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Pretty damn impressive to be looked upon as a team leader after only two seasons in The Show.BRADENTON, Fla. -- Friday morning was a good time to be around Gerrit Cole.
For Florida, it was cold, but the competitive fire that always smolders within Cole could warm up anyone who crossed his path.
A year-and-a-half, 41 starts, 21 wins and two instructive injuries into his Major League career, Cole is a different person in his third big league camp. The (Spring) Training wheels are off. Before, he had to be a sponge, listening to everything and watching everyone. Now he is watched by others.
"For the most part, this is really familiar to me now. I've done this a couple of times, and can prepare myself accordingly. It's easier to get into a routine," said Cole, after a Friday that included his favorite avocation -- batting, with others in his pitchers group.
At 24 and one lap into validating his overall No. 1 pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, Cole occupies a unique place on the Bucs' 2015 rotation.
He is the bridge between the current seasoned staff and the bright lights on the horizon. But you're not going to draw him into premature fantasies about being joined by Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon, the team's top two prospects, as the Pirates' "Three Pillars."
"It's fun to dream about that kind of stuff," Cole said. "But for now we have our horses in A.J. [Burnett] and Charlie [Morton] and Frankie [Liriano]. I'm probably more excited to go to battle with those guys, and whoever fills the fifth spot -- Vance [Worley] or Jeff [Locke]. I'm excited to work with this crew and try to get stuff done."
Cole retires 17th straight 9/23/14: Gerrit Cole strikes out Christian Bethancourt looking to retire his 17th straight batter and end the 7th inning
Spoken like a true … ace? That No. 1 status seems to be Cole's destiny, and his destination. Any offseason assessment of the Pirates' rotation included the caveat, "Cole is the one guy who could step up as an ace."
"It's a tremendous honor to be talked about in those terms, but that's something earned over time," Cole said. "I'm not quite there yet. Fortunately, I'm in a really great position to be able to pitch with guys I not only enjoy being around, but look up to as well. And they provide leadership -- because they've done it for so long."
If you think there is anything awkward about the reunion with Burnett -- whose final act of his first Buccos tenure was getting upset when Cole got the ball in Game 5 of the 2013 National League Division Series -- forget it. The two right-handers are locker room neighbors at Pirate City, and Burnett is a man after Cole's own fire.
"We never [talked about it]," Cole said. "Those type of situations bring up a lot of competitive juices. It's the postseason … everybody is excited, wants to get out there and compete, and help the team win. I really think that's where it all stemmed from."
Looking around the clubhouse, Cole could see a lot of familiar people anxious to help this team win.
"It's definitely a different scene with the roster being kinda set, barring any injuries or setbacks," said Cole. "We got a couple of battles, is all."
Me, too! I want to see him being talked about for the Cy Young come late summer.
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Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia told reporters that he's still taking PRP injections to treat his "degenerative" knee condition, according to Newsday. Sabathia, who has received three shots leading into camp, revealed that his surgically-repaired knee feels good and that he's ready to do "everything," per MLB.com.
"It feels good," Sabathia said. "It's something that I'm excited about -- just playing catch, long-toss, everything. I'm able to go 100 percent and not feel anything."
Sabathia said that as long as he regularly ices his knee to keep the swelling down, he shouldn't need another injection until the end of the first half.
Sabathia, 34, pitched just 46 innings in 2014, posting a 3-4 record with 48 strikeouts. His season was cut short on May 10 in Milwaukee, and as a result, he opted for surgery in July.
"Not being able to play last year, and performing horribly in 2013, I have a lot to prove," Sabathia said. "I have to try to help this staff and help this team get back to the playoffs."Comment -
Glove used on Jeter HR auctioned off
NEW YORK -- The glove Jeffrey Maier used to pull Derek Jeter's famous home run over the wall during the 1996 AL Championship Series against Baltimore has been sold at auction for $22,705.
Heritage Auctions says the glove was purchased by an anonymous collector Saturday night, with no mention of what the buyer plans to do with it. When Heritage announced the auction on Monday, it didn't identify the owner, who it said had purchased the glove from Maier.
