I feel that they're among the top 5 of the AL, I should have been clearer about that. And obviously rankings are subjective with respect to what is considered 'top' or 'best,' but top 10 in all of MLB seems to be sound. If I were to shrink it to the best five rotations then I would use something like 'elite' to describe that, which to me sounds like what you're connoting 'top' with.
I feel that they're among the top 5 of the AL, I should have been clearer about that. And obviously rankings are subjective with respect to what is considered 'top' or 'best,' but top 10 in all of MLB seems to be sound. If I were to shrink it to the best five rotations then I would use something like 'elite' to describe that, which to me sounds like what you're connoting 'top' with.
Or even having what should be the gem of our minor league system now, Michael Inoa, come back from Tommy John and become what he was projected to be would be ideal.
Or even having what should be the gem of our minor league system now, Michael Inoa, come back from Tommy John and become what he was projected to be would be ideal.
After the 2009 season, the Chicago Cubs endeavored to get rid of Milton Bradley long before the start of spring training because they understood how ugly it could get if he reported to their camp. Bradley had jousted with reporters in the last weeks of the 2009 season and become a distracting presence for his teammates, and so the idea of having Bradley be The Story day after day after day in spring training was simply unacceptable -- and they dumped him in a deal with the Seattle Mariners.
The Minnesota Twins felt a similar pressure to move Chuck Knoblauch on the eve of training camp in 1998; the Toronto Blue Jays, similarly, believed they had to trade Roger Clemens before pitchers and catchers reported in 1999. At a time when the manager and players are trying to focus and get ready for the season, nobody wants a player in camp whose unhappiness can become a major distraction.
So in this vein, Michael Young's professionalism is a problem for him.
He wants out. He wants the Texas Rangers to trade him. He's made that clear. He feels he has been deceived, and his anger has been deep. The Rangers tried to trade Young, as they initially pursued Adrian Beltre, and then after Beltre signed, Texas went after Jim Thome, promising at-bats to the veteran slugger. Whatever was said to Young, he feels wronged.
But to this point, Young's fury, and its potential for distraction, has not become a factor for the Rangers. Yes, they've spoken with a number of other teams about Young, and generally speaking, they are hearing the same kind of thing: Other clubs want them to eat about half -- or more -- of the $48 million owed to Young over the next three seasons, and on top of that, other teams are not interested in giving up the Grade-A player that Texas has been looking for. The Rangers are having great difficulty finding a suitable trade based on those terms.
And they are operating under the assumption that if they don't trade Young, he will come into camp, in spite of his unhappiness, and go about the business of preparing for the season, taking care to not cause problems for his teammates. Because of his history, they believe he won't stand in the middle of a crowd of reporters day after day and air his grievances. That's just not who he has been. Two winters ago, Young was unhappy with the Rangers' plan to shift him to third base and install Elvis Andrus at shortstop, but once spring training started, he was at Andrus's side, helping the youngster adapt.
In his desire to get out of Texas, Michael Young has been too good for his own good.
Young will be in camp today. Vernon Wells doesn't like the way the Rangers have treated Young, as mentioned within this Mike DiGiovanna notebook.
Bradley, by the way, is trying to put his recent problems behind him, as Geoff Baker writes.
• Arizona Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has been thrilled by what he has seen at the Diamondbacks' camp so far, including the team's sparkling new facilities. "I've never seen anything like it," Towers raved on Friday evening. "Nothing comes close. Off the charts incredible, and that's certainly going to help."
He also loves the positive and professional vibe from Arizona's revamped staff, with coaches Don Baylor, Charles Nagy, Eric Young and others, and the attention to detail that the Diamondbacks have been addressing. The pitchers showed up in excellent condition, particularly Aaron Heilman, and there seems to be a sense of renewal for the Diamondbacks, Towers said, after their brutal 2010 season. And Towers has been talking about the unexpected success of the Padres last year: "If they can get better like that, why not us?" he asked.
Kirk Gibson is weighing lineup options, writes Nick Piecoro.
• Pablo Sandoval lost 38 pounds in his offseason workout program, writes Andrew Baggarly.
• Chipper Jones is running again, and Martin Prado is taking fly balls in left field.
• Miguel Cabrera may or may not be arriving at the Detroit Tigers' facility today in Lakeland, Fla. He doesn't only need tough love, writes Drew Sharp, but he needs consequences.
