken record if it involves running out of ways to say that a pitcher is having a startlingly good season: Joel Pineiro is moving into Norm Cash territory, or at least Esteban Loaiza territory, and he's ...

The Road to 17: 1998

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:11:52 -0500

The Road to 17 is a longer-form look at each losing season that the Pirates have had since their last playoff appearance in 1992. The object is not to wallow in the misery of the Pirates, but instead remember just what it is that makes us Pirate fans in the first place. Every team has their ...

Chicago White Sox off Season Report

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:03:29 -0500

Season Wrap-up

Baseball fans last saw the White Sox lose to the Rays in the divisional round of the playoffs. They were by no means a power during the season, but they play in a weak division and were able to stay above water enough to make it to the playoffs.

Holes to Fill

Their most obvious needs are for youth and speed. Many of their players are aging veterans who just aren't able to compete with teams that have lots of youth such as the Rays. Acquiring a young, speedy player in free agency would be good, but they do have a few prospects in AAA that might be able to fill that role.

The main positions where the speed could be acquired would be in the outfield as well as potential fill in positions at shortstop and third base.

Other than that, their team seems to have few holes, assuming injuries can be avoided. Both their starting rotation and bullpen are strong and they have no shortage of power in their line-up.

Free Agents

The Sox are probably going to lose most, if not all of their free agents during this off season, but none are players who would create huge holes on the team that could not be fixed.

The free agents include outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. (whose option they refused to pick up), left hander Horacio Ramirez, right hander Esteban Loaiza, catcher Toby Hall, shortstop Juan Uribe and third baseman Joe Crede.

Of these players, Crede and Loaiza probably create the largest cause for concern, but since the Sox had other players frequently at those positions during the season, there really should not be much of a problem.

As far as signing free agents, the Sox have not made much news of late. They will probably pick up one or two quality players, but at this point it is unclear who they have targeted.

The Outlook

The division looks to still be relatively weak next year, so the Sox will have a chance yet again to vie for the title. While they will have competition from the Twins, Tribe and Tigers, there is no reason to believe that they will be able to compete as long as they can avoid injuries to their key players.

YOUR GREATEST PITTSBURGH SPORTS PHOTOS

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 12:39:11 -0500

Hope you're enjoying Readers Rule Week (I know I am). Yesterday sure brought back a lot of memories. Today, we're in for a different kind of treat: your Pittsburgh sports-related photos, narrated by you. Champion was kind enough to give us some pieces from their new Rashard Mendenhall-endorsed line of clothing to use as prizes, which I will do. Here's how we'll be handing these out: a three-person panel of judges (appointed by me) will be selecting a total of (3) winners from ...

Kershaw Up, Loaiza Down, Celebrations All Around!

Sat, 24 May 2008 18:34:12 -0500

Rejoice! Clayton Kershaw's call up is now confirmed, Esteban Loaiza's release is now a reality, and Yhenzy Brazoban can now work towards recovery in the minors. "The Dodgers' youth movement hit another milestone Saturday when 20-year-old left-hander Clayton Kershaw was promoted to the Major Leagues from Double-A Jacksonville. Kershaw is expected to make his debut in a Sunday start against the St. Louis Cardinals. To make room for Kershaw on the 40-man Major League ros...

Will Clayton Kershaw Get the Call? Can Soria Pitch in the Rotation?

Thu, 08 May 2008 13:16:40 -0500

The Los Angeles Times reports that the Dodgers placed starting pitcher Esteban Loaiza on the disabled list because of tightness in his right shoulder. Injuries to has-been starters like Loaiza typically don't make headlines - even in Los Angeles - but in this case, it means the possibility of super-prospect Clayton Kershaw getting the call from Double-A Jacksonville....