Maier was a 12-year-old fan in the right-field stands on Oct. 9, 1996, when he reached over the outfield fence at Yankee Stadium and got his glove on Jeter's eighth-inning drive, preventing Tony Tarasco from catching it.
Maier dragged the ball over the wall, fumbling it in the process, but umpire Rich Garcia declined to call fan interference.Comment -
High price!Comment -
TAMPA -- Multiple bids are in on Cuban infield prodigy Yoan Moncada, and bidding is believed past $20 million, perhaps significantly so.
The Yankees, Red Sox and Padres are believed among teams in talks, with even the Dodgers and others seen as less likely at the moment. Moncada's agent David Hastings said a few days ago they are targeting the end of February to have a deal so Moncada can get to spring camp not far behind others, and that seems realistic as negotiations are heating up now.
Earlier reports suggested $50 million as possible for Moncada, and that may be a goal. But that would be an extraordinary price considering Moncada is only 19, and could be two or so years away from the big leagues.
He is probably worth such a lofty price, anyway, but the other big factor is that the signing team will have to pay a 100 percent tax, or something very close to that. So $50 million would really mean $100 million. That would be an extraordinary fee for a teenager considering established big leaguer Pabol Sandoval got $95 million.
No way he is 2 years away.Comment -
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Cuban top infield prospect Yoan Moncada has agreed to a record-setting bonus with the Red Sox, according to an industry source.
The agreement is pending a physical. The club has not confirmed the deal, which is believed to be in the $30 million range.
The infielder's deal puts the 19-year-old in line to smash the $8.27 million bonus record for an international amateur under the current guidelines, which was given to right-hander Yoan Lopez by the D-backs in January.
It is believed Moncada considered offers from five teams before choosing Boston. He worked out privately for the Brewers, Cubs, D-backs, Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Rangers, Rays, Tigers and Yankees during the past six weeks, according to industry sources.
Because he is not yet 23 years old and did not play in a Cuban professional league for at least five seasons, Moncada is subject to Major League Baseball's international signing guidelines, under which each team is allotted $700,000 and an additional bonus pool based on the team's record the previous year to be used during the international signing period. The current period started July 2 and ends on June 15.
According to those guidelines, clubs are penalized during the upcoming 2015-16 signing period if they exceed their bonus pools by certain amounts. The Red Sox had already exceeded their bonus pool before this signing and been given the maximum penalty. It's a severe measure that includes a 100-percent tax on their pool overage and prohibits them from signing any pool-eligible player for more than $300,000 during the next two signing periods. Including the penalty for exceeding their bonus pool, Moncada's deal will cost the Red Sox approximately $60 million -- the bonus plus the penalty.
The Red Sox have until July 15 to pay the overage tax and up to three years to pay Moncada's bonus.
It's been quite a journey for Moncada.
The teenager -- who plays second base, shortstop and third base -- starred for Cuba's top team of 15- and 16-year-olds, and he made a name for himself at the U-16 IBAF World Baseball Championships in Mexico.
He made his debut for Cienfuegos in Cuba's Serie Nacional at age 17 and hit .277 during parts of two seasons. He played alongside White Sox slugger Jose Abreu and Dodgers infielder Erisbel Arruebarrena. Moncada was also teammates with Abreu, Arruebarrena and other notable players like Yulieski Gourriel, Alfredo Despaigne and Jose Miguel Fernandez on Cuba's national team during the 2013 World Port Tournament in the Netherlands. Raisel Iglesias, who signed a seven-year, $27 million deal with the Reds last June, was also one of Moncada's teammates.
Moncada was on Cuba's preliminary roster for the 2017 World Baseball Classic. His story is unique. While many Cuban players are known to leave the island in late-night escapes or defect from the national team during an international tournament, the 6-foot, 210-pound Moncada was granted his release from the Cienfuegos team last year and was later cleared by Cuba's National Baseball Commission. He was granted a **** and a passport by the Cuban government, and he left on an airplane to an unidentified Central American country last summer, where he trained for months before joining agent David Hastings in the St. Petersburg, Fla., area late last year.
