Tag: MLB

David Price Continues Good Will Tour, Rips 69-Year-Old Red Sox Reporter Jonny Miller

By on • ( 2 Comments )

Just to set up this blog, I’m not going to bury the lede (thats a Big J Journalism term) so you can see what David Price has been up to lately.

I really don’t want to keep doing this, David. It brings me no joy. I don’t enjoy the, often deserved, reputation of Boston as an overly critical and negative town.

It drives away plenty of players before they even give the city a chance. But it also breaks people, which is why Boston is such a die-hard city. If you can make it in the media fishbowl that is Boston, then you are forever a folk hero in the city that founded America. Not a bad trade off I’d say.

So I can understand to a certain extent some of the resentment David Price harbors for the Boston media. When he doesn’t perform he gets raked over the coals. But hey, thats the tradeoff when you make $30 Million a year. I’d let people be mean to me on the radio if it meant I could clear $30,000,000 a year.

Where Price gets into trouble though is he goes looking for these problems, drumming shit up with the media. I can hold a good grudge so I get it. But, buddy you’re (potentially) here for four more years. You get more bees with honey than vinegar. Build bridges, don’t burn them. Etc. Etc. So just when he’s starting to pitch well the past several starts the talk around Price dies down and people start to wonder if hey maybe he’s turning a corner.

Then he tries to roast 69-year-old Jonny Miller, a guy who has been covering the Red Sox for 40 fucking years. Yuck.

Now for most guys in the media they can take it and probably deserve it. You wanna throw a tantrum and yell at Evan Drellich in the clubhouse? Have at it. You wanna grandstand and yell at MLB Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley because you don’t like what he says on TV? Sure. Does that make you a dickhead, yup, but sure. Do you really need to shit talk Jonny Miller? Especially after the guy asked why you were pitching so WELL?

Whatever, pitch lights out in October and you can be a glorious dickhead a la John Lackey or Josh Beckett. Until then, pipe down.

In the meantime though, buy a YUCK shirt.

After Some PR Disasters, This Actually Isn’t a Bad Idea from Marlins Owner Derek Jeter

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Yahoo – Miami Marlins part owner Derek Jeter has an idea that could bring the team closer together. Jeter will require the American-born coaches and players to take Spanish lessons, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN. The initiative from Jeter will not only help players in the organization communicate better, but will also bring the team closer with the city of Miami, according to ESPN.

With one PR blunder after the other, when I saw the headline that Jeter was forcing the entire Marlins organization to do X, I thought oh God what did this dude do now. Apparently he’s requiring everyone, from the players to the coaches to the executives, take Spanish lessons.

“As the Marlins’ young Latin American players take English lessons, the American-born players and coaches will be required to learn Spanish.

On Thursday, Jeter hauled a bunch of vice presidents into a room for the first of what will be regular weekly lessons in Español.

“… Everybody expects the Latin players to make an effort to speak English. Well, especially here in Miami, if you don’t speak Spanish, you don’t fit in. I think it’s important.’”

As the story notes, Latino players make up 31.9% of Major League Baseball, add to that the fact that the Marlins play in Miami, which is 70% Hispanic or Latino. So yea, actually not a bad idea from Jeets.

The last thing you want is to be like Tom Selleck in the 1992 classic, Mr. Baseball, sitting at the end of the bench by yourself. Oh you didn’t see that movie? It got a 13% on Rotten Tomatoes so I can’t see why you might not pick up on that obscure reference. Basically Tom Selleck goes to play baseball in Japan and can’t understand a goddamn word anyone is saying and is miserable.

Sneaky racist 1990’s movie poster too.

Of course he eventually learns the universal language of baseball (and some Japanese) to bond with his new teammates as (SPOILER) the Chunichi Dragons win the pennant.

Hey, HBO plays a lot of random shit on hungover Saturday mornings…

The Oakland A’s Just Got Rid of Season Tickets, Introducing a Whole New System

By on • ( Leave a comment )

SFGate – The A’s, perennially near the bottom in major-league attendance, are getting creative about selling tickets for next season. They scrapped their traditional season-ticket format and are introducing a more flexible system in which fans will have a variety of options at every home game.  It’s called A’s Access, and memberships will go on sale at 9 a.m. Friday. “A’s Access is the first program of its kind,” COO Chris Giles said. “From access to every game to special member concessions pricing, we’re focused on maximizing the value proposition for members. We are inviting our fans to truly become members of the A’s.”