[+] Enlarge
Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos/Getty ImagesJim Leyland on Cabrera: "He's going to be welcomed here with open arms."
Yes. Given his history, can you imagine what position the Tigers would be in if, six weeks from now, Cabrera badly injured someone in an alcohol-related incident on the road -- and Cabrera hadn't gone through some additional counseling after Wednesday's arrest?
Magglio Ordonez says Cabrera needs to act like a superstar.
Jim Leyland seems entirely focused on baseball, without acknowledgment of the stunningly reckless nature of Cabrera's alleged crime -- driving with an open bottle of scotch.Leyland's words, from the Detroit Free Press story: "I know for a fact, without getting into this situation, I know for a fact Miguel Cabrera is in the best shape of his life. He's stronger than he's ever been, and he's quicker than he's ever been. ... I think Miguel Cabrera is probably going to have the biggest year of his life."
Leyland also made this forecast about Cabrera: "He's going to be welcomed here with open arms by his teammates, and they're going to want to see him hit that (ball) over the right-centerfield fence with two men on, and he's going to do that."
It makes complete sense to me that Leyland and the Tigers would want to support Cabrera in any way he can, and get him the help he needs. It makes no sense that anyone would be talking about what he's going to do on the field when Cabrera is only a few hours out of that jail-issued blue top he wore for the mugshot.
• Francisco Liriano has a sore shoulder. Joe Mauer is sore, as mentioned within this notebook.
• Pedro Alvarez appears to have gained weight, writes Rob Biertempfel.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. Ryan Howard is working on setting up closer to the plate. Which makes sense, because opposing teams have basically been attacking him with soft stuff away. In this world of adjustments, the question now for pitchers is whether they'll get back to pitching Howard the way he was pitched early in his pro career -- with hard stuff, inside. Howard is a smart guy and he knows that by moving up on the plate, this is the implicit dare he's issuing for pitchers: see if you can throw it by me inside.
2. Hunter Pence is waiting for the arbitrators' decision, writes Zachary Levine.
3. It's up in the air as to whether Carlos Beltran will be the Mets' center fielder.
4. The mediator in the Mets' case has some experience, as Ken Belson writes.
5. Tim Teufel has been sued, in relation to the Madoff case. Wow. Just wow.
[h3]The battle for jobs[/h3]
1. Edgar Renteria is ready to be a backup, or a starter, writes John Fay.
2. Ivan Rodriguez will be the everyday catcher for the Nationals, says Jim Riggleman.
3. The Rangers are trying to figure out who will be their No. 3-4-5 starters, as Jeff Wilson writes. This could be Derek Holland's year, writes Gil LeBreton. The Rangers are keeping an eye on their top arms.
4. Unlike the Indians, the Giants won't use first base to rest their No. 1 catcher, Buster Posey. Cleveland is going to play Carlos Santana at first base some.
5. The future is now for a Toronto catcher, writes Tyler Kepner.
6. Freddy Garcia is ready to try to reverse his spring fortunes, writes George King
After the 2009 season, the Chicago Cubs endeavored to get rid of Milton Bradley long before the start of spring training because they understood how ugly it could get if he reported to their camp. Bradley had jousted with reporters in the last weeks of the 2009 season and become a distracting presence for his teammates, and so the idea of having Bradley be The Story day after day after day in spring training was simply unacceptable -- and they dumped him in a deal with the Seattle Mariners.
The Minnesota Twins felt a similar pressure to move Chuck Knoblauch on the eve of training camp in 1998; the Toronto Blue Jays, similarly, believed they had to trade Roger Clemens before pitchers and catchers reported in 1999. At a time when the manager and players are trying to focus and get ready for the season, nobody wants a player in camp whose unhappiness can become a major distraction.
So in this vein, Michael Young's professionalism is a problem for him.
He wants out. He wants the Texas Rangers to trade him. He's made that clear. He feels he has been deceived, and his anger has been deep. The Rangers tried to trade Young, as they initially pursued Adrian Beltre, and then after Beltre signed, Texas went after Jim Thome, promising at-bats to the veteran slugger. Whatever was said to Young, he feels wronged.