Moncada's first showcase for all Major League teams was held Nov. 12 in Guatemala. The private showcases began a few weeks later.
After months of waiting, the infielder became available as as a free agent on Feb. 3 after MLB met with the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for clarification regarding new guidelines for a general license for an unblocked Cuban national.
MLB now requires a sworn statement that says a Cuban player is in compliance with Section 515.05 of Cuban Assets Control Regulations in order to sign with a Major League team. It had been MLB's policy to require a specific license for unblocking from OFAC before it allowed a Cuban national to enter into an agreement with a team.
Moncada met the new general license requirements and will be the first to sign under the new guidelines.Comment -
B.J. Upton to go by Melvin Upton Jr. this upcoming season. Can Melvin hit over .220?
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Nice to see the reds get into the Cuba connection.
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Reds are going big once again on a Cuban defector, and they announced on Friday that they have signed right-handed pitcher Raisel Iglesias to a seven-year contract through the 2020 season.
According to industry sources, the contract is worth $27 million and came with a $5 million signing bonus. It is a Major League contract, and Iglesias is waiting for his **** before joining the organization.
"This was really a team effort in getting this deal done, because it was a lengthy process," general manager Walt Jocketty said. "There were a lot of people involved and a lot of clubs involved."
Iglesias, a 24-year-old reliever who is listed at 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, threw for big league scouts, including the Reds, last month in Haiti. Cincinnati scouts -- including Tony Arias, Mark Snipp and Miguel Machado -- returned to Haiti a second time to see him pitch again.
Iglesias defected from Cuba in November after a failed attempt in September.
The organization believes that Iglesias has the makings of a big league starting pitcher. Besides throwing a 94-96 mph fastball, he also has a slider, a curveball and recently developed a changeup.
"They felt he had four quality pitches," Jocketty said. "They felt he could be a starter and be a starter very soon. They've seen him pitch several times three innings of relief, and when we get him to the United States and a little bit stronger, we feel he'll be a starter in the next year or so, hopefully."
Iglesias pitched three seasons for Isla de la Juventud in Cuba's Serie Nacional, the island's top baseball league. He had a 1.68 ERA with 20 walks and 50 strikeouts in 15 games (two starts) during a span of 53 2/3 innings, during the first half of the 2012-13 season, but he struggled with his command in the second half and finished with a 3.29 ERA.
Iglesias also shined for the Cuban national team at the World Port Tournament in the Netherlands and during Cuba's five-game series against the U.S. college national team last summer.
Iglesias gave up two runs and three hits while striking out over 4 2/3 frames in five games during the World Baseball Classic for Cuba in 2013.
Because he is at least 23 years old and has played at least three seasons in a Cuban professional league, Iglesias was not subject to the new international signing guidelines established by the Collective Bargaining Agreement that go into effect on July 1. And as a Major League deal, it does not affect the Reds' limit on international signing bonus money.
As part of the negotiated deal, Iglesias still retains his rights to salary arbitration when he has the service time to become eligible. He also did not give up any free agent years. Because this is a midseason signing, Iglesias won't have the required six years of Major League service time for free agency until after the seventh year of the contract is completed.
Once Iglesias and the Reds reached a deal, the club sent a medical team to Haiti to examine the pitcher, which included MRI tests and blood work. Once completed, the information was brought back to Cincinnati and reviewed by team medical director Tim Kremchek.
"Kremchek reviewed everything and was satisfied this guy was in tip-top shape," Jocketty said.
In January 2010, the Reds won a bidding war for the services of left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman when he was signed to a six-year, $30.25 million contract.
"[Reds vice president of scouting and international operations] Bill Bavasi was the guy who orchestrated everything from our ballclub with [agent] Barry Praver and his group of representatives," Jocketty said. "It was really based on the valuation of our scouts. It's the same group of guys that went to see Chapman. I guarantee you that they saw [Iglesias] more than any other club."
