To see the Reds?Originally Posted by koz-man
I was there their opening season in 2001.
Our seat were between home & third.
What a beautiful view with the opening in left field, with the city in the back drop.
Yeah, it's an absolutely awesome atmosphere. Finally, Pittsburgh has a quality product to watch play in it!
It's even better when they have concerts and fireworks after the games. Quite a sight!
Jose Igelesias lost for at least half a year for the Tigers
Patrick Corbin is toast. Dr James Andrews time
Thats such a bummer for Arizona. Archie Bradley will contribute big time this season.Patrick Corbin is toast. Dr James Andrews time
Arizona Diamondbacks: The Bradley Watch ContinuesEven after dominating early in the spring, it was widely believed that Archie Bradley would start the year at AAA. A rough outing against Seattle on Thursday only reinforced that notion. But, with Bronson Arroyo's back improving slowly, Bradley still finds himself competing for a spot in the rotation, at least for a turn or two in April. And this could give him time to make an impression and make sending him down a tough decision. Control continues to be an issue for Bradley and it's perhaps his only real weakness (6 walks in 8+ innings after walking 69 in 152 innings in the minors last season). While the injuries and issues at the back end of the DBacks rotation are advantageous for Bradley and his owners, I'd still temper expectations. He's going to be a gem, but it is going to take time for him to develop control and command. The 1.97 ERA and 23.5% K-rate at AA look enticing and are evoking fantasy comparisons to Jose Fernandez, but when you add the 11.7% BB-rate and 3.33 FIP, you'll see that below the surface, Bradley isn't quite there yet.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Owings and Gregorius Going Down Under, But Who Will Emerge in the States?Kevin Towers proclaimed on Arizona Sports Radio recently that both Owings and Gregorius are likely to travel with the team to Australia. This is interesting news, as the battle for the starting SS gig appears to be dead even heading into the final week of preparations for the team. Owings has 11 hits in 37 AB's to go with 3 BB's and 5 K's against solid competition this spring, but hasn't yet gone yard. Gregorius, after fading down the stretch offensively last season, is 7 for 30 this spring. Owings acquitted himself well in his call up last season, and looks quite comfortable in the spring. Owings is going to have time at the beginning of the year to make an offensive impression, making this great news for his owners. If he does, he could be here to stay and be a solid, high-upside MI option in the majority of leagues. Of course, a trade is also a possibility, which could only help his cause as well. Move him up your boards.
I'm from Eastern Pa and drove out to Cincinnati to see the Reds play a couple games.To see the Reds?
Yeah, it's an absolutely awesome atmosphere. Finally, Pittsburgh has a quality product to watch play in it!
It's even better when they have concerts and fireworks after the games. Quite a sight!
On the way to Ohio we stopped at PNC to see the Pirates and Royals.
I can't believe it was like 13 years ago.What a great trip it was!!!
Around the League:
David Robertson (RP - NYY) - Replacing Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning this season will be veteran Yankee reliever David Robertson. Over the past three seasons, Robertson has averaged more than 12 strikeouts per nine innings with a 1.90 ERA. Going as the tenth closer off the board, Robertson has the opportunity and stuff to be able to provide an excellent return for players who take him in the 11th round of their leagues. Robertson relies mostly on his fastball and curveball, but both are above average pitches for him. This draft season, his value is being discounted in large part due to his inexperience as a closer. For his career, he is only 8 for 20 in save situations. Robertson has made good progress with his control in recent years and has kept his BB/9 below 3 for two straight years. If he can handle the pressure of closing in New York, he could provide the best value at the closer position this spring.
Doug Fister (SP- WAS) - Fister was scratched from his start last Friday due to what the team is calling inflammation in his pitching elbow. On Sunday, Nationals manager Matt Williams said that Fister is showing improvement and is downplaying the severity of the issue. Despite no timetable for his return, the Nationals don't appear concerned about him missing opening day. Fister's best asset is his control, evidenced by his career BB/9 of 1.81. He is predominately a ground ball pitcher and should continue to post respectable ratios for fantasy owners. Moving from the AL to the NL should help Fister build on his already quality numbers and could help him improve his strikeout rate as well.