But to this point, Young's fury, and its potential for distraction, has not become a factor for the Rangers. Yes, they've spoken with a number of other teams about Young, and generally speaking, they are hearing the same kind of thing: Other clubs want them to eat about half -- or more -- of the $48 million owed to Young over the next three seasons, and on top of that, other teams are not interested in giving up the Grade-A player that Texas has been looking for. The Rangers are having great difficulty finding a suitable trade based on those terms.
And they are operating under the assumption that if they don't trade Young, he will come into camp, in spite of his unhappiness, and go about the business of preparing for the season, taking care to not cause problems for his teammates. Because of his history, they believe he won't stand in the middle of a crowd of reporters day after day and air his grievances. That's just not who he has been. Two winters ago, Young was unhappy with the Rangers' plan to shift him to third base and install Elvis Andrus at shortstop, but once spring training started, he was at Andrus's side, helping the youngster adapt.
In his desire to get out of Texas, Michael Young has been too good for his own good.
Young will be in camp today. Vernon Wells doesn't like the way the Rangers have treated Young, as mentioned within this Mike DiGiovanna notebook.
Bradley, by the way, is trying to put his recent problems behind him, as Geoff Baker writes.
• Arizona Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has been thrilled by what he has seen at the Diamondbacks' camp so far, including the team's sparkling new facilities. "I've never seen anything like it," Towers raved on Friday evening. "Nothing comes close. Off the charts incredible, and that's certainly going to help."
He also loves the positive and professional vibe from Arizona's revamped staff, with coaches Don Baylor, Charles Nagy, Eric Young and others, and the attention to detail that the Diamondbacks have been addressing. The pitchers showed up in excellent condition, particularly Aaron Heilman, and there seems to be a sense of renewal for the Diamondbacks, Towers said, after their brutal 2010 season. And Towers has been talking about the unexpected success of the Padres last year: "If they can get better like that, why not us?" he asked.
Kirk Gibson is weighing lineup options, writes Nick Piecoro.
• Pablo Sandoval lost 38 pounds in his offseason workout program, writes Andrew Baggarly.
• Chipper Jones is running again, and Martin Prado is taking fly balls in left field.
• Miguel Cabrera may or may not be arriving at the Detroit Tigers' facility today in Lakeland, Fla. He doesn't only need tough love, writes Drew Sharp, but he needs consequences.
[+] Enlarge
Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos/Getty ImagesJim Leyland on Cabrera: "He's going to be welcomed here with open arms."
Yes. Given his history, can you imagine what position the Tigers would be in if, six weeks from now, Cabrera badly injured someone in an alcohol-related incident on the road -- and Cabrera hadn't gone through some additional counseling after Wednesday's arrest?
Magglio Ordonez says Cabrera needs to act like a superstar.
Jim Leyland seems entirely focused on baseball, without acknowledgment of the stunningly reckless nature of Cabrera's alleged crime -- driving with an open bottle of scotch.Leyland's words, from the Detroit Free Press story: "I know for a fact, without getting into this situation, I know for a fact Miguel Cabrera is in the best shape of his life. He's stronger than he's ever been, and he's quicker than he's ever been. ... I think Miguel Cabrera is probably going to have the biggest year of his life."
Leyland also made this forecast about Cabrera: "He's going to be welcomed here with open arms by his teammates, and they're going to want to see him hit that (ball) over the right-centerfield fence with two men on, and he's going to do that."
It makes complete sense to me that Leyland and the Tigers would want to support Cabrera in any way he can, and get him the help he needs. It makes no sense that anyone would be talking about what he's going to do on the field when Cabrera is only a few hours out of that jail-issued blue top he wore for the mugshot.
• Francisco Liriano has a sore shoulder. Joe Mauer is sore, as mentioned within this notebook.
• Pedro Alvarez appears to have gained weight, writes Rob Biertempfel.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. Ryan Howard is working on setting up closer to the plate. Which makes sense, because opposing teams have basically been attacking him with soft stuff away. In this world of adjustments, the question now for pitchers is whether they'll get back to pitching Howard the way he was pitched early in his pro career -- with hard stuff, inside. Howard is a smart guy and he knows that by moving up on the plate, this is the implicit dare he's issuing for pitchers: see if you can throw it by me inside.