Once Iglesias has a ****, Cincinnati expects he could first be sent to the organization's academy in the Dominican Republic to get acclimated. Where he will begin in the Minor League system has yet to be determined, but he could be sent to the Arizona Fall League after this season.
"We'll see. We'll try to progress to that point," Jocketty said.
As a smaller-market club, the Reds have long avoided making significant free-agent expenditures, but they have not been afraid to get creative to find talent like Iglesias and Chapman.
"It's the way we feel we have to do our business. It's why it's important we have the strong scouting staff that we have," Jocketty said.
If he can transition successfully to a starting role, Iglesias will be part of a deep talent of young pitching in the organization. The system already has top prospects such as right-handers Robert Stephenson and Michael Lorenzen, as well as the University of Virginia's Nick Howard, who was selected in the first round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft and has not yet signed. There is also left-hander Tony Cingrani.
At the big level, the club already has Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake and Homer Bailey. Cueto and Leake are nearing free agency, while Bailey was signed to a six-year, $105 million deal in February.
"Starting pitching depth is a plus to have," Jocketty said. "The more pitching we get, the deeper we get, the more flexibility it gives us going forward."Comment -
I was going to make a post about Matt Latos.
But I don't want to waste my time writing about that knucklehead.
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Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia believes his weight loss in recent years had a bigger impact than he anticipated on his performance on the mound, according to the New York Daily News.
Sabathia trimmed his weight down and weight 275 pounds at the start of the 2014 season. He's now back up to 305 pounds, which is a weight Sabathia is happy to be at. When he won the Cy Young in 2007 with the Indians, Sabathia weighed over 300 pounds.
In 2013, Sabathia posted a 4.78 ERA in 32 games and in 2014. He managed a 5.28 ERA in just eight games, with his season cut short due to a knee injury that required surgery. Those numbers are far above his career ERA of 3.63.
Sabathia thinks adding the weight back on could help him get back to where he once was, even if his velocity isn't where it once was.
“I feel like this is a good weight,” Sabathia said. “I feel a little stronger. I feel my legs under me, being a lot stronger, and being able to push off the mound.”
He and Panda were on similar diets.Comment -
Oh, my!
Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia believes his weight loss in recent years had a bigger impact than he anticipated on his performance on the mound, according to the New York Daily News.
Sabathia trimmed his weight down and weight 275 pounds at the start of the 2014 season. He's now back up to 305 pounds, which is a weight Sabathia is happy to be at. When he won the Cy Young in 2007 with the Indians, Sabathia weighed over 300 pounds.
In 2013, Sabathia posted a 4.78 ERA in 32 games and in 2014. He managed a 5.28 ERA in just eight games, with his season cut short due to a knee injury that required surgery. Those numbers are far above his career ERA of 3.63.
Sabathia thinks adding the weight back on could help him get back to where he once was, even if his velocity isn't where it once was.
“I feel like this is a good weight,” Sabathia said. “I feel a little stronger. I feel my legs under me, being a lot stronger, and being able to push off the mound.”
He and Panda were on similar diets.
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Rob Manfred: 154 games possible
In his first days as Major League Baseball commissioner, Rob Manfred has been open to considering making changes to help make the sport more marketable.
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AP Photo/Steve RuarkCommissioner Rob Manfred said he'd be willing to consider a shorter, 154-game season if there was enough interest for it.
Proving that nothing is off the table, Manfred said Monday that he would entertain shortening the regular season if there was interest in doing so.
"I don't think length of season is a topic that can't ever be discussed," Manfred told ESPN.com. "I don't think it would be impossible to go back to 154 [games]."
Manfred said discussion of season length is not at the top of his mind, adding that insiders he talks to don't think having a season of 162 games is something that needs to be dealt with anytime soon. Manfred said concerns over the pace of the game are taking the priority.
