Tuesday, November 15, 2016

“It’s Not What You Want” Episode 4 by Jacob Westendorf and Matt Bove


Ladies and gentleman the Greedy Pinstripes is proud to present to you episode four of the “It’s Not What You Want” Podcast by Matt Bove and Jacob Westendorf. Check it out and give it a listen. Leave your thoughts in the comments section and/or on Twitter by tweeting us @GreedyStripes. 

IBWAA SELECTS JANSEN, BRITTON IN RELIEF PITCHER AWARDS VOTE

RiverDogs Spread Holiday Cheer with Specialty Ticket Packages Now Available

RiverDogs Spread Holiday Cheer with Specialty Ticket Packages Now Available
RiverDogs holiday packages now available for the 2017 season



CHARLESTON, SC – With a countdown until Opening Day already beginning, it’s not surprising the Charleston RiverDogs are already dreaming of happy holidays this year. In the spirit of giving, the RiverDogs have announced specialty holiday ticket packages as the perfect gift for a baseball fan in the Lowcountry this year.

“It’s not too early to start thinking about the holidays, and certainly not too early to get excited about the upcoming season at The Joe,” said RiverDogs President and General Manager Dave Echols. “What better way to spread a little cheer than with a trip to the ballpark?”

A RiverDogs holiday pack includes everything a starving baseball fan with visions of summer dancing in their heads could hope for. Fans have the option of a five-game flex package with a RiverDogs knit cap to stay warm during the Hot Stove season or coffee mug for a sip of steaming hot chocolate. Vouchers are redeemable for any of the 70 RiverDogs home games excluding Opening Night on April 6 or the Independence Day Celebration on July 3.

Knit cap packages range from a five game flex package in the grandstand sections costing $50, $90 for the field view sections, and $100 for diamond view. The prices for the coffee mug packs are $45, $85, and $95, respectively.

Fans that find their very own RiverDogs holiday pack nestled under their tree on Christmas morning can stay in the giving spirit and redeem all five vouchers at once or savor the gift that keeps on giving throughout the 2017 season.

RiverDogs season tickets, half-season ticket packages and mini plans are now available for the 2017 campaign. The RiverDogs begin the season on April 6 when they host the Lexington Legends at Joseph P Riley, Jr. Park. Ticket information can be secured by contacting the box office at (843) 577-DOGS (3647) or online at www.riverdogs.com.

What If the 2014 Offseason Never Happened?


The New York Yankees were unusually quiet during the offseason before the 2016 season signing as many major league free agents as I have major league at-bats in my life, zero. This was unusually surprising because the free agent market last winter was exceptionally strong so with a much thinner market this time around it shouldn’t come as a shock if the team remains quiet again this winter. The last time the Yankees went truly crazy on the free agent market was the big splash after big splash free agent market of 2014 where the New York Yankees signed Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury and Masahiro Tanaka but looking back now three years later was it a good idea and what would the Yankees look like right now had that not happened?

Let’s start with the easy one in Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury did not deserve his seven-year and $153 million contract in my opinion and he has far from lived up to the hype and the expectations since signing it, also my opinion. I mean he has been healthy overall, which was a huge concern, but he has hit just 32 home runs in his three seasons in pinstripes, hasn’t sniffed a .300 batting average and his stolen base numbers (80 combined in three seasons) are way down from his monster numbers that he had in Boston before leaving for New York. Without Ellsbury the Yankees could have more room for players like Ben Gamel (who was traded to Seattle due to the outfield logjam), Mason Williams who impressed in another short stint in the Major Leagues and others. This Ellsbury contract is going to hurt in my opinion sooner rather than later, especially when you consider his no-trade clause.

Speaking of no-trade clauses one of these men who also got one but could still be traded as early as this winter, Brian McCann. McCann has been just as good as advertised and maybe better since coming to New York and he has been an absolute asset to the pitching staff. McCann, nor the Yankees, couldn’t have expected or predicted the emergence of Gary Sanchez coming onto the scene and exploding though which leaves both parties in a bit of a predicament. The McCann deal was a good deal and likely will be a good deal if he sees it till the end in New York.

Masahiro Tanaka and his deal has also been good thus far in my opinion and will remain good as long as he can avoid the dread TJS word that we won’t say here just in case. Tanaka has been consistent and he has been getting better and better as he adjusts to Major League Baseball. The Japanese-born right-hander has an opt-out clause upcoming into his contract after this season so that will likely be the true indicator of whether this deal worked or didn’t work for the Yankees.

