2017 Team USA World Baseball Classic Roster

The World Baseball Classic has begun for some teams, including the surprising Team Israel team that I have a feeling we will all be talking about a ton before this is all said and done, but we still have to wait two more days to see Team USA in action. On March 10^th Team USA will open up their WBC schedule against team Columbia and this is the roster, for your information, that Team USA will send out to the game. Keep it bookmarked just in case you need it.

Pitchers

Chris Archer, Rays

Tyler Clippard, Yankees

Danny Duffy, Royals

Sam Dyson, Rangers

Mychal Givens, Orioles

Luke Gregerson, Astros

Nate Jones, White Sox

Jake McGee, Rockies

Andrew Miller, Indians

Pat Neshek, Phillies

Tanner Roark, Nationals

David Robertson, White Sox

Marcus Stroman, Blue Jays

Catchers

Buster Posey, Giants

Jonathan Lucroy, Rangers

A.J. Ellis, Marlins

Infielders

1B Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks

1B Eric Hosmer, Royals

2B Daniel Murphy, Nationals

2B Ian Kinsler, Tigers

3B Nolan Arenado, Rockies

3B/2B Matt Carpenter, Cardinals

3B/SS Alex Bregman, Astros

SS Brandon Crawford, Giants

Outfielders

Adam Jones, Orioles

Andrew McCutchen, Pirates

Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins

Christian Yelich, Marlins

Designated Pitcher Pool

Brett Cecil, Cardinals

Michael Fulmer, Tigers

Sonny Gray, Athletics

J.A. Happ, Blue Jays

Drew Smyly, Mariners

Alex Wilson, Tigers

Random Thoughts After the GM Meetings

The general manager meetings are done and after a few days of sitting under palm trees in the Sonora

Desert resort not a whole lot got done. This is not uncommon, the big event where players move around the most is usually the winter meetings which take place next month, but it is a bit unusual to see exactly zero trades done during the four day event.

The Yankees have a viable trade piece in Brian McCann, the Pittsburgh Pirates have one also in Andrew McCutchen while the Detroit Tigers will listen to offers on anything that isn’t tied down including Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, J.D. Martinez and Victor Martinez. Chris Sale could be had from the Chicago White Sox with the right deal along with a slew of names I’m sure we the fans just aren’t hearing about.

There is an eerie calm around the league right now. Maybe it is the upcoming collective bargaining agreement that is set to expire. Maybe it’s the rumors of the luxury tax threshold potentially rising with any new CBA. Maybe it’s just the fact that the free agent class is weak and these players know it so they are going to take their time, make opposing teams sweat and ultimately bid against themselves in order to get the maximum contract.

I don’t know why but I just get a weird feeling about this offseason. It’s either going to be really great for the Yankees, great being Brian Cashman pulls off a few trades and puts an actual World Series caliber team out there for once, or a really disappointing offseason for the Yankees. One thing is for sure I don’t see how they can go another offseason without signing a free agent to a MLB deal… so stay tuned.

Predicting the 2016 Gold Glove Award Winners in MLB

Who is going to win the Gold Glove Awards in Major League Baseball this season? I truly don't know, I wouldn't have given Derek Jeter more than one personally but I guess that makes me a hater, but I am going to take a stab at it anyway. If I'm wrong tell me below in the comments section. FYI, just to get this out of the way early, I'm picking Brett Gardner no matter what the stats say. He is an amazing left fielder who should be in center field and that counts for something in my book.

American League



Catcher
James McCann
Carlos Perez
Salvador Perez

First Base
Chris Davis
Eric Hosmer
Mitch Moreland

Second Base
Robinson Cano
Ian Kinsler
Dustin Pedroia

Shortstop
Jose Iglesias
Francisco Lindor
Andrelton Simmons

Third Base
Adrian Beltre
Manny Machado
Kyle Seager


Left Field
Brett Gardner
Alex Gordon
Colby Rasmus

Center Field
Jackie Bradley Jr.
Kevin Kiermaier
Kevin Pillar

Right Field
Mookie Betts
Adam Eaton
George Springer

Pitcher
R.A. Dickey
Dallas Keuchel
Justin Verlander





National League
Catcher
Jonathan Lucroy
Yadier Molina
Buster Posey

First Base
Paul Goldschmidt
Wil Myers
Anthony Rizzo

Second Base
DJ LeMahieu
Joe Panik
Jean Segura

Shortstop
Brandon Crawford
Freddy Galvis
Addison Russell


Third Base
Nolan Arenado
Anthony Rendon
Justin Turner

Left Field
Adam Duvall,
Starling Marte
Christian Yelich

Center Field
Billy Hamilton
Odubel Herrera
Ender Inciarte

Right Field
Carlos Gonzalez
Jason Heyward
Nick Markakis

Pitcher
Jake Arrieta
Zack Greinke
Adam Wainwright



*NOTE in the first paragraph I stated who I thought would win, not necessarily who deserved it most. You know how MLB can get with their voting sometimes.