Last week, MLB implemented new rules for the upcoming season that seek to reduce the average time of a game, which clocked in at 3 hours, 2 minutes in 2014.Comment -
i can't believe Arod has not just gone awayComment -
I just don't want to listen to another year of a rod gossip and dramaComment -
NO, DON'T DO IT!!!! THE MORE BASEBALL, THE BETTER!!!!Rob Manfred: 154 games possible
In his first days as Major League Baseball commissioner, Rob Manfred has been open to considering making changes to help make the sport more marketable.
[+] EnlargeAP Photo/Steve RuarkCommissioner Rob Manfred said he'd be willing to consider a shorter, 154-game season if there was enough interest for it.
Proving that nothing is off the table, Manfred said Monday that he would entertain shortening the regular season if there was interest in doing so.
"I don't think length of season is a topic that can't ever be discussed," Manfred told ESPN.com. "I don't think it would be impossible to go back to 154 [games]."
Manfred said discussion of season length is not at the top of his mind, adding that insiders he talks to don't think having a season of 162 games is something that needs to be dealt with anytime soon. Manfred said concerns over the pace of the game are taking the priority.
Last week, MLB implemented new rules for the upcoming season that seek to reduce the average time of a game, which clocked in at 3 hours, 2 minutes in 2014.
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This caught my eye today...
Odds to Win the NL Central
This book has the Cubs as a higher favorite over the Pirates to win the NL Central?8:05p St. Louis Cardinals +125 Chicago Cubs +250 Pittsburgh Pirates +275 Cincinnati Reds +1200 Milwaukee Brewers +1200
Really? I understand that the Cubs made some nice moves this winter, but they're still the Cubs...
These odds just make no sense to me at all...
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I wouldn't touch any team at those odds.This caught my eye today...
Odds to Win the NL Central
This book has the Cubs as a higher favorite over the Pirates to win the NL Central?8:05p St. Louis Cardinals +125 Chicago Cubs +250 Pittsburgh Pirates +275 Cincinnati Reds +1200 Milwaukee Brewers +1200
Really? I understand that the Cubs made some nice moves this winter, but they're still the Cubs...
These odds just make no sense to me at all...Comment -
Spring Training games officially begin this Sunday.
Albeit the Phillies are playing a college team (University of Tampa), IT'S ON!!!!
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LOOK: Here's the custom helmet that Giancarlo Stanton will wear
By Dayn Perry | Baseball Writer
February 26, 2015 10:50 am ET
Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton's 2014 season ended after he sustained this harrowing injury in September ...
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Stanton suffered facial fractures and lacerations and narrowly missed sustaining damage to his eye. It follows, then, that Stanton (with his $325 million contract) will be taking precautionary measures in 2015. Here, courtesy of the Miami Herald, is what those measures look like ...
I spy a capital "G"! As the Herald notes, Stanton has already tried the helmet out, and he'll have all of spring training to get used to it.Comment -
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Mets officials have tentatively scheduled starting pitcher Matt Harvey, who missed the 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery, to make his spring debut March 6 against the Tigers, a source told ESPN. It would be his first game action since Aug. 24, 2013.
Harvey is slated to face batters Friday for the first time since undergoing elbow surgery in October 2013. However, batters mostly will just be tracking the pitches and not swinging.
"How these things usually go is guys will stand in and kind of watch, monitor and track pitches -- which guys did last year," Harvey said. "I think once they start really getting the counts and have somebody behind there, I think that's when [the significance] will start."Comment -
Blue Jays sign Johan Santana to a minor league deal. I'm rooting for the guy but doubtful he has anything left in the tank.Comment -
That helmet is complexComment -
Way to much love for the Cubbies here...This caught my eye today...
Odds to Win the NL Central
This book has the Cubs as a higher favorite over the Pirates to win the NL Central?8:05p St. Louis Cardinals +125 Chicago Cubs +250 Pittsburgh Pirates +275 Cincinnati Reds +1200 Milwaukee Brewers +1200
Really? I understand that the Cubs made some nice moves this winter, but they're still the Cubs...
These odds just make no sense to me at all...Comment
