Search For Features (Spring Training '09)

Search Results for Features

25 result(s) displayed (1 - 25 of 25):

More Yankees Spring Training Tidbits

Spring has officially sprung and the Bombers can see the light of the regular season at the end of the tunnel. Three veterans look poised to resume their old forms, a new face got a bit of a scare and an old bust may have turned the corner. Let's do a quick checkup of the... [Posted on March 22, 2009 10:59 AM]

Playing Pepper With the Yanks

We're almost a month into Spring Training and the Boys of Summer are trying to find their grooves. Alex Rodriguez decided to go under the knife and will be shelved for six to nine weeks. Mariano Rivera continues to work toward his first spring appearance and Jorge Posada nears his 2009 debut behind the plate. ... [Posted on March 14, 2009 3:20 PM]

Rounding The Bases With The Royals

The battles in camp are beginning to intensify for the second base and starting rotation slots, and the Royals will get back a couple guys they lost for the WBC. At second base, Willie Bloomquist continues to reportedly make a name for himself as a starter, even though the move would smack of Ross Gload... [Posted on March 12, 2009 12:14 PM]

10 Best Remaining Free Agents

With Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA projection system as a guide, let's attempt to rank the ten best remaining free agents.... [Posted on March 9, 2009 12:35 PM]

Pirate Fans Have Something To Look Forward To

There aren't many big league teams assured of making Major League history this year, but the Pittsburgh Pirates are one that is. All they have to do is do what they've done for the sixteen years prior to this one and they're assured a dubious place in big league lore. A losing season this year... [Posted on March 9, 2009 2:00 AM]

Missing A-Rod Already

I know, I know, he's going to play through it. He's going to gut it out. They're going to use rest, relaxation and cortisone to get him through the regular season with a bum hip. At least that's what the Yankees will tell you. What they won't tell you is that they're probably sacrificing July... [Posted on March 6, 2009 12:17 AM]

Royals Bulster Pen

The biggest news out of Royals camp in the last week was the signing of free agent reliever Juan Cruz as a key setup man for Joakim "The Mexicutioner" Soria. My, and others', first question is why not Cruz first instead of throwing big bucks at Kyle Farnsworth? But the Royals ended up with both... [Posted on March 5, 2009 12:54 PM]

Reds Could Ride Arms To A Winning Record

Baseball fans that don't follow the Cincinnati Reds very close may be in for a surprise this year. Not just because they have an outside shot at being a winning team for the first time in nearly a decade, but because of how they are likely to achieve that success if it happens. After... [Posted on March 4, 2009 2:08 PM]

The most improved Reds position? Catcher

This offseason, the Reds only made one substantial trade: they acquired Ramon Hernandez and cash from the Orioles for Ryan Freel and a pair of lesser prospects. It didn't receive a lot of attention. Both Hernandez and Freel appear on the decline. Moreover, Hernandez received a lot of criticism about his effort level with the... [Posted on March 3, 2009 2:05 PM]

The Worst Contracts In Baseball

For this exercise I only considered current contracts (so Mike Hampton's eight-year, $121MM deal is out). Also, there are some lousy deals that were worth less than $15MM total that I chose to leave out. 2006 was a black hole for free agent contracts. Continue reading for the full list of the the 45 worst... [Posted on March 3, 2009 12:06 AM]

Orlando to Oakland

This is semi-breaking news, but Orlando Cabrera has just signed with the Oakland Athletics and I am excited! The trade for Matt Holliday had me confused, the signing of Jason Giambi had me mad, but the signing of Orlando Cabrera gets me excited for this season?! The deal is for $4mil, but for this season... [Posted on March 2, 2009 6:48 PM]

ChiSox With Something To Prove

Ricky gives us a sneak peak into his Top Ten White Sox with something to prove this spring. You can check out other top ten lists at Top Ten Chicago Sports. ... [Posted on March 1, 2009 10:50 PM]

Phillies: New Lineup Will Lean Heavily To The Left

Lineup construction a key: One of the biggest challenges facing manager Charlie Manuel and the Phillies this season will be striking a balance with a lineup that's going to be leaning even deeper to the left side of the plate. Pat Burrell, their former right-handed anchor, was allowed to walk when the team set... [Posted on February 26, 2009 10:00 AM]