The final piece of the puzzle may very well be the hardest to judge, the Carlos Beltran signing. Beltran’s beginning to his tenure in pinstripes was not a good one as an elbow injury limited his time in the field and his ability to hit the ball but it ended with him being one of the most consistent and possibly the best hitter in the Yankees lineup. Beltran is gone now, traded away to the Texas Rangers this winter for Dillon Tate, so this may be water under the bridge but to get the production out of him that the team did plus Dillon Tate seems like a big win to me.


So there you have it, what if the 2014 offseason never happened? The Yankees wouldn’t have enjoyed great production out of the catcher position, they wouldn’t have had a 25-year old ace join the fold and they would have missed out on some great moments and games from Carlos Beltran. McCann will likely be traded this offseason bringing in fresh prospects to join Dillon Tate who was acquired in the Beltran trade so all-in-all I believe the Yankees benefited from the 2014 offseason as a whole. Now if they could just get out from under that Ellsbury contract….

IBWAA SELECTS SEAGER, FULMER IN ROOKIE AWARDS VOTE

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its rookie category Monday, with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Corey Seager winning the 2016 IBWAA National League Rookie of the Year award, and Michael Fulmer, of the Detroit Tigers, being selected as the 2016 IBWAA American League Rookie winner.
 
Seager received 173 first-place votes (97.74%) and 875 points while being named on all 177 ballots. Others receiving first-place votes include Trevor Story (2) and Trea Turner (1).
 
Fulmer received 101 first-place votes (57.39%) and 662 points while being named on 156 of 176 ballots (88.14%). Others receiving first-place votes include Gary Sanchez (58), Nomar Mazara (7) and Tyler Naquin (5).
 
Election results are as follows:
 
NL Rookie:
 
1st Place:                  Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers – 875 points
2nd Place:                 
Trea Turner, Washington Nationals – 255 
3rd Place :                  
Trevor Story, Colorado Rockies – 159
 
AL Rookie:
 
1st Place:                  Michael Fulmer, Detroit Tigers – 662 points
2nd Place:                 
Gary Sanchez, New York Yankees – 543
3rd Place
:                  Tyler Naquin, Cleveland Indians – 162
 
Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.
 
The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.
 
Among approximately 460 others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, Schoenfield and Mark A. Simon of ESPN.com; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Jon Heyman, Today’s Knuckleball; Danny Knobler, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy; Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times; Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com; Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com; Eno Sarris, FanGraphs and Jesse Spector, Sporting News.
 
Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a lifetime fee of $75. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.
 
For more information please visit www.ibwaa.com.

Weekly AFL Check In: Miguel Andujar


The New York Yankees face an interesting offseason before the 2017 season. Do they use some of their new top prospects to fetch what they need in order to make a run at the postseason next year or do they continue the youth movement and see it through until the end? That is still yet to be determined but either way the Yankees decide to go in their GM Brian Cashman has options.

One of those options is third base prospect Miguel Andujar who has generated a ton of interest this winter down in the Arizona Fall League. Cashman told reporters last week that he has already received calls on Andujar and his availability so stay tuned for that.

Here is what other GM’s want to add to their farm systems right now in Andujar:




This Day in New York Yankees History 11/15: A Rod wins 2nd Yankee MVP




On this day in 2005 the Yankees Alex Rodriguez won his second MVP award in three seasons edging out the Red Sox David Ortiz in the vote. Ortiz may have won the award had he played a position and not been a full time DH, sparking a heated debate and controversy, but the Yankees and Alex will take it either way.

Also on this day in 2001 Roger Clemens won the American League Cy Young award with a 20-3 record with a 3.51 ERA. Roger would become the first player to win this award for the sixth time in his career and the first Yankees player to win the award since Ron Guidry won it in 1978.



Also on this day in 1961 Roger Maris won his second consecutive Most Valuable Player award after setting the single season home run record with 61 round trippers. Maris only beat the second place finisher, his teammate Mickey Mantle, by four votes with a 202-198 vote.



Finally on this day in 1951 the Yankees Gil McDougald won the American League Rookie of the Year Award. It is worth noting that Willie Mays won the award in the National League on the same day. It is also worth noting that neither player were listed on their team’s original Spring Training rosters.