First Moneyball, now this. Billy Beane strikes again!

If you can’t be good be interesting, or in this case, super convenient. Papa Giorgio and I have debated for years about going in on Red Sox season tickets, but its such a commitment. Aside from the exorbitant price of course, you have to commit to 81 games, and all the expenses that go with it. Beer, food, merch. It adds up to a fat bill quick.

Well the A’s have addressed all of that because they probably realize nobody is going to sign off on going to 81 Athletics games. This ain’t 2002.

So they flipped the script and introduced this new flexible membership plan.

“The program provides members general-admission access to every game, a reserved-seat plan and additional benefits including half-price concessions, 25 percent off merchandise and upgrade credits for games not included in a reserved-ticket plan.”

General Admission access is a great idea, especially for a team that is at the bottom of the league in attendance. Whats the point in charging a guy who buys tickets in the last row in the nosebleeds significantly less than the guy who buys tickets in the first row of the nosebleeds? If no one shows up those guys are gonna be sitting next to each other anyways. (Unless you’re one of those weirdos who sits in his obscure seat despite open seats everywhere around you.)

So just split the difference and offer GA and let people basically sit wherever they want with the option to upgrade and reserve seats for the high rollers.

Now this is where the perks get good.

“Plans begin at $240, and pricing includes $4 beers, $3 hot dogs and $2.50 sodas. Current season-ticket holders can renew under the new program. A 12-month payment plan is available.”

FOUR DOLLAR BEERS?! Thats worth the price of admission alone.

I’m terrible at math so I’m certainly not going to do this exercise, but lets say you went out to the bar 81 times between April and September. I bet you would save significant money just going to the A’s games instead and getting cocked on $4 beers, even when you factor in the ticket price. I’m just going to take that as fact.

Add in $3 dogs, $2.50 sodas and 25% off merch and I am ready to move to the Bay Area (not Oakland because I want to live) and become an A’s fan to take advantage.

Plus this ticket package beats the hell out of what their neighbors the Golden State Warriors introduced last year.

The sales and marketing team got a little cocky at the end though.

“The ticket department, confident the A’s will overtake teams above them in the standings, said fans buying the A’s Access plan for 2019 will get first crack at 2018 postseason tickets.”

MLB Trade Deadline Day: Red Sox Trade for Second Baseman Ian Kinsler

By on • ( Leave a comment )

In the midst of walking off with their 75th win of the season, the Red Sox and Dave Dombrowksi were working the phones and acquired second baseman Ian Kinsler from the Angels while most of us were sleeping.

The Sox PR team wasted no time in announcing the trade as I got this email at 1:02 AM.

Now I know what you’re thinking, no, Ian Kinsler is not a relief pitcher. The Indians, Astros, and Yankees continue to load up on bullpen arms while the Sox are doubling down on whats gotten them this far; hitting the shit out of the ball. So while I would like to see the Sox acquire some arms for the pen, barring any deadline day deals it doesn’t seem to be a top priority for them.

I guess the thinking is you can just take whoever doesn’t make the playoff rotation and throw them in the pen with the rest of that motley crew. So take Nathan Eovaldi, Drew Pomeranz, and Hector Velazquez and have them handle some innings in the playoffs. It worked with David Price last year, but I’m also not crazy about throwing starting pitchers into high leverage relief situations in October and hoping for the best.

Anyways, Kinsler is a big name and a 4-time All-Star with more pop than your typical second baseman. Similar to my old favorite Dan Uggla, except Kinsler is actually a pretty slick fielder having won a Gold Glove in 2016. He’s not the same guy he used to be as he’s now 36-years-old, but I like the addition.

He’s batting a weak .239 on the year, but if you factor out a slow start to the season he’s been pretty good the past 2 months.

“In 51 games since May 29, the right-handed batter has hit .286 (57-for-199) with an .866 OPS, including .417 (20-for-48) with a 1.137 OPS in his last 13 games.”

Incredible irony in the move though as Kinsler is taking over for the injured Dustin Pedroia at second base, years after Pedroia took Kinsler’s job.