2. Hunter Pence is waiting for the arbitrators' decision, writes Zachary Levine.
3. It's up in the air as to whether Carlos Beltran will be the Mets' center fielder.
4. The mediator in the Mets' case has some experience, as Ken Belson writes.
5. Tim Teufel has been sued, in relation to the Madoff case. Wow. Just wow.
[h3]The battle for jobs[/h3]
1. Edgar Renteria is ready to be a backup, or a starter, writes John Fay.
2. Ivan Rodriguez will be the everyday catcher for the Nationals, says Jim Riggleman.
3. The Rangers are trying to figure out who will be their No. 3-4-5 starters, as Jeff Wilson writes. This could be Derek Holland's year, writes Gil LeBreton. The Rangers are keeping an eye on their top arms.
4. Unlike the Indians, the Giants won't use first base to rest their No. 1 catcher, Buster Posey. Cleveland is going to play Carlos Santana at first base some.
5. The future is now for a Toronto catcher, writes Tyler Kepner.
6. Freddy Garcia is ready to try to reverse his spring fortunes, writes George King
Last year's bumper crop of rookies in the National League saw Jason Heyward win an Opening Day job and show himself ready for the big leagues while Buster Posey was demoted to Triple-A only to show that he was probably ready all along. But this year's class of rookies includes a number of players who are ready for the show in one respect but who need development time to work on another.
With that in mind, here's a quick look at some players in that category for 2011:
• Domonic Brown, Phillies
Brown should win the right field job in Philadelphia given the team's alternatives and the risk that its aging lineup will underperform (although it's looking pretty good in the run prevention department). But if Brown heads back to Triple-A, one thing he could stand to work on is his defense in right field. He has the athleticism to be plus there, but his reads out there need work and he's had throwing issues at least since I first saw him play, wasting his arm strength by throwing off the wrong foot.
• Mike Moustakas, Royals
Moustakas could probably spend the year in KC and hit 20-plus homers while giving the fan base a glimpse of all that promise in the farm system during what is likely to be a capital-M Miserable season for the major league club. But Moustakas' game has holes, leading with his low walk rates and big platoon splits -- he murders right-handed pitching but is victimized by southpaws. I dwell on this often with left-handed-hitting prospects, but it's also a skill that can take time to develop because these prospects see so few quality southpaws in school or even in the low minors.
• Dustin Ackley and Michael Pineda, Mariners
Ackley's bat and Pineda's fastball/breaking ball are ready enough if the Mariners had any incentive to promote them now, but you can expect them to hold both players in Triple-A for at least a month or two to push off free agency and perhaps delay arbitration (assuming the arbitration process doesn't change in the next CBA). Ackley's transition to second base has been quicker than I expected, but he's enough of a work in progress that having him continue to work at the position in Tacoma is a solid developmental move.
Pineda will flash an above-average split-change, but it's not there consistently enough, with a big platoon split showing when he reached Triple-A last summer. His slider is also less polished than you'd like to see. He commands a plus fastball and could easily slide into Seattle's 'pen if they wanted him to, but working as a starter with orders to throw more of the offspeed stuff makes more sense for his development.
http:///sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=6146412&story=6146391">http://sports.espn.go.com...146412&...idth=440,height=750,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;" href="http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog?name=law_keith&id=6146391#">[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/David J. PhillipHe could be a No. 4 starter now on many teams, but Teheran's curve needs work.
• Julio Teheran, Braves
Teheran could pitch in a lot of major league rotations right now with a loose arm and a plus fastball/plus changeup combo; in the NL Central or West that might be all he'd need to slot in as a fourth starter. But he has much more potential remaining, and a lot of it revolves around his worst pitch, a curveball that gets sloppy and that may just not be in his wrist. Whether he can tighten up the curve or switch to a slider, it's a developmental step best taken in the minors.
• Brett Lawrie, Blue Jays
I've gotten more questions about Lawrie playing for Toronto in 2011 than any other prospect this winter, and I'm not sure why. Lawrie can hit, run and has raw power, but his game still needs a fair amount of work -- most notably on defense. Lawrie's best position right now is "hitter," and while he has speed and a ton of energy, he doesn't have the kind of lateral agility you like to see in infielders. He plays second base at the moment and is better suited to that position than third base, although there's a strong sentiment in the industry that he'll end up in an outfield corner. Even if his bat was ready (and I don't believe that it is), he'll benefit from a year in the minors for the Jays to figure out his ultimate position.