Kris Medlen (SP- ATL) - Medlen left the game early on Sunday with what is being described as a mild forearm strain. As of Sunday night, not much information has been released and he will be re-evaluated on Monday. Medlen followed up an extraordinary 2012 campaign with a pretty good 2013. Much like Fister, he's a groundball pitcher with great control, boasting a career walk rate of 6% and a career strikeout rate of 21%. Medlen missed most of the 2011 after undergoing Tommy John surgery so another elbow injury is a little concerning. Keep an eye on this situation in the coming days to weeks. It's possible Medlen will have to start the season on the DL.
Michael Pineda (SP - NYY) - Michael Pineda made his first start of the spring for the Yankees on Friday and performed pretty well. He only pitched two innings but he struck out four batters. Catcher Brian McCann was quoted after the game saying that "his slider was pretty much unhittable". During his rookie year, Pineda's fastball velocity sat between 94-96 MPH. On Friday, he was clocked closer to 91-93 MPH. Pineda's swinging strike percentage of about 12% in his rookie year coupled with a walk rate below 8% make him an enticing late round flier. He's a high risk/high reward type of guy but there's definitely potential for high strikeout numbers from the former top prospect, if he can regain his form.
Brett Anderson (SP - COL) - Brett Anderson is another pitcher coming back from an injury that I'm beginning to really like as a value pick late in drafts. While moving from Oakland to Colorado will usually hurt pitchers, I don't believe it's going to hurt Anderson quite as much thanks to his career groundball rate of 55%. Further helping his chances in Coors are his GB/FB ratios of 3.59 and 2.96 in 2012 and 2013, respectively. As long as he continues to keep the ball out of the air, the ballpark shouldn't have much effect on his stats. Health is a major concern for the 26-year old, who has only started more than 19 games once in his five year career. Historically, he's a pitcher that has put up decent strikeouts and solid ratios. With a current ADP in the 39th round, he's relatively low-risk.
Billy Burns (OF - OAK) - Who is batting .300 with 7 stolen bases in 11 games this spring? His name is Billy but his last name is Burns, not Hamilton. Acquired from the Nationals in December 2013, Burns is seeing a long look this spring after moving through Single-A and Double-A last year. What stands out about his minor league numbers, besides his plus speed, is his ability to get on base. Burns' career minor league OBP is .420 and his EYE is 1.03. Between two levels, he stole 74 bases last year. He won't break camp with the A's but he could be an under-the-radar, mid-season call-up if he continues to hit, steal, and get on-base in the minor leagues this season.
Grant Balfour (RP - TB) - After failing a physical for the Baltimore Orioles in December, Grant Balfour settled for less money and signed a contract with the Rays to become their closer. Balfour repeatedly denied any health issues this off-season but admitted on Saturday that he's going through a dead arm period this spring. He has struggled in each of his last two appearances this spring, giving up 5 earned runs and 3 walks in just 1.1 IP. While it doesn't seem to be much of a concern yet, Tampa does have a few other options at closer should Balfour need to miss any time. Heath Bell has previous closer experience but struggled in his last closing gig in Florida, while Joel Peralta and Jake McGee have posted solid seasons as late inning relievers for the Rays the last couple of years.
George Springer (OF-HOU) - Despite an OBP of .368, George Springer has just 1 hit in 13 spring at-bats. One of the Astros' top prospects, Springer hit 37 HRs with 45 SBs with a slash line of .303/.411/.600 between Double-A and Triple-A last season. Springer's power/speed combo should translate to fantasy relevance once he's called up to the big leagues in the middle of this year. He posted a ridiculous ISO of .315 in 62 games at Triple-A to go along with an 88% stolen base success rate. Springer still needs to work on reducing his strikeouts but he has shown double-digit walk rates at each level in the minor leagues. Don't expect to see Springer earlier than June, however. The Astros are in no rush to start his arbitration clock.
Manny Machado (3B -BAL) - Coming off a gruesome knee injury in September last year, Machado has been rehabbing for most of the spring. While he isn't expected to be cleared for games for at least another week or two, Machado has been stepping up his activities recently and the Orioles haven't ruled out the possibility he will be ready for opening day. The third baseman got off to a great start last year, hitting 7 HRs, 57 RBIs, and .310/.337/.470 before the all-star break. Machado's sharp decrease in his LD rate in the second half from 24% to 16% could be partly responsible for the drop-off in some of his numbers. His power is still developing, as he's mainly a doubles hitter as opposed to a homerun hitter rightnow. A 6% jump in his contact rate bodes well for continued success in batting average.