Brett Gardner a AL Gold Glove Finalist

Major League Baseball has released their finalists for the American League and National League Gold Glove Awards and one Yankee made an appearance, Brett Gardner. Here is your complete list including Gardner in the outfield. Also check out a game saving catch from Gardner during the 2016 season. Enjoy!


American League

Catcher
James McCann
Carlos Perez
Salvador Perez

First Base
Chris Davis
Eric Hosmer
Mitch Moreland

Second Base
Robinson Cano
Ian Kinsler
Dustin Pedroia

Shortstop
Jose Iglesias
Francisco Lindor
Andrelton Simmons

Third Base
Adrian Beltre
Manny Machado
Kyle Seager


Left Field
Brett Gardner
Alex Gordon
Colby Rasmus

Center Field
Jackie Bradley Jr.
Kevin Kiermaier
Kevin Pillar

Right Field
Mookie Betts
Adam Eaton
George Springer

Pitcher
R.A. Dickey
Dallas Keuchel
Justin Verlander

National League

Catcher
Jonathan Lucroy
Yadier Molina
Buster Posey

First Base
Paul Goldschmidt
Wil Myers
Anthony Rizzo

Second Base
DJ LeMahieu
Joe Panik
Jean Segura

Shortstop
Brandon Crawford
Freddy Galvis
Addison Russell


Third Base
Nolan Arenado
Anthony Rendon
Justin Turner

Left Field
Adam Duvall,
Starling Marte
Christian Yelich

Center Field
Billy Hamilton
Odubel Herrera
Ender Inciarte

Right Field
Carlos Gonzalez
Jason Heyward
Nick Markakis

Pitcher
Jake Arrieta,
Zack Greinke
Adam Wainwright

Yankees Pitching vs. Detroit Hitting and Vice Versa

The New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers are set to make up their postponed game from April 10^th giving us just a few more hours to get ready. Not too awful much is going on so I decided we could take a look at what the Yankees pitching, Michael Pineda in particular, has done against the Tigers offense in his career and vice versa with the Yankees offense and Matt Boyd.

All photos and stats courtesy of ESPN.com

Justin Upton, the Tigers and Fantasy Baseball

If you leave defensive metrics out of the discussion the best offensive free agent this winter may have been Justin Upton and not Jason Heyward. Obviously both players will play the outfield for much or the duration of their contracts so you have to include the defensive metrics but still Upton was a catch and the Detroit Tigers got him on a huge six-year deal. Upton, who is no defensive slouch himself mind you, will join the lineup in Detroit that already showcases Miguel Cabrera and Ian Kinsler which should help the Tigers immensely as they look to climb back to the top of the American League Central Division. Upton will help the Tigers both offensively in defensively when the team plays this season but how much will he help your fantasy team?

Last season while hitting in Major League Baseball’s equivalent of Yellowstone National Park (if you don’t get the reference Petco Park, like Yellowstone, is HUGE) Upton managed to hit for just a .251 batting average and .790 OPS with 26 home runs and stole 19 bases in what many deemed as a down year for the 28-year old. While the batting average isn’t exactly where you’d like it the home runs, defense and stolen bases is where you get your value out of Upton. Upton’s 26 home runs in 2015 marked the third consecutive year he hit at least 26 homers and the fifth time in the last seven years he has done so. His power is consistent, even inside the biggest parks around the league.

Upton has not been on great teams over the past few years and has seen his RBI total shrink to about 80 RBI per season with 85 runs scored but that’s a product of the team around him and not him as much. Playing with a stacked lineup around him in Detroit should help with both of those numbers as they both likely climb above 100 during the 2016 season. Upton strikes out a ton, more so than ever actually, but he takes his walks, hits for power and hits it to the gaps. You can live with the strikeouts if a player does that making Upton a second or third round pick in my opinion.

Upton will be the second hottest Upton commodity in Detroit this season behind the beautiful Kate Upton but he should be first on your fantasy team. If you see him then get him as early as you can. I wouldn’t let him slide past the second or early third round personally but I expect big things out of him inside Comerica Park in 2016. Hitting behind Anthony Gose and Ian Kinsler and hitting in front of Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and JD Martinez will only help Upton even if Comerica will likely hurt him just a tad. 

Why Would We Want Ian Kinsler?

The latest and “greatest” trade rumor surrounding the New York Yankees and their second base situation suggests that the team pull off a trade with the Detroit Tigers for their second baseman Ian Kinsler. The longtime Texas Rangers second baseman was sent to Detroit in the deal that sent first baseman Prince Fielder back to Arlington and has quietly continued his strong career both offensively and defensively in the Motor City. Kinsler is solid but why would the New York Yankees truly want Kinsler over what they already have in Robert Refsnyder and Dustin Ackley?