Andruw Jones Part Two

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 23:24:05 -0500

Ok. We've all had some time to think now. Sooooo?? What's everybody thinking? Here's what EJ says: "Great pick up. No reason to be nervous, Jones played with an injured elbow last season but according to many including SI is already healed completely and projected to return to form next year. That injury allowed us to get him for only 2 years so besides the high yearly price this is all positive for the Dodgers." I've had time to think, and I don't know guys, I agree. I think it's an absolutely marvelous pick up. The more time I have to sit and actually think about it, the more incredible it gets. I got a call at like one in the morning the night the Jones signing was announced from my best Dodger Buddy Brett. He was freakin' out. He was yelling at me, screaming like a madman, all pissed off. He didn't get it. He didn't understand why we would go ahead and sign Andruw Jones to this insane contract when we just signed Pierre last year, and we have two absolute booming studs in Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. He was furious. My buddy, Dillon, he doesn't get it. He hates the deal. He doesn't think Andruw Jones is that good. He thinks he's past his prime, and he doesn't want to see us trade either of our young superstars. I didn't really get it at first either. But I'm smarter than these Jokers? Here's the deal, my initial (positive) reaction was, Ok. Good. Now we have a bat in the middle of our lineup that people are legitimately scared of. I thought, ok, so even if Andruw Jones hits .222 again, people still have no interest in throwing to him. I know I wouldn't. I thought it would be alright, because I knew that there was no way we could go into this season the way we went into last season. I knew, and still know, that we absolutely 100% needed a bat in the middle of our lineup, because no one is scared of Jeff Kent and Nomar anymore. That's what I thought Andruw Jones would be good for. The more time I get, the more incredible I start to realize that this deal actually is. People are starting to say that he was injured all last year. Say what you want, go ahead Angel fans, but if he really is past his prime, then where was that tail off? Yes, last year he did hit .222, and he did only have 26 Home Runs (Only?). Say what you need to say. That being said, the year before, he hit 41 Jacks with a .531 SLG to go along with a career high 129 RBIs. A Career High!!! The year before that he had a career high 51 Jacks to go with his 128 RBIs. Those are two absolute career years right before this one off year that he just so happened to have in a contract season, which is weird? Or is it? Maybe he was actually playing very hurt, and he still managed to get in 154 games, o, and get 94 RBIs, which would have easily been tops for the Dodgers. I'm loving this deal right now, and the best part about it is that we managed to find a way to only sign him for two years. Yea, it's super expensive, but that's fine, we can afford it. He's here for two years, and when he's done he'll be 32 or 33 years old, and looking for a 5-7 year deal to wind down his career in style. We're not gonna do that? We have him here for the next two years, so he can work his butt off, thrive under Joe Torre, and prove to the Baseball World that Andruw Jones can still play a little baseball. He's gonna work hard, and he's gonna be great. Not to mention he's the greatest defensive Center Fielder of this decade (making Griffey the 90's), and a tremendous upgrade for us. Juan Pierre cannot play Center Field in Dodger Stadium, and although Matt Kemp has the tools, and trust me he does, he's a little bit too raw, and little bit too eager to be thrown into Center this early. As long as he's on the roster when Opening Day hits, he can continue to grow as a Right Fielder, and focus a lot more of his attention on hitting, which truthfully is what we need him doing most. Here comes the tricky part. There's still four of them. Back to EJ: "Only problem is Pierre. Colletti must realize that Pierre is a sunk cost and dump Pierre, or else we won't feel the full impact of adding Jones. Can you imagine an outfield of Ethier, Jones, and Kemp? Or how bout Delwyn Young, Jones, and Kemp? We would kill the NL West. With better options, Pierre should not be starting. Period. Especially at LF." Another Reader, Bullet Bill: "Play Pierre in Left and bat him lead off. Drop Furcal in the batting order. Trade Ethier for a middle reliever or sit him as PH or back up to Kemp. Play Kemp full time." Lastly, Joe's response: "Play Pierre at LF and bat him lead off? I don't think so. I still believe an outfield of Ethier, Kemp and Jones will be a very potent outfield. Juan Pierre should be the best paid bench player. Its just how it is unless they buy his contract off and he can go play elsewhere. I don't care what they do just don't trade Ethier or Kemp. These are talented young players and we need them. What's going to happen in two years when Jones' contract expires and he seeks a 5-7 year deal? We're left without Jones and without Kemp or Ethier? No way!!! Keep these kids? they are the future!" This is a huge problem. Absolutely. The further away we get from the Jones signing, the more people are talking, and the more people are saying that we can possibly find a way to dump Juan Pierre. Ok. Fine. Who would want him? Can we find a way to make this happen? I would give absolutely anything to find a way to keep both Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp not only with the Dodgers, but also in starting roles. I think they would grow and continue to flourish together, and I think it would be incredible for the clubhouse chemistry if these guys were handed starting jobs at the same time instead of having to compete for playing time and grow to hate each other. I think they can be best friends, they're both really cool? I want them as friends. That being said, last year Juan Pierre had almost 100 more At-Bats than any other Dodger. He played in 162 games, he's Mr. Durability, and he led the team with 196 Hits. Russ was second with 158. He had 64 Stolen Bases, Furcal was second with 25. I know he hit .293 with a .331 OBP and that pisses everyone off. Just relax. Everyone is so quick to hate Juan Pierre that they don't really understand how good he actually was for us. If he can find a way to get on base over 220 times again, and get 64 extra bags, how many Runs is he going to score with Andruw Jones hitting behind him? 6,000? I don't want to trade Andre Ethier or Matt Kemp either, but Juan Pierre could be great in front of Andruw Jones. And what if Furcal is finally healthy in his contract year? Those two "rabbits" as Vin calls them could be out of control. I mean, I don't know what to think, I'm not making the decisions in the front office, but I do know this: We have four very good outfielders under contract for 2008, and that includes Juan Pierre. We only have three above average pitchers, that doesn't include Esteban Loaiza, or Jason Schmidt. Why should it? We just lost Randy Wolf, and I have no idea what the deal is going to be with Schmidt. We need a Starting Pitcher. Bad. If we have to trade somebody, so be it. It sounds like most people would like it to Juan Pierre, and I probably would say that too if I had to choose somebody. But if we do end up trading Ethier, or God Forbid Matt Kemp, just remember how effective Juan Pierre could potentially be with a heavy-hitting Jones behind him. Anyway, that was all on second thought. I'm sure once I publish this some other crazy stuff will go down. Here's a link my mom sent me, it's called 20 Questions. If you click on the Sports one, you can think of any player ever, or anything related to Sports, and it asks you questions to try and figure out who you're thinking about. I chose Mark Lemke and it found a way to get the right answer. Mark Lemke. Puh-retty cool. Enjoy?

