http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/players/billy_wagner/660 Recent articles about Billy Wagner en-us Atlanta Braves reliever Jonny Venters, who hasn't thrown a pitch this regular season, will miss the 2013 season following the second Tommy John surgery of his career.  In his first two years with the Braves (2010-11), Venters was simply incredible as the primary setup man to Billy Wagner (in 2010) and Craig Kimbrel (in 2011), striking out 189 hitters in 171 innings and a 70.4% groundball rate over those two seasons with a vicious fastball/slider combination. But something happened last year, and Venters' velocity dropped below 94 while his groundball rate fell and he allowed twice as many homers in 58 2/3 innings as he did in those first two years combined. The finger of blame will likely be pointed at Braves managers Bobby Cox and Fredi Gonzalez, who ran Venters straight into the ground during his first two years. His 171 innings pitched from 2010-11 were second in baseball among relievers behind just Tyler Clippard of the Nationals, and he doesn't have anything... Thu, 16 May 2013 14:50:45 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/jonny_venters_has_second_tommy_john_surgery/13632152 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/jonny_venters_has_second_tommy_john_surgery/13632152 Jonny Venters has second Tommy John surgery http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/jonny_venters_has_second_tommy_john_surgery/13632152 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/6/465be647ba7bc41f5bb2c21b731d8d7a2dbfe1ba/mini/mlb-braves-mets.jpg I completed my eighth trade with Sam from the wonderful The Daily Dimwit. You can look back at our first foray here, second swap here, third trade here, fourth deal here, fifth exchange here, sixth encounter here, and seventh transaction here. Sam pulled a card many months ago that I had to have, and after a while I found something equivalent to send his way. We expanded our trade and had another great one in the books. You can see what I sent his way here.The meat of the trade that I saw way back when and knew I had to get. Numbered 11/18, it's a sweeeeeet triple relic from 2012 Topps Triple Threads. I love that there are two blue patch pieces and they belong to the two gentlemen on this card I care about, Messrs. Kemp and Kershaw. Why Dre got center-billing, I do not know. The relics spell out "Bleeding Blue," which accurately describes the 2013 season.Pee Wee! Wool jersey! Exclamation points!!!! Numbered 193/199, it's just the second Reese relic to call my colle... Wed, 15 May 2013 12:45:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/trade_with_the_daily_dimwit_a_triple_threads_treat_and_a_mess_of_2012_ginter/13623050 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/trade_with_the_daily_dimwit_a_triple_threads_treat_and_a_mess_of_2012_ginter/13623050 Trade With The Daily Dimwit: A Triple Threads Treat and A Mess of 2012 Ginter. http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/trade_with_the_daily_dimwit_a_triple_threads_treat_and_a_mess_of_2012_ginter/13623050 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Baseball fans, generally, are aware that strikeout rates have been increasing over the period of several years. I wouldn’t say they’re yet “out of control” — it’s not like we’ve got a league of Mark Reynolds against Billy Wagner — but some people have raised some concerns, and, additionally, they’re still trending up. There’s no telling how high the strikeout rate might go. Craig Kimbrel just became the first guy to strike out more than half of the batters he faced in a season. I suspect it won’t be too long before we see another, or at least before we see someone come close. On Thursday, we discussed evidence that home-plate umpires might be getting better at calling the strike zone. It stands to reason that could be a factor in the rising strikeout rates, since more strikes means fewer balls and you don’t need me to explain this to you, but we covered only the last few years, and also there are presumably a bunch of reasons for the hike we’ve observed. It’s not like it’s all ab Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:21:48 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/additional_contributors_to_rising_strikeouts/13030522 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/additional_contributors_to_rising_strikeouts/13030522 Additional Contributors to Rising Strikeouts http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/additional_contributors_to_rising_strikeouts/13030522 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png If you had to pick one pitcher in the game today, who would be the most dominating to face? What pitcher would strike you out the most often and give up the fewest hits and runs. When you add   ERA and WHIP, and then subtract the number of strikeouts per inning you can find who is the most dominate in the game. The lifetime leader in Power Pitching is Billy Wagner. This 5′ 10″ 180 pound left hander struck out an average of 11.9 batters per nine inning or 1.324 batters per inning. Subtract his K/inning from his lifetime ERA 2.310 plus his WHIP 0.998 and it gives Wagner the lowest Power Pitching PP number in history 1.984. The lifetime Power Pitching list was published here, one of the first stories I wrote in 2011 for 60ft6in. http://60ft6in.com/2011/01/24/power-pitching/ Nobody in the history of baseball ever struck out more than half the batters they faced in one season until Craig Kimbrel faced 231 batters and struck out 116 last year. His mark of 16.7 strikeouts per nine innings... Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:34:37 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/craig_kimbrel_greatest_power_pitcher_in_history/13002985 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/craig_kimbrel_greatest_power_pitcher_in_history/13002985 Craig Kimbrel greatest Power Pitcher in history http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/craig_kimbrel_greatest_power_pitcher_in_history/13002985 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/6/c6d6012baad4e3ce5f17a403396668c4b24fdc07/mini/6469932.jpg I had the chance to talk to New York Mets left-handed pitching prospect Jack Leathersich last week before he heads off to Port St. Lucie for the start of Spring Training. After being taken by the Mets in the 5th round of the 2011 MLB draft, Jack has now completed two solid and exciting years as a pro, and has quickly risen up the ranks of many a Mets top prospects list. The talented southpaw has posted some dazzling strikeout numbers at each level as he quickly moves through the Mets system. Jack, 22, is a well grounded young man who loves the game and has a profound respect for the art of pitching. He sees each new challenge as another opportunity to learn more about his craft and improving his approach. In my conversation with him, I could tell how important winning was to him and he often mentioned how much he wants to help his teammates and the team succeed. In our interview, we discussed how far he has come in the last two years in terms of his development and what his goals ar... Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:41:43 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/mmo_exclusive_interview_with_mets_prospect_jack_leathersich_lhp/12889888 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/mmo_exclusive_interview_with_mets_prospect_jack_leathersich_lhp/12889888 MMO Exclusive Interview With Mets Prospect Jack Leathersich, LHP http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/mmo_exclusive_interview_with_mets_prospect_jack_leathersich_lhp/12889888 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Peter Moylan, Kris Medlen and Billy Wagner pose in tribute to Braves’ closer Craig Kimbrel At the young age of 24, Craig Kimbrel has already cemented his status as one of the elite closers in all of baseball—perhaps even the best. In this season, his second full year in the big leagues, the former third round pick has put together a remarkable campaign, evolving into a legitimate Cy Young candidate despite his role as a reliever. With 42 saves and a 1.02 ERA, Kimbrel has been among the Braves’ most valuable players and among the most fascinating figures in the game today. Despite being somewhat of an underdog for the Cy Young Award, the mere fact that he’s in the conversation proves just how good he’s been. But Kimbrel’s season has been more than just Cy Young-worthy—it’s been historic. His 16.5 strikeouts per nine innings ratio is currently the best K/9 ratio ever recorded by a Major League pitcher. His .123 batting average-against is the lowest figure among MLB pitchers since 190... Tue, 02 Oct 2012 17:07:47 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/where_does_kimbrels_season_rank_all_time/11866546 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/where_does_kimbrels_season_rank_all_time/11866546 Where does Kimbrel’s season rank all-time? http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/where_does_kimbrels_season_rank_all_time/11866546 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/0/80fd3c1d9ee7bdbed563a6c1a43db3d2566d538f/mini/mlb-braves-astros-mar.jpg You may see a common time thread in the cards I’m showing: Through the K-Rod years and the whatever we have now years, I’ve grown to miss Billy Wagner. Have cards from another era (earlier/later)? Send them! elliotteichman@gmail.com Learn more about this series here. (Written 7/16) Tweet Sun, 22 Jul 2012 14:00:18 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/mets_baseball_card_of_the_day_billy_wagner/11272171 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/mets_baseball_card_of_the_day_billy_wagner/11272171 Mets Baseball Card of the Day: Billy Wagner http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/mets_baseball_card_of_the_day_billy_wagner/11272171 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Author: Andrew SwansonIt is the goal of every professional athlete to leave their respective sport on their own terms, riding off into the sunset on the heels of a championship season filled with praise and accolades. This was not the case for Billy Wagner, as his 16 year MLB career ended in pain and frustration last October as his Atlanta Braves fell to the San Francisco Giants in the 2010 divisional series.  Wagner attempted to play through a painful hip injury that plagued him over the latter part of his career, but was unable to continue and his Braves failed to stay afloat in the playoffs. The player who may be asked to fill Wagner’s shoes is Craig Kimbrel, a powerful young reliever who embodies similar stuff to his predecessor, including a high 90’s fastball and a knee buckling slider.  Drafted straight out of high school in the third round of the 2008 amateur draft, Kimbrel quickly made his way to the majors primarily due to his blazing fastball and his ability to strike batt... Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:32:33 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/sleeper_alert_craig_kimbrel/10328413 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/sleeper_alert_craig_kimbrel/10328413 Sleeper Alert: Craig Kimbrel http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/sleeper_alert_craig_kimbrel/10328413 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png So it’s been about a two and a half years since the Mets and Red Sox completed a trade that sent Billy Wagner to the Sox for two players to be named. The deal was also contingent on the Sox not picking up his $8 million option for the next season. At the time, the trade made sense to some considering the Mets decided to go through one of their classic injury phases. It always irked me though, mostly thanks to the fact that Wagner was set to become a type A free agent at the end of the year (per a MLBTR Elias rankings post.) Just who did the Red Sox take in the compensation round of the draft of the following year? Well, say hello to to consensus top 10 Red Sox prospect, Anthony Ranaudo. Ranaudo, 22, was taken with the 39th overall pick in the draft in 2010 and signed at the deadline to a bonus for about $2.55 million. The right-hander from LSU pitched his first full season in the minors last year and was up and down. He has 3 pitches (a fastball, change, curve) and he keeps them low enough that he started Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:00:08 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/reliving_the_billy_wagner_trade/10233490 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/reliving_the_billy_wagner_trade/10233490 Reliving The Billy Wagner Trade http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/reliving_the_billy_wagner_trade/10233490 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/1/c10e33cb2d6af808e2a0ceb9f9b45409af35b8a3/mini/91753513.jpg Billy Wagner is quite comfortable at home these days. His job description includes hubby, daddy, coach, handyman and occasional lay-about. But the retired former Braves closer nonetheless keeps close tabs on the man who succeeded him, Craig Kimbrel. Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:11:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/peas_in_a_pod_wagner_kimbrel_share_bond/10206532 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/peas_in_a_pod_wagner_kimbrel_share_bond/10206532 Peas in a pod: Wagner, Kimbrel share bond http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/peas_in_a_pod_wagner_kimbrel_share_bond/10206532 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/1/c10e33cb2d6af808e2a0ceb9f9b45409af35b8a3/mini/91753513.jpg Retired relief pitcher Billy Wagner maintained his stance on retirement even though the Phillies approached him after the 2011 season, he told the New York Post this weekend. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:12:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/wagner_says_phils_called_but_he_39s_still_retired/8373715 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/wagner_says_phils_called_but_he_39s_still_retired/8373715 Wagner says Phils called, but he's still retired http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/wagner_says_phils_called_but_he_39s_still_retired/8373715 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/1/c10e33cb2d6af808e2a0ceb9f9b45409af35b8a3/mini/91753513.jpg When acting as the General Manager of a baseball team, it is typically in one’s best interest to leave no stone unturned when it comes to building out a roster. Even though a move might seem obvious, (signing Albert Pujols to play first base, for instance), diligence on the part of the scouts and the front office is not only a necessity, but good business.   That’s why it’s not terribly surprising to learn that the Philadelphia Phillies reached out to former closer and current retiree, Billy Wagner, before signing Jonathan Papelbon.   From Mark Hale of the New York Post:   Wagner, who retired after a sparkling 2010 with the Braves, told The Post yesterday the Phillies called him directly after the 2011 season ended.   “It was after the regular season ... just to see if I was even contemplating coming back or had an itch or anything,” Wagner said. “I just told them, ‘No, I do not have an itch.’”   It would have been a creative, and not-so-expensive solution to the ninth inning, and... Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:49:31 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/billy_wagner_redux/8371213 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/billy_wagner_redux/8371213 Billy Wagner Redux http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/billy_wagner_redux/8371213 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/1/c10e33cb2d6af808e2a0ceb9f9b45409af35b8a3/mini/91753513.jpg Billy Wagner retired in 2010, but that didn't stop Philadelphia from trying to lure him back for next season. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 10:38:18 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/hbt_phillies_tried_to_lure_wagner_out_of_retirement/8370589 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/hbt_phillies_tried_to_lure_wagner_out_of_retirement/8370589 HBT: Phillies tried to lure Wagner out of retirement http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/hbt_phillies_tried_to_lure_wagner_out_of_retirement/8370589 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/1/c10e33cb2d6af808e2a0ceb9f9b45409af35b8a3/mini/91753513.jpg The Phillies had an outside-the-box idea before signing Jonathan Papelbon this winter.  The team called closer Billy Wagner after the season in hopes of coaxing him out of retirement, writes Mark Hale of the New York Post.  Wagner told Hale, "It was after the regular season...just to see if I was even contemplating coming back or had an itch or anything.  I just told them, 'No, I do not have an itch.'" Wagner, 40, went out on top with a 37-save season with the Braves in 2010.  He closed for the Phillies from 2004-05, after which he joined the Mets on a free agent deal.  Wagner is currently coaching junior varsity baseball and has no intention of coming out of retirement.   Mon, 28 Nov 2011 10:10:22 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/phillies_called_billy_wagner_after_season/8369113 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/phillies_called_billy_wagner_after_season/8369113 Phillies Called Billy Wagner After Season http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/phillies_called_billy_wagner_after_season/8369113 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/1/c10e33cb2d6af808e2a0ceb9f9b45409af35b8a3/mini/91753513.jpg