Rex Brothers (RP -COL) - After filling in admirably at closer for Rafael Betancourt last season, the Rockies rewarded Rex Brothers by signing 41-year old LaToy Hawkins to close out games in 2014. Brothers posted an unsustainable 1.74 ERA with 19 saves, 12 holds, and struck out more than 10 batters per nine innings last year. He has always had a big arm but has historically struggled with his command (career average 4.76 BB/9). His fastball sits in the low to mid-90's but he also has a quality slider. Brothers' career swinging strike percentage of 13% makes it seem probable to again expect big strikeouts from him. Hawkins had a really good year last year but should he get hurt (or traded), Brothers will be a very interesting option at closer for the Rockies.
I look for Josh Johnson to have a very strong year.
He will really enjoy pitching in that big ballpark in San Diego...
It looks like it will be a waiting game for Oscar Taveras and I agree that there is no reason to rush him.
The Cards are stacked in the outfield for the time being... (No pun intended!)
C Chris Stewart of the Pirates to have Knee Surgery to start the year on the DL
Tony Sanchez will make the big league club to be the back up catcher
Gotcha! Sounds like a great trip, indeed! Yeah, where does the time go?!?!?I'm from Eastern Pa and drove out to Cincinnati to see the Reds play a couple games.
On the way to Ohio we stopped at PNC to see the Pirates and Royals.
I can't believe it was like 13 years ago.
might see Javier Baez in a cub uniform a bit sooner as he is working out/playing at 2nd some
Looks like Manny Machado of the O's will not be in the lineup for opening day.
Hes recovering from scar tissue from his surgically repaired left knee.
Machado, 21, hit .283/.314/.432 (99 OPS+) with 14 homers, 71 RBI, 88 runs and an AL-best 51 doubles last season. He won the AL Platinum Glove as the best defensive player in the league, too.
He was snagged early in my draft Monday. I'm very intrigued by him. He had a great minor league season for 2013. Definitely can be upgrade over Barney offensively.might see Javier Baez in a cub uniform a bit sooner as he is working out/playing at 2nd some
might be worth a stab in the ladder roundsmight see Javier Baez in a cub uniform a bit sooner as he is working out/playing at 2nd some
New York YankeesDavid Robertson Assumes Closer Role
After three strong seasons an eight-inning setup man, Robertson finally will take over full time as the Yankees closer. The 28 year-old had another strong season in 2014 pitching to a 2.04 ERA, 2.61 FIP, and 2.60 xFIP in 66.1 innings pitched. Even though he unfairly carried a reputation of unable to close games during his brief tenure as the closer in 2012 when Mariano Rivera was injured, Robertson is as qualified as anyone to take over the duties in 2014. His reverse-platoon split (3.32 FIP against RHH; 2.19 FIP against LHH) and strikeout ability (10.45 K/9 in 2013) are important components. There are some concerns with his velocity and swinging strike rate dropping in each of the last three seasons, but his ground ball rate also improved to a career best 50 percent in 2013. With improved control (2.48 BB/9 in 2013), he should be able to rack up plenty of saves and strikeouts.
Projecting Ivan Nova
Nova put together the best season of his career in 2013 pitching to a 3.10 ERA in 139.1 innings pitched. Both his FIP (3.47) and xFIP (3.68) were also favorable and the lowest rates of his career. As expected Nova's numbers improved with his HR/FB ratio regressing from 16.6 to 8.4 percent along with getting his ground ball rate back above 50 percent (53.5 percent). Nova is one of the few pitchers who has improved with limiting his repertoire, as he stopped throwing his slider and barely used his change-up last season. Nova will be a solid back end starter for owners in standard leagues, but he is more likely to post an ERA closer to his 2011 season (3.70). He benefitted from an above average strand rate last year (79.5 percent), and I would not be surprised to see a few more home runs leave the park in 2014.