Kinsler is solid but is 33 years old, something the Yankees are trying to get away from, and comes attached to a $9.65 million AAV over the next three seasons if you include his 2018 team option. On paper the Yankees probably get an upgrade during the 2016 season, although that is not set in stone as Kinsler slips another year past 30 while the fans get a full season glimpse of Refsnyder and Ackley, but in the long term I cannot see a trade being beneficial for New York.

First and foremost the second base position, especially for offensive minded second baseman, is anemic meaning the Tigers are going to want a substantial amount for Kinsler. Again, why give up prospects for a guy that is only going to block your prospects and give you a boost for a season at best? If at all. Why is everyone, and when I say everyone I mean the beat writers, bloggers and journalist that have the Yankees down as “interested” in every middle infielder on the market this offseason, so down on Refsnyder anyway? Give the kid a shot!

So in closing the Yankees need to hold onto their prospects and hold onto the plan they have right now. Platoon Ackley and Refsnyder and see it through until at least June or July before doing anything drastic. There may be better available at the deadline, the only way you’re going to know is if you’re patient. So be patient and don’t go shopping for any Ian Kinsler’s. 

My Final “Stephen Drew Sucks” Post for 2015

If this post sounds like me waiving a white flag that’s because it was designed to, I give up. Play Stephen Drew for the rest of the damn season, see if I care. I have begged and pleaded on this site to rid the team of Drew and his .200 average, pretty much all of which are home runs or unproductive outs, and I’ve given the team many options. Robert Refsnyder being one of those options, Brendan Ryan being another, Dustin Ackley who has been hot lately and even a few potential trade acquisitions like Starlin Castro, Ian Kinsler or Jose Reyes but here we stand on September 18, 2015 still tweeting “Stephen Drew Sucks” four times a night at least. This will be my last.

Stephen Drew comes into tonight’s game with a .203 batting average with 17 home runs and 44 RBI. Drew has amassed 380 at bats and 425 plate appearances while only mustering 77 hits, 17 of them have gone for an extra base hit that was not a home run. Drew has gone a whopping 73 games, not at bats I said GAMES, without a hit this season. I realize you don’t jolt and revitalize an offense from the #9 hole and I wholeheartedly agree with that but you can also keep the line moving for the table setters and the meat of the order with some semblance of a 9^th hole guy in the lineup. Can the team at least get someone with a decent on base percentage? Is that too much to ask? By the way a decent on base percentage is significantly higher than Drew’s .273 OBP currently, just as an FYI.

I can hear the naysayers now bringing up his superior defense, his defensive UZR/150 is -6.8, his fielding percentage is .979, he’s committed 9 errors and has not passed the eye test whatsoever recently, but that may not be the case anymore. Drew may be the “experienced” one and Drew may have been the one that “got you there” but that doesn’t necessarily make him the best option. Ask Greg Bird, who was up before the Mark Teixeira injury before someone gets temporary memory loss in the comments section, and ask Luis Severino, who was going to come up before the Michael Pineda injury if you remember correctly but lost out on a numbers game, about experience and who got you there.

One last time… Stephen Drew Sucks… but go ahead and play him anyway, I don’t care.

*disclaimer. I will probably get upset and go back on this post and tweet out “Stephen Drew Sucks” probably tonight if he plays if not sooner. Sue me, he sucks.

The Daily Dozen - August 4, 2014

The Daily Dozen - August 4th, 2014 Edition
(Twelve Takeaways from Tonight's Game vs. the Detroit Tigers)

1. Max Scherzer came into tonight's game with a 2.08 ERA in his last 7 games.  The defending Cy Young award winner really only had one bad inning although his control wasn't really there.  He definitely had his defense bringing it tonight.  He showed his poise by pitching 7 innings and 115 pitches total.

2. The Tigers traded away AJax to get David Price.  Well they won't have to worry about replacing his defense with the young man Ezequiel Carrera has to offer.  What a great catch to rob Jacoby Ellsbury of a triple in the bottom of the 3rd inning to basically save 2 runs and Scherzer's pitch count.

FULL EXTENSION! (Credit: SportingNews.com and MLB.com)

3. Derek Jeter was 1 for 4 tonight.  He now sits at 3,426 hits of which 2,564 were singles, 537 were doubles, 66 were triples, and 259 were home runs.  If you added up the distance he has accumulated through his hits you would have 438,400 feet or 83.05 miles or roughly the distance between New York City and Philadelphia.

"That's a lot of dimp!"

