The Yankees have a long path to go to get to the World Series this coming year, especially given that their team remains at a standstill, unexpected to improve greatly from last year. It is not a positive sign that the Yankees rotation will most likely consist of C.C. Sabathia, Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia, with a likely spring training knockdown competition between Hector Noesi, A.J. Burnett, Dellin Betances and Phil Hughes for the final two rotation spots. http://mlbreports.com/2011/12/17/yankees-2012
Year in Review: The best college pitcher frustrated evaluators at times with his performance, but his pure stuff was too good to pass up with the first overall pick in the draft. The Good: Gerrit Cole's arsenal matches up with any young pitcher. His fastball sits in the mid- to upper-90s, and it consistently reached triple digits over the last year. He throws a plus-plus slider with heavy horizontal and vertical break. He also developed a changeup in college that flashes plus, and could be a consistent plus pitch with more use. His mechanics have also improved significantly from his high school days. The Bad: One of the biggest debates in the scouting community is why Cole is not better than he has been on a production level; one scout called it “The $10 million question.” He certainly has more control than command, but that's not a full explanation. Others point to an arm that is more trackable than most, and the hope for a more aggressive approach on the mound. Others think he just needs innings to turn into an ace. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15692
There's always going to be some jealousy of the superstars. That's life. The sociology of what goes on inside a baseball team is very similar to what goes on inside society. There are good people and there are bad people. There are agreeable people and disagreeable people. There are people who are admirers and people who are jealous. It's not extraordinary to have jealousy and resentment within a group of twenty-five competitive men who are all compensated differently. That said, I do think it's rare to see real animosity inside a clubhouse. If there is some, you still have a job that you're paid to do. There's still a responsibility to be a professional about your work. http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com
Yoenis Cespedes will have his Dominican residency taken care of in the coming days. The latest delay stems from a photo snafu: front and side shots of Cespedes, submitted to the Dominican government for processing purposes, feature the outfielder wearing different clothes, which is not allowed. Unfortunately, Dominican residency is just the first bit of a three-part process. Next, he'll have to be cleared by Major League Baseball, which should take another two to three days, and because Cespedes is Cuban, the United States government gets involved, as he has to be cleared to sign by OFAC, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, a division of the treasury office. United States businesses and individuals are not allowed to enter into any business arrangements (including baseball contracts) with Cuban companies or individuals under current law, so distinguishing Cespedes as a Dominican could take an additional 10-15 days after MLB declares him a free agent. That pushes the opening of his signing window into January, but interest remains sky high, so he'll certainly be signed in time for spring training. Cespedes is “anxious. He says he wants to play baseball for real,” relays Mercedes. “He wants to play in a game that counts for something.”
Edinson Volquez, the oldest player (he’s still just twenty-eight) involved in the trade, might end up being an invaluable addition for the Padres. A member of the 2008 NL All-Star team, Volquez was considered the Reds’ pitching staff ace before Dusty Baker’s workloads blew out his elbow. Just before finishing his rehab from Tommy John surgery, Volquez’s luck worsened, and the MLB suspended him fifty games in April 2010 after he tested positive for human growth hormone. Since returning to the mound mid-way through 2010, Volquez hasn’t been the dominant pitcher he was pre-surgery. Shuffled between AAA and the Reds’ rotation last season, his career hit a low-point; he managed an ugly 5.71 ERA and issued sixty-five walks in just 108 innings pitched (twenty starts). http://baseballnewshound.com/?p=2052
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