http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/948 Recent articles about Reggie Willits en-us Jon Lester does it again! The Angels failed on the suicide squeeze and Jed Lowrie drove in the series winning run in the 9th! Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:01:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/346207 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/346207 Wanted to wait to post this when I got some photos and finally did. One of our guys took a couple nice shots I'd thought I'd share. One of the days we were in DC, a few of us players (Reggie Willits, Justin Speier, Robb Quinlan) and staff got a tour of the White House, mostly the East Wing and some of the West Wing. I really had to pinch myself because it was surreal. I guess since 9/11 they don't do public tours so I definitely felt privileged to be there. We got a chance to see the Oval Office and the Rose Garden during our visit back in 2003 after we won the World Series but this time we spent about two hours there. Our tour guide was a former sniper with the secret service. This guy was great, knew all the ins and outs to the White House and gave us some great insight. He took us down to the basement where there is a bowling alley. I got to roll a ball and left three pins standing. You know I would have picked up the spare but we each threw just one. Parts of the White House were closed because the President was visiting with the Prime Minister from Vietnam. We saw all the formal rooms which were very regal looking, the red room, the blue room and the green room. We also saw the Oval Office and some of the other rooms in the White House. The whole time I kept thinking about how many famous people had stepped foot in this building and how many important and private discussions regarding our country took place. I had a sense of pride walking through there as an American citizen. It truly was an experience of a lifetime. Thanks for reading the blog y'all. Got the Rangers tonight. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:22:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286960 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286960 The Red Sox hold team options on Manny — $20 million per year in 2009 and 2010 — so he can't opt out like A-Rod did last year. So what's Boras's role here? Theo Epstein has said the Sox will wait until after the season before making a decision about Manny's 2009 option. The only reason Ramirez would need a negotiator like Boras is if the Red Sox were willing to sign him to a long-term deal. Hmmm. Sat, 23 Feb 2008 12:00:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/162400 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/162400 Etch a player in your Kitchen Table and I promise you will not forget to watch them in the spring.As the days go by this Column will be UPDATED..so continue to come back Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:38:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/133267 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/133267 Going into this off season I had the idea that the Twins were either keeping Torii or Johan, but not both. Bill Smith, who took over for long time GM Terry Ryan, started off his career by choosing not to re-sign Torii Hunter. Soon after he stated that it was the team's priority to sign Santana long term, but as soon as I heard the Yankees and Twins were beginning talks for him I wondered what he was doing. Was he really prepared to get mentioned in the same sentence as Kevin McHale, as in hated Minnesota sports GMs... Then he comes out and pulls the trigger on this trade, both sides swapping players with very large upsides. I really like this trade and I think that Minnesota got the better end of this deal. Both have maturity issues, but I think Twins coaching settled Garza down which lead to his performance at the Major League level. Young had some issues at the end of last season when Madden chose to bench him, Young responded that, "He was out of here" (he apologized the next day). When I think of Young's maturity problems I also think of who he was on the roster with, fellow trouble makers in BJ Upton and model citizen Elijah Dukes. I think that the Minnesota Clubhouse is very nurturing towards young players and Young should thrive in the clubhouse and on the field in Minnesota (too bad he doesn't have Torii there to mentor him). The rest of the trade is pretty even, Harris for Bartlett and Pridie (OF, AAA) for Morlan (RP, AA). Harris put up some pretty impressive numbers with little protection in the Rays lineup. Bartlett has also shown some improvement offensively and had a good defensive season last year. Batting in front of Mauer helps out, too. Pridie raked in AAA last year hitting .318 with 10 HRs and 39 RBIs, while Morlan has a 3.10 ERA in 69.2 IP. New on the trading block is Joe Nathan which really shows me that Bill Smith may have had a plan all along. He's showing that he is willing to deal the young pitching, something that Terry Ryan hoarded from the rest of the league as trade deadlines approached with holes the Twins offense. Smith ended up making the right call on Hunter as well, no way he is worth that kind of money. As far as the Santana trade goes, the Dodger deal interests me the most. The combination of Kemp, LaRoche, and Kershaw is definitely worth Santana, but do the Dodgers want another Ace? Second on the list is the Angels who have said they'd be willing to offer one of their young studs (Weaver, Santana, Saunders, or Adenhart) along with Brandon Wood and Reggie Willits. The Yankee trade doesn't interest me at all unless Cano and Chamberlain are involved, and I think (hope) the Twins have idea. The trade that would makes me drool would be Ellsbury and Buchholz from Boston for Santana, but I doubt Boston even thinks about trading them. How scary is a Santana Beckett, 1-2 punch sound. I saw another article posted (larryb33) on here where a Twins beat writer suggested a trade that involved the following: Twins: Johan Santana Joe Nathan Carlos Silva Red Sox: Pedroia Papelbon Lester Ellsbury Can you say delusional? Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:38:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/39326 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/39326 ANAHEIM -- Club owner Arte Moreno made it crystal clear on Wednesday where the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim stand with regard to Florida Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera, the biggest fish in the Major League marketplace. "I've felt we had a deal with them twice," Moreno said of the Marlins, who apparently cut bait and decided they needed more in exchange for the 24-year-old slugger. The door remains open to a Cabrera deal materializing with the Winter Meetings opening on Monday in Nashville, Tenn., but Moreno seemed frustrated with the negotiations with Florida. "It's going to be hard to give up that talent," he said. "They're doing it to everybody. I read that the Dodgers' [general manager] Ned Colletti had a deal, and they changed [players] on him. "They've maneuvered us against each other. They've got a 24-year-old power hitter who plays third base, and you've got about six teams that need a third baseman. "They're asking for four Major League players -- three Major League players and a pitcher, or two pitchers and two players. He is arbitration-eligible this year -- $12 million-plus -- and then you've got to re-sign him." Moreno said he leaves the negotiations to new general manager Tony Reagins and his staff, adding that they come to him when "it's time to talk about money." Among the names frequently linked to the Marlins in the talks are the three young gems of the organization -- second baseman Howard Kendrick, shortstop/third baseman Brandon Wood and pitcher Nick Adenhart. Others who have surfaced in the dialogues include starters Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana, catcher Jeff Mathis, outfielder Reggie Willits and infielder Maicer Izturis. The Angels already have exceeded their projected budget -- projected at about $125 million -- the owner said. But he'd consider signing off on more home improvements if he felt they'd enhance the club not only for 2008 but for years beyond. "If you're looking at straight budget, we're over budget," Moreno said. "Yeah, I would [lose money] if I need to. It would be short-term. "We did that in '04. We were losing $20 million and people thought I was the stupidest guy on Earth when I signed all those guys [Bartolo Colon, Orlando Cabrera, extending Vladimir Guerrero]. You have to believe long-term it's going to be a good investment. We felt we needed to step to the next level." "The next question is, `Does the right player fall into place?' Obviously, the big question is [Miguel] Cabrera." For Moreno, it appears to be 2004 revisited with the stunning signing of center fielder Torii Hunter on Thanksgiving eve to a five-year, $90 million free-agent contract. This was largely the result of recent frustrations, Moreno said, in trying to acquire high-profile talent over the winter. "We got so fond of one player, and then the market moved away from us," he said, referring to the Angels' pursuit last winter of free agent Alfonso Soriano, who signed with the Chicago Cubs. "I don't want to do something that sets us back. We made an unbelievable move with Torii Hunter and didn't give away any of our kids." Moreno also feels the acquisition of starting pitcher Jon Garland, 28, from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for shortstop Orlando Cabrera, 33, will prove to be a positive move. "You never have too much pitching -- and we're young," Moreno said, adding that he's enthused with the prospect of Erick Aybar, Izturis and possibly Wood taking over at shortstop for Cabrera, a Rawlings Gold Glove winner. "Our baseball people feel Aybar is ready -- Aybar slash Izturis," Moreno said. "Brandon Wood, we keep trying to move him to third, and our scouts tell us he's a Major League shortstop." Who's on third? Chone Figgins ... or Miguel Cabrera. That's the one that remains unresolved. Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:49:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/39278 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/39278 Looks like the Angels are the front runners for Miguel Cabrera, they have the most chips, pretty steep price but the Angels offense is much improved if they get Cabrera, with the addition of Hunter, Vlad may have some protection for once. "If the Marlins don't budge from their four-player demand for Miguel Cabrera, here's one potential return from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: second baseman Howie Kendrick, catcher Jeff Mathis, outfielder Reggie Willits and a pitcher, anyone from Ervin Santana to Joe Saunders to Nick Adenhart." Mon, 26 Nov 2007 12:50:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/38679 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/38679 We must admit to ourselves that the 2007 fantasy baseball season is coming to an end. FIO staff writer takes a look back at some of the "hits and misses" (overachievers and underachievers) from fantasy baseball this year. Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:20:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/26943 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/26943 The waiver wire is a key to your success. One waiver wire find could help you all the way to the playoffs if he has a big season. Here are my top players who you could possibly find on waivers that could make an impact for your team. Troy Tulowitzki SS Rockies: Tulowitzki has really heated up these last couple weeks and could have a big impact as a utility player on your team. He is batting .285 with 10 homers and 40 rbi's those are pretty solid numbers for a free agent. Reggie Willits OF Angels: If you need stolen bases this is a great pickup for you as Willits has 18 stolen bases which is almost as much as Carl Crawford who was a first round pick. He also has a high batting average at .313. Willits doesn't get that many rbi's but not many people have his skills at base stealing. Tom Gorzelanny P Pirates: You don't usually look to the Pirates for fantasy success but Gorzelanny has provided so far this year. He has 9 wins to go along with a 3.24 era and a whip below 1.24. He is a solid 4 or 5 starter for your team and could win around 16 games. Sun, 15 Jul 2007 17:43:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/19749 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/19749 Well let's say building the batting cage before the rest of the house was finished was a great idea considering the success Mr. Willits has had this year. His wife gets big props for letting this happen, I am not sure there are many out there that would support this Mon, 02 Jul 2007 08:00:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/18202 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/18202 The GNUru yet again provides fantasy baseball lineup advice to those in weekly leagues. Included are the GNUru's hot hitters and pitchers, in addition to those pitcher schedule to make 2 starts. Sun, 24 Jun 2007 23:53:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/17246 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/17246 One of the biggest keys to our offense and our scoring runs early has been Reggie Willits. He always gets on base. Everytime you look up he works the count to 3 and 2 and then he either walks or gets a hit. And right behind him, Orlando Cabrera is a great situational hitter. He puts runners in scoring position. It's all about getting runners on in front of Vlady. He does the damage. Just look at what happened in the fifth last night. Reggie gets on to start the inning, Orlando follows and Vlady hits it out to put us up for good. That's what I'm talking about. We have been doing a lot of that early, scoring runs in the first inning. b0rd3rline asked me a question about the early run support and how it helps the pitchers. It gives the pitcher more confidence to just throw strikes. When you have runs on the board you know that one pitch isn't going to kill you so you can be a little more aggressive. Most pitchers are at their best when they're aggressive and having the lead early helps you do that. Thu, 31 May 2007 15:33:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/15107 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/15107 Our offense has been working really well and Reggie Willits has been a big part of that. When our offense is working it starts at the top. Vlady is great no matter what, but he is really dangerous with guys on base. We need to get runners on in front of him so that he can really do his damage. Reggie has been great getting on base and it has made a huge difference. We know that he won't be able to hit .370 for the season but there are other things he does that help the offense. He really makes the pitchers work. He'll get six or seven pitches each at bat, which helps everyone else in the lineup. It allows the other guys to see more pitches and get a better feel for what the pitcher is doing. It also helps us get into the other team's bullpen earlier and when you do that the chances of winning go up. Garrett Anderson is going to come back and he'll be on the field, but I'm telling you now, don't look for Reggie to come out of the lineup. They'll figure something out because Scioscia is really happy with him. He's a really good situational hitter and that fits in well with Scioscia's philosophy. It wasn't that long ago when the media was on Hatcher because our offense was struggling. We knew we'd come back because we have too many guys with good track records. That's just the way the media is, when things aren't working they have to blame or question somebody and it got blown up. It was definitely unfair to Hatcher. He works hard in the cage throwing to those guys. It's up to the guys to perform. Now all of a sudden he's smarter because we're scoring runs. In reality, he does a good job all the time. Tue, 22 May 2007 04:17:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/14484 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/14484