“Pedroia and Kinsler were teammates in college at Arizona State, where Pedroia took over Kinsler’s starting shortstop spot in 2002. Kinsler then transferred to Missouri the following year.”

For all the hype “Dealer Dave” gets he sure does love trading for the same players over and over again, having traded for Kinsler when he was with the Tigers in 2013.

Unfortunately this probably takes the Sox out of the running for old friend Adrian Beltre as the Kinsler move frees up Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez to platoon at third in Rafael Devers’ absence.

We’ve got just a few hours before the Trade Deadline so we’ll keep our eyes peeled for any additional moves the Red Sox make today.

Matt Barnes Spills the Beans on Craig Kimbrel’s Secret Workout

By on • ( Leave a comment )

NESN – Some Major League Baseball players like to wind down after games. Not Craig Kimbrel. The Red Sox closer has been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball for the last decade, and it’s perhaps due in large to his impressive work ethic, which fellow Boston reliever Matt Barnes recently shed light on in a conversation with Chad Jennings of The Athletic. “Every game after he pitches, it doesn’t matter if it’s 1 o’clock in the morning or it’s 3:30 in the afternoon, (Kimbrel)’s going to go upstairs and he’s going to run a mile on the treadmill,” Barnes told Jennings. “Every game. One mile.” MLB players can be creatures of habit, with each having a specific gameday routine. Kimbrel just so happens to do more after games than before games, and it’s a strategy that’s worked well for the seven-time All-Star.

Thats it? Really?

So let me get this straight, Matt. The reason Craig Kimbrel has been one of the most dominant closers in the game for years is because he runs after the game? One mile? I am far from a peak athletic specimen, but what does that take him like seven minutes tops? That lede had me all jacked up thinking there was going to be some psychotic Tiger Woods running in combat boots military workout. Nope, he just heads upstairs to the treadmill to run one mile after pitching for like 10 minutes. Well shit, theres the secret guys. Not HIIT cardio, not running iron mans, just a solid 1,600 meters ought to do it.

Yankees Add Stud Closer Zach Britton, Red Sox Continue to Do Nothing

By on • ( Leave a comment )

This is a headline that seems to be repeating itself over and over again like we’re in the damn Matrix. American League team x adds a weapon for the stretch run, Red Sox do nothing. The Indians added Brad Hand, the Yankees added Zach Britton, and the Astros continue to be on the hunt for bullpen arms with a deep farm system to deal from. Of course this all stems back to Dave Dombrowski absolutely gutting the Sox farm system.

Now those trades were made to acquire Craig Kimbrel and Chris Sale, which have worked out pretty well, but this is why I am pro-prospect. Big Z and I argue about this constantly on The 300s Podcast. He wants to dish prospects all day every day because most of them don’t pan out, which I understand. But in my opinion, prospects are more about their perceived value than their actual intrinsic value. They are poker chips. Some of them turn into Mookie Betts, others fizzle into Casey Kelly. So, no you can’t hold onto all of them, but to trade away so many of your top prospects in 2 years is just risky.

—Begin Pomeranz Rant—

This is why the Drew Pomeranz trade still bugs me. The Sox traded Anderson Espinoza, who was their top pitching prospect, straight up for the NL All-Star, who was in his first year as a starter and known to have injury issues. In 2+ seasons with Boston, Pomeranz has posted ERAs of 4.78, 3.84, and 5.70 this year.

Not to mention he’s hit the DL four different times since joining the Red Sox. Excellent trade, Dave!

Now Espinoza actually pitched pretty poorly in the Padres system before blowing out his elbow in 2017, but thats besides the point. I wasn’t against trading Espinoza because I thought he was the second coming of Pedro, I was against trading our top pitching prospect (and No. 73 prospect in all of baseball in 2016 after his first pro season) for a guy with an injury history (which the Padres’ GM was suspended for lying about) and a minuscule track record of success. Espinoza was a blue chip prospect and should have gotten a better return.

This is also why I’m always hesitant to trade from pitchers from the NL, unless they are studs with a pedigree because jumping from the NL to the AL East almost always adds a run onto a pitchers ERA. In the first half of 2016 with the Padres, Pomeranz had an ERA of 3.15, which ballooned to 4.78 for the Sox in the second half. Not impressed, Dave.