• Matt Dominguez, Marlins
His glove is ready for the majors, but his bat ... well, not so much. Dominguez is the best defensive third base prospect I've seen since I joined ESPN, and I'd project him to field on par with Ryan Zimmerman, the current gold standard at the hot corner in the big leagues. He can hit a fastball, but once word gets around that he struggles with offspeed stuff, he's going to either have to make a very rapid adjustment (one he hasn't made so far in the minors) or find himself en route to Triple-A. I do like his potential because of the value of his glove, but for 2011 his slash line won't be pretty if he's given the Opening Day job.
Last year's bumper crop of rookies in the National League saw Jason Heyward win an Opening Day job and show himself ready for the big leagues while Buster Posey was demoted to Triple-A only to show that he was probably ready all along. But this year's class of rookies includes a number of players who are ready for the show in one respect but who need development time to work on another.
With that in mind, here's a quick look at some players in that category for 2011:
• Domonic Brown, Phillies
Brown should win the right field job in Philadelphia given the team's alternatives and the risk that its aging lineup will underperform (although it's looking pretty good in the run prevention department). But if Brown heads back to Triple-A, one thing he could stand to work on is his defense in right field. He has the athleticism to be plus there, but his reads out there need work and he's had throwing issues at least since I first saw him play, wasting his arm strength by throwing off the wrong foot.
• Mike Moustakas, Royals
Moustakas could probably spend the year in KC and hit 20-plus homers while giving the fan base a glimpse of all that promise in the farm system during what is likely to be a capital-M Miserable season for the major league club. But Moustakas' game has holes, leading with his low walk rates and big platoon splits -- he murders right-handed pitching but is victimized by southpaws. I dwell on this often with left-handed-hitting prospects, but it's also a skill that can take time to develop because these prospects see so few quality southpaws in school or even in the low minors.
• Dustin Ackley and Michael Pineda, Mariners
Ackley's bat and Pineda's fastball/breaking ball are ready enough if the Mariners had any incentive to promote them now, but you can expect them to hold both players in Triple-A for at least a month or two to push off free agency and perhaps delay arbitration (assuming the arbitration process doesn't change in the next CBA). Ackley's transition to second base has been quicker than I expected, but he's enough of a work in progress that having him continue to work at the position in Tacoma is a solid developmental move.
Pineda will flash an above-average split-change, but it's not there consistently enough, with a big platoon split showing when he reached Triple-A last summer. His slider is also less polished than you'd like to see. He commands a plus fastball and could easily slide into Seattle's 'pen if they wanted him to, but working as a starter with orders to throw more of the offspeed stuff makes more sense for his development.
http:///sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=6146412&story=6146391">http://sports.espn.go.com...146412&...idth=440,height=750,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;" href="http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog?name=law_keith&id=6146391#">[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/David J. PhillipHe could be a No. 4 starter now on many teams, but Teheran's curve needs work.
• Julio Teheran, Braves
Teheran could pitch in a lot of major league rotations right now with a loose arm and a plus fastball/plus changeup combo; in the NL Central or West that might be all he'd need to slot in as a fourth starter. But he has much more potential remaining, and a lot of it revolves around his worst pitch, a curveball that gets sloppy and that may just not be in his wrist. Whether he can tighten up the curve or switch to a slider, it's a developmental step best taken in the minors.
• Brett Lawrie, Blue Jays
I've gotten more questions about Lawrie playing for Toronto in 2011 than any other prospect this winter, and I'm not sure why. Lawrie can hit, run and has raw power, but his game still needs a fair amount of work -- most notably on defense. Lawrie's best position right now is "hitter," and while he has speed and a ton of energy, he doesn't have the kind of lateral agility you like to see in infielders. He plays second base at the moment and is better suited to that position than third base, although there's a strong sentiment in the industry that he'll end up in an outfield corner. Even if his bat was ready (and I don't believe that it is), he'll benefit from a year in the minors for the Jays to figure out his ultimate position.
• Matt Dominguez, Marlins
His glove is ready for the majors, but his bat ... well, not so much. Dominguez is the best defensive third base prospect I've seen since I joined ESPN, and I'd project him to field on par with Ryan Zimmerman, the current gold standard at the hot corner in the big leagues. He can hit a fastball, but once word gets around that he struggles with offspeed stuff, he's going to either have to make a very rapid adjustment (one he hasn't made so far in the minors) or find himself en route to Triple-A. I do like his potential because of the value of his glove, but for 2011 his slash line won't be pretty if he's given the Opening Day job.