4. Who really made the base-running error, Gardner or Prado?  It appeared that Gardner thought the ball was headed to home in the bottom of the 4th when Prado looked to possibly score.  It's probably Gardner's fault for being overaggresive...something he doesn't do enough of whilst at 1st base looking to steal in my humble opinion.

5. Carlos Beltran has been striking the ball well as of late.  Let's take a look at his composite batting average over the last 20 games and compare it to Brian McCann's who had his own hot streak a few weeks ago and is still contributing in terms of RBI.  In the last week, Beltran has gone 12 for 25 with 1 HR and 5 RBI...not bad, but not the best either in terms of driving in runs.  Of course he is batting in front of McCann which may help him see more pitches to hit.  Since coming back to the lineup on July 18th he has raised his batting average from .220 to .248 accumulating 23 hits, 4 home runs, and 12 RBI.  Not killer numbers but moving in the right direction.  He batted .300 for the month of July and is batting .500 in August so far with a 1.455 ops.  In that same stretch McCann has gone from a .239 batting average to .240 with only 13 hits, 1 HR and 8 RBI.  He batted .299 in July but is only at .200 for the short-sample of August.

6. The Tigers rotation has 50 wins and the last 3 Cy Young winners.  Talk about a dominating rotation: they are first in the AL in wins, Innings pitched per start (6.3), fewest home runs allowed (59), and 4th in the AL in ERA (3.77).

These guys are good...just not good enough tonight!

7. The Tigers Bullpen on the other hand... They are 14th in the AL in ERA (4.55), WHIP (1.47), opponent's on-base percentage (.346), and last in opponent's batting average (.278) and slugging percentage (.424).  Probably due to the alcoholic duo known as Joba and Coke...  A big thank you to ESPN for all of these stats tonight.

8. Ian Kinsler was brought in for his offensive skills.  Well tonight he showed off his glove making two substantial defensive plays.  The first was a stab at a Beltran line drive and then he turned what looked to be a base hit into an inning ending double play in the 5th inning to save yet another run.

9. Brett Gardner is the first leadoff hitter since Kinsler to have 5 home runs over 6 games.  Kinsler did that in 2011 when he was still with the Rangers.  For the record, Gardner now has 15 home runs on the season to the former power hitter Kinsler's 11.

"I am Brett Gardner! Hear me R-O-A-R" (Cue Katie Perry Music)

10. Jacoby Ellsbury is now 7 for 12 against Max Scherzer.  Thanks to Carrera he is not 8 for 12 with a triple and a HR.  He went 2 for 4 tonight with a single and a double.

11. Brandon McCarthy pitched 5-2/3 innings of excellence.  Yes, he gets into a lot of tight spots...but he also didn't give up any earned runs  while throwing 116 pitches and collecting 8 strikeouts.  On a side note, the Yankees are now 37-25 in games decided by 2 runs or less (shout out to Jeff Quagliata of YES for that tidbit).

12. Houdini recorded his 30th save for the Yankees tonight.  Rafael Soriano recorded 42 saves in 2012 when Rivera was injured but the last one to do it before that was John Wetteland with 46 in 1996.  Maybe the post Rivera era will be just fine?  Robertson has 51 games to eclipse Soriano's mark from 2012 and has an outside shot of catching Rivera for the all-time saves mark of 53 from 2004.  One other major milestone from tonight's game was Joe Girardi getting his 700th win as a manager (622 with the Yankees).   Also, the Yankees Playoff Odds sit at 18.8%...way down from the 34% last week...gotta do some work...

McCarthy, Bullpen Shut Down Tigers' Bats in Pitcher's Duel W

Brandon McCarthy didn't allow an earned run in 5 2/3 innings and the bats crossed home twice in the bottom of the third tonight as the Yankees beat the Tigers, 2-1, in a pitcher's duel at the Stadium. 

In this one's top of the second, unsurprisingly, the frightening Detroit offense loaded the bases with just one out, seemingly sealing McCarthy's fate in the early going. 

Fortunetaly, though, McCarthy would later escape the jam, striking out Alex Avila and Eugenio Suarez consecutively to end the threat and most of the Tigers' offensive night. 

Yes, in the fifth Ian Kinsler knocked in a run after Martin Prado committed a throwing error, but since the Yanks still rallied for a pair off Max Scherzer (7 IP, 2 ER) in their half of the third things did turn out alright for the Pinstripes.

To start off that big frame, Ichiro Suzuki, Brett Gardner, and Derek Jeter all singled, bringing up the suddenly-hot Jacoby Ellsbury.

No, New York's $153 million man wouldn't get on, but yes, he did send a deep fly ball to center, one that'd be caught on a dive by Detroit's Ezequiel Carrera to drive home Ichiro and eventually set up a run-scoring hit from Brian McCann.