Changing Of The Guard In Cleveland

For nearly an entire decade, fans of the Cleveland Indians clung to a roster that featured All-Stars at nearly every position. The mid-90s featured an outfield that most major league teams will never see with Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton and Manny Ramirez. Belle and Lofton were both in their prime, and Ramirez was just... [Posted on February 24, 2009 4:11 PM]

A Closer Look At The Cards' Pen

In 2008, the bullpen for the St. Louis Cardinals was a horror show. Leads were snuffed out, tight games blown up into routs, and fans kept Mylanta on the table with the remote control for each time Tony LaRussa went out to the mound. This defect was one of the priorities for the offseason,... [Posted on February 24, 2009 1:00 PM]

Catching Up With The Twins

For everyone who went into hibernation this past winter alongside Minnesota's front office, here's a look back at the last few months of the Twins' offseason: It was already Mid-November and the start of the hot stove season was in full swing. For the Twins three things became apparent: 1) they needed an upgrade... [Posted on February 22, 2009 7:09 PM]

Jays Fans Looking Forward To 2010

For the last three seasons, Toronto Blue Jays fans have been optimistic about their team's chances heading into the season. Whether delusional or not, this optimism is usually washed away by the All-Star break, and then revived for a brief moment in late August or early September by an unexpected winning streak before it's... [Posted on February 21, 2009 12:09 PM]

Concerns About the Sox Future ST Digs

Since 1993, the Boston Red Sox have been training in Ft. Myers at City of Palms Park. Now in 2012, the Red Sox will be training at a new complex that was recently approved by the Lee County Commissioners.The new park will house both the major league facilities and minor leagues facilities. Currently, the Red... [Posted on February 20, 2009 12:54 AM]

Dodgers Need A Pair

The Dodgers play in Los Angeles, so being so close to Hollywood it's perfectly natural for them to get a facelift, right? I'm not saying they need to get nipped and tucked as much as Mickey Rourke, but a couple of procedures is necessary. In lieu of Botox and liposuction, the Dodgers just need... [Posted on February 19, 2009 11:44 PM]

Colorado Rockies Looking for Do-Over from 2008

The Rockies come into Spring camp with low expectations from many fans, thanks to dealing their best player, Matt Holliday, from an underwhelming 2008 team. However, much as the team headed into 2007 with low expectations after dealing away their best starting pitcher of the season before, the underlying infrastructure of the Rockies may... [Posted on February 19, 2009 1:48 AM]

Pitching Wins In Philly

The 2008 Phillies validated the age-old cliches about pitching, including, but not limited to, the importance of having an elite No. 1 to anchor the rotation, a lights-out closer to nail down the ninth, starters who can eat innings, and consistency and depth in the bullpen. They had it all, and it's safe assume... [Posted on February 18, 2009 12:05 AM]

Gagne Signs Minor-League Deal With Brewers

Talk about surprises.Tom Haudricourt is reporting that Eric Gagne signed a minor-league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers and will join the team for Spring Training.... [Posted on February 17, 2009 5:13 PM]

Spring Training Trade Candidates

Big trades are a rarity in Spring Training. Still, possibilities emerge as rosters begin to take shape. Here's a close look at 10 Spring Training trade candidates. ... [Posted on February 17, 2009 12:13 PM]

In Tampa, the Yankees circus has come to town

Yankees fans are pining for the days when Joe Torre's The Yankee Years was supposed to be the big story early on in Spring Training. The team's ex-skipper, along with Tom Verducci, penned a tell-all -- or tell-some -- recounting his years working under George Steinbrenner in the Bronx. Controversy teemed from the beginning... [Posted on February 17, 2009 12:23 AM]

Yanks Preparing For A Monsoon

If there's anything the Yankees have learned over the past two seasons, it's that there's no such thing as too much starting pitching.When the team with the highest payroll in the league, by a mile, hands the ball to Sidney Ponson, Dan Geise, Kei Igawa, Carl Pavano, Chase Wright, Darrell Rasner, Tyler Clippard and Jeff... [Posted on February 16, 2009 2:14 AM]