Why Do Broadcasters Hate Pablo Sandoval?
Bottom of the sixth in tonight’s Giants/Dodgers game. After a picking up a bad pitch in the dirt, Buster Posey checks Matt Kemp, the runner at third who had feigned a move towards the plate when the ball took a bad bounce. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval signals for Posey to throw over, and the young backstop flings it out of Sandoval’s reach.
Kemp scored on the error, and the color commentators were understandably scornful of the play. Interestingly, their criticism was focused squarely on Sandoval, who they said was wrong to have called for Posey’s throw. Maybe it was wrong, maybe it wasn’t, but surely Posey was at least partly to blame for making his receiver reach across the baserunner?
But alas, Posey was exonerated. According to the broadcasting crew, his dial is permanently set to 11—as one of them put it (I forget who but I know the quote was verbatim), “Posey’s got the instincts of a champion.” Somehow, they managed to compliment a player for making a mistake that gave the other team the lead.
Four pitches later, Sandoval seemingly redeemed himself (assuming, again, that Kemp scoring was his fault) when he made a fantastic diving catch to rob Rod Barajas of a hit that would have scored at least a run, maybe two.
After a few initial oohs and aahs, they began marginalizing his web gem by suggesting that the ball might have bounced, and questioning whether or not the third-base umpire had made the right call (the replays made it clear that he had, but I don’t remember anyone acknowledging that).
Then, they began poking fun at his weight—he wouldn’t have made the catch a year ago, one of them said, because he wouldn’t have been able to stand on his toes. It’s a fair criticism and it’s true that Panda’s conditioning (or lack thereof) has been a problem the Giants are trying to deal with, but if you’re going to praise Buster Posey for throwing too hard, how can you not give Sandoval some well-earned praise?
The Final Countdown: 24 Hours ‘Til Opening Day!
The Cleveland Indians’ 2011 season begins in exactly 24 hours! You know what that means:
Unfortunately, the song’s about five minutes long, so you’ll need to play it 279 times to get you to first pitch. And you can’t just sit there for 24 hours—get up and dance!
Alright, let’s take a breather—time for a more classical approach (I love what they do with the guitar solo here):
Now you’re probably a little frustrated—you’ve listened to the same song three times now and there’s still more than 23 hours left before first pitch. Luckily, there’s someone else who understands your frustrations:
Having trouble keeping images of Gob Bluth out of your head? Yeah, me too:
Finally, we get to my favorite version—The Final Sponge Down!
A Realistic Look at the Cleveland Indians’ Opening Day Roster
Today marks the start of the 2011 MLB season. That means that the first pitch of Cleveland Indians’ season is just 31 hours away!
As regular readers will have noticed, I’ve been going through mood swings since the team announced its Opening Day 25-man on Monday. On Tuesday, we took an optimistic look at the Tribe’s depth chart before taking a more pessimistic perspective on Wednesday.
Today, I sought some middle ground. Here are my more measured expectations for each player on the Tribe’s roster.
Michael Brantley. He doesn’t look like a future batting-title contender anymore, but if he can rediscover the plate discipline he showed in the minors (11.8% walk rate), he’ll be a solid, if unspectacular, leadoff hitter.
Travis Buck. He won’t drag down the team as a fourth outfielder, but, his stellar spring must be weighed against his .215/.284/.377 slashline over the past three seasons.
Asdrubal Cabrera. A .360 BABIP fueled his breakout 2009 season; consistent health will boost his numbers from last year, but don’t expect another .799 OPS.
Orlando Cabrera. A mediocre bat with a good-not-great glove. A stopgap until Cord Phelps and Jason Kipnis are ready, he could bring in a prospect or two at the Trade Deadline.
Fausto Carmona. Even if his health and improved control carry over into 2011, don’t expect his ERA to again drop below 4.00.
Carlos Carrasco. Likely to hit a few bumps in the road as he transitions to the major leagues, but has the stuff to be an above-average MLB pitcher right away. Could be the Tribe’s best pitcher by season’s end.
Shin-Soo Choo. (more…)
A Pessimistic Look at the Cleveland Indians’ Opening Day Roster
Just 55 hours remain until the start of the Cleveland Indians’ baseball season! For the next two days, Tribe fans will be savoring the moments when their team isn’t battling it out for last place. Not until Friday will we start to shout: “Wait ’til next year!”
Yesterday, we took an optimistic look at the Indians’ Opening Day 25-man roster, as announced by the team on Monday. Today, as you may have inferred, I’m not in as good of a mood.
Here’s a grumpy raincloud’s perspective on the Tribe’s 2011 roster.
Michael Brantley. Hit .246 with a .623 OPS and just 10 steals in 2010—does that sound like the next Kenny Lofton?
Travis Buck. A career .250 hitter who hasn’t even been good in the minors since 2008. Does a hot spring outweigh that?
Asdrubal Cabrera. He missed two months with injuries last season, and his -13.4 UZR/150 trailed only Jason Bartlett among shortstops with at least 800 innings in the field.
Orlando Cabrera. His storied defense is declining, he’s moving to a new position, and he OBPed .303 last year.
Fausto Carmona. No. 1 starters should be able to strike out more than 5.3 K/9; his 4.25 xFIP doesn’t look ace-like.
Carlos Carrasco. Has a 5.96 ERA in six Spring Training starts—and that’s against minor leaguers.
Shin-Soo Choo. (more…)
Cleveland Indians Sell Jayson Nix to Toronto Blue Jays
The Cleveland Indians have sold infielder Jayson Nix to the Toronto Blue Jays for “cash considerations,” according to the Blue Jays’ Twitter account.
Nix, 28, lost his place on the Tribe’s 25-man roster when Jack Hannahan and Adam Everett won spots. Had he not been traded, he would have been designated for assignment.
In 102 games with the Indians and Chicago White Sox last year, Nix hit .224/.281/.396 with 14 homers and 34 RBI. He logged playing time everywhere but first base, center field, and catcher, posting -5.2 UZR; at his primary position, third base, he had a -20.6 UZR/150. At -0.1 WAR, he was below replacement level.
Nix was hitting .176/.300/.294 in 39 spring plate appearances. He is arbitration-eligible for the first time in 2012.
