Our friend, Greg Spira, passed away yesterday. I met Greg the same way I met most of the founders of Baseball Prospectus--on Usenet. For many of us, rec.sport.baseball was an important place in the early '90s, and finding it changed my life. One of the most authoritative voices on rsbb when I first discovered it was Greg Spira. And speaking of vinegar, he used to use the phrase "sarcasm is a way of life" right in the middle of his handle. He was working on a little project he called the Internet Baseball Awards, and I got to know him better when I started working with him on the awards in 1993. Before web-based balloting, running a project like the IBAs was hard work--we had to take ballots via e-mail; we couldn't depend on consistent formatting or spelling, and we had to tabulate the results manually. I suppose working for Greg on the tabulation was kind of my "first job" having to do with baseball... it was certainly the first time I was working on producing anything larger than a Usenet post. Luckily, we were dealing with dozens of ballots instead of the hundreds that are submitted now, but I know Greg spent a massive amount of time administrating the IBAs over the years. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15748
When you look at the ultimate horror story in terms of rotator cuff surgeries go no further than Mark Mulder. In the early 2000’s the combination between him, Tim Hudson, and Barry Zito in Oakland was one of the most effective trio of young starting pitcher in baseball history. All of them went on to have very different careers, but Mulder’s is clearly the saddest and most unfortunate. He was traded to St. Louis for Dan Haren, Kiko Calero and Daric Barton and the Cardinals really only got one good year out of him. He went 16-8 with a 3.64 ERA in 2005 but after that his time in St. Louis turned in a nightmare. His 2006 season started well but it went downhill very quickly after he tore his rotator cuff. He tried to come back later in the 2006 season and got shelled for nine runs in three innings. He then had the surgery in 2007 and when he came back for the 2007 season he only was able to pitch 11 innings and gave up 15 runs. He tried to pitch again in 2008 but it was more of the same, as he was only able to throw 1.2 innings. In 2010 Mulder reluctantly retired. He was 29 when he had the surgery in 2007, and just 32 when he retired in 2010. - http://mets360.com/?p=8853
Loser - ESPN and Ryan Braun. In what turned out to be a bombshell, NL MVP Ryan Braun has reportedly tested positive for PEDs. ESPN broke the story, which may be a bigger deal than anything else as Braun has not been suspended yet by the league. With his case on appeal, if he is somehow exonerated ESPN comes out with a massive black eye. After all, MLB's drug program is designed with checks and balances in case there is some explainable means by which a player could have failed the test. If Braun wins his appeal, ESPN likely will have killed much of Braun's chances for the HOF, if his numbers ever get to that point. http://bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5564:winners-and-losers-in-sports-biz-of-2011&catid=26:editorials&Itemid=39
Bob Nightengale of USA Today is reporting that Major League Baseball will give the Oakland A's permission to move to San Jose. This would mark just the second franchise to move in baseball since 1972. Details still need to be worked out, including the the construction of a new stadium. However, the city of San Jose has offered to sell the needed land to the A's at a reduced rate. http://www.businessinsider.com/oakland-as-moving-2011-12#ixzz1hx6q6zWH
Jeff Reese: It was a bit of a mixed year for Colorado prospects; we saw a few players emerge – the most notable being graduate Juan Nicasio who showcased top of the rotation potential before that ghastly injury – and others disappoint. Nolan Arenado was a name prospect last year, but the work he has put in at trimming down and improving his defense at third base puts him squarely in the former category. Even if his defensive ceiling at third base is limited to merely average, the bat makes him an exciting player. The hit tool has been on display for some time, and there is hope that he eventually grows into plus power. Drew Pomeranz strikes me as more of a mid rotation starter as the raw stuff – save the curve ball which is excellent but used mostly as a chase pitch – is merely average and the command is not good enough for his fastball and change-up to play up. He is a rather safe bet to fulfill that role however, and that does give him plenty of value. Wilin Rosario continues to show off his power at the plate and an absolute cannon for an arm; the rest of his game did not develop as much as hoped this year. With Iannetta out of the picture, he should be given a long look during spring training in the hope that he entrenches himself as the starter. Chad Bettis is one of the CAL guys that Steve keeps raving about. He generates elite velocity on his fastball and has a good slider; frankly, the last time I saw him pitch was during his days at Texas Tech, and my looks from that time period are keeping me from fully endorsing him as a starting pitcher. http://www.bullpenbanter.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=514:colorado-rockies-2012-top-15-prospects&catid=18:articles&Itemid=11
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