Mack's Apples - 11-9-17 - Jim Duquette, Gabe Ynoa, Lake Grove, Walter Johnson, Slade Cecconi

Good morning.

 Jim Duquette  free agent predictions –

           

15. Logan Morrison, 30, 1B/OF

After having a breakout season that included 38 homers and a 13.5 percent walk rate, the left-handed-hitting Morrison should have no problem earning a multi-year contract this winter. Like Alonso, Trumbo's deal should be his target.

Interested teams: Rays, Mariners, Indians, Mets

Duquette's prediction: Mets

23. Todd Frazier, 32, 3B

While he's hit just .220 over the past two seasons, Frazier is one of the more intriguing options on the free-agent market, as his power numbers, solid defense and clubhouse leadership make him a great fit for some teams. He may get two-year offers in the $26 million range, but could also decide to take a one-year contract and return to free agency again next year.

Interested teams: Mets, Cardinals, Angels, Giants

Duquette's prediction: Mets

 Gabriel Ynoa -

In September, the only pitcher the Orioles brought up from Triple-A to be a starter was Gabriel Ynoa, a right-hander acquired in the offseason from the New York Mets. He never found a groove at Triple-A Norfolk, where he made 21 starts and had a 5.65 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP, but held his own in four September starts and ended with a 4.15 ERA in the majors. Ynoa, 24, will be out of minor league options next year and likely be a major player in the Orioles' rotation competition in spring training.

Long Island’s ‘baseball house’ lists for  $549,000 -

           

This 1875 Colonial in Lake Grove was home — or better yet, “home field” — for the Hawkins family. Six brothers from the family were once part of a local baseball team founded in the early 1900s that was known as the “Hawkins Nine.”

The house, on Hawkins Avenue, has been in the family for four generations and is now the market for the first time, says the listing agent. Listed for $549,000, the six-bedroom, 2-1/2 bathroom house includes many original features, including the front porch, outhouse and milk house.

 Walter Johnson -

        

    On August 2, 1907, a young man later described by Frank Graham as "beyond doubt, the greatest pitcher that ever scuffed a rubber with his spikes"1 made his big-league debut for the Washington Senators, losing a 3-2 decision to the pennant-bound Detroit Tigers. The great Ty Cobb admitted his fastball "made me flinch" and "hissed with danger."2 By the time he hung up his spikes 20 years later, Walter Johnson had recorded statistics which seem beyond belief — 417 wins and 279 losses, 3,509 strikeouts, 110 shutouts, 12 20-win seasons, 11 seasons with an earned run average below 2.00, and what seems almost incomprehensible a century later, 531 complete games in 666 starts. But, as superlative as his pitching record was, in Shirley Povich's words, "Walter Johnson, more than any other ballplayer, probably more than any other athlete, professional or amateur, became the symbol of gentlemanly conduct in the heat of battle."

                        Ask Hobie about this guy… he was there!

Slade Cecconi -

While he may not be surrounded by as much fanfare as other players, Cecconi is a very exciting player with a high ceiling. He's a speedy, natural athlete, but is a prospect on the mound. This athleticism transfers nicely to pitching. Perfect Game says that he possesses an "elite level arm," and he has done nothing to dispel that notion this summer.

Delivering his pitches with a fairly easy delivery and lightning arm speed, Cecconi has two offerings that register as having the potential to become plus. First and foremost is his fastball. He can power it up to 97 mph at times, and though it lacks the life that is characteristic of many great heaters, it does have some arm side run and sink and he lives down in the zone with it. The second of these is a slider/cutter. Perfect Game described it as being "his best secondary pitch, has power and bite at 84 mph."