Thu, 24 Aug 2006 16:33:00 -0500

Loaiza!Last night Esteban Loaiza pitched a complete game shutout! That was the sort of thing the A's were looking for when they got him. Wow. So the A's get 2 of 3 in Toronto and get outa town. Monday they came back from an 8-0 deficit to win 12-10. I couldn't believe when I got home monday night, it was 8-7 Jays, and the starter, Haren was still in there. Even the game they lost, they

Look Back at 2006's Free Agent Pitching Buffet

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 07:16:25 -0500

I hope you like expensive buffets with shitty food. It's almost humorous to read through this list of terrible free agent signings.

A's Add Another Drunken Idiot to Their Roster

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 02:48:18 -0500

Last week Esteban Loaiza was arrested for DUI. This week the A's signed Scott Sauerbeck, who was arrested earlier this month for letting someone drive his car drunk. He was also charged with obstructing justice -- he ran from the cops and hid under some bushes before he was caught. The A's got him on the cheap, obligated only to pay a prorated portion of the league minimum salary. And they do need help in the bullpen now that Steve Karsay has retired. But I question the front offic...

Loaiza lands in Oakland

Wed, 30 Nov 2005 02:00:00 -0500

Imagine for a few minutes the career path of a B-list television actor. You struggle early in your career, playing bit roles and tooling around comedy clubs but then get your big break as the lead role in a network sitcom. The show is good enough to last a few seasons, not long enough to land you big residuals once it goes into syndication, but long enough for you to get typecast. So the next thing you know, you’re sitting around Hollywood basements tossing cards around with guys like Dustin ...