—End of Pomeranz Rant—

The Sox are an offensive juggernaut this year with a Cy Young candidate ace, pretty good starting pitching behind him, and a dominant closer. Outside of Kimbrel though their bullpen is a high wire act every night. So now the Sox, one of the best and most expensive teams in baseball, can’t make a deal for a Snickers bar because their farm system is full of JV players.

If they bow out early in the playoffs yet again because their bullpen implodes then Dombrowski should absolutely be on the hot seat. The guy who comes into town with his beautiful lettuce and does nothing but trade away top prospects and sign the highest price free agents hasn’t proved anything to me since he got here in 2015. Tony Mazz laid it out pretty well in this article from the other day. Not to mention, the biggest knock against Dombrowski over the years has been his inability to build a great bullpen. Great…

This team as currently constituted will not win a World Series, especially not with their direct competition adding weapons like Zach Britton right in their face. But, I don’t know what the Sox can really do aside from picking someone off the scrap heap and hoping to catch lightning in a bottle like they did with Doug Fister last year. If this team doesn’t make a significant move, wins 100+ games, and gets bounced in the first round again then someone needs to get fired.

The 300s Podcast: Did Tom Brady Lift the TB12 Method from Entourage?

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Anytime I can weave the Red Sox, Comic Books, Tom Brady, and Entourage into a discussion I will do it. Every. Single. Time.

Is This the End for Dustin Pedroia?

By on • ( 5 Comments )

ESPN – Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has doubts about whether he’ll be able to return this season as he continues to recover from major reconstructive knee surgery in the offseason. Pedroia, 34, returned to the lineup on May 26 but was back on the disabled list on June 2 with soreness in his knee. He is headed to Arizona to continue his rehabilitation treatment.

The Red Sox have not ruled Dustin Pedroia out for the year. In fact Alex Cora even said he expects to see Pedroia back on the field this year, but Pedey himself was much more cynical when asked about his return date.

“I’ve healed quick with every other injury I’ve had. But this is obviously different,” Pedroia told reporters Wednesday. “You can’t risk it. If I come back too early and the graft fails, then that’s it.”

That is scary. That sounds like a guy who is seriously concerned about his ability to recover from an injury. Forget returning to previous form, that is a guy who sounds like he might be done entirely.

It all goes back to the ominous quote from Dave Dombrowski last year when Pedroia injured his knee.

“The problem for Dustin is and will be, he has a bad knee. He’s had it for years. He’s going to have to deal with that and he does…but he has a bad knee that he’s going to have to watch and we’re going to have to watch for the rest of his career.”

At the time it was kind of out of left field. Sure we all knew Pedroia was constantly battling injuries, but I thought they were just an undersized dirt dog getting banged up from various ailments. Turns out it was a chronic knee issue and Dombrowski let it slip before any of the fans in town even realized.

So Pedroia seems to now be in wait and see mode as there’s not really much you can do to speed up recovery from a knee injury other than flying to Germany to get the A-Rod/Peyton Manning special sauce. For now he’ll chill out in Arizona and rehab at his own speed, but I doubt we see him back on the field at Fenway in 2018.

So if he does miss the rest of the year then what are the prospects for a 35 year old coming off a knee injury regaining his form next season? Can’t be great, right?

It’s something we discussed on The 300s Podcast on a recent episode; the days of Dustin Pedroia as your starting second baseman may be gone. Because when healthy, Pedroia can still absolutely mash and is one of the toughest outs in baseball, but therein lies the problem; Pedroia is rarely healthy anymore. Not even including the lost season that is 2018, in the past 3 years he’s played 105, 154, and 93 games. So in the past 3+ seasons he’s played more than 105 games once. Not a great trend.

The best option for Pedroia may be to accept a utility role and even then the Red Sox may be less than thrilled paying a guy $12-$15 million per year to play 75 games. But, hey that contract of 8 years for $110M was a fucking steal at the time he signed it and anyone who says otherwise is just lying to your face. Pedroia can still hit so slip him into the DH role a couple nights a week and maybe you squeak 100 games out of the former MVP. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than the 3 games he played in 2018 (so far).

PS – Let us never forget that Pedroia’s knee injury flared up and has refused to heal since one very specific incident and that was when that dirtbag Manny Machado spiked him sliding into second last year. If you want Machado on this team then you can’t drink from my canteen.