Shelby Miller,
Cardinals: They say the jump to Double-A is the toughest one to make, but
Miller didn't have any trouble with that leap in 2011. With the gloves off,
Miller dominated in the Texas League and went to his second Futures Game. Still
armed with a plus fastball, he's learned to be a more complete pitcher,
improving his breaking ball, his changeup and his knowledge of how to use all
of his weapons. He's also proven to be more durable and able to pitch
efficiently deep into games, even while missing plenty of bats. He'll have to
continue to do that as he moves up and prepares for what could be his Major
League debut in 2012 http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120112&content_id=26330142&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_26330142
The Yankees agree to terms with Hiroki Kuroda With
a profile that includes strikeout ability, solid control, above-average
groundball rates and relative durability, Kuroda has been a salt-of-the-earth
commodity in the fake game in his four Major League seasons, all of which were
spent with the Dodgers. You probably wouldn't have won many leagues with the
Japanese right-hander as your No. 1 starter, but he's been an ideal No. 3 or 4.
Now, things are about to get tougher for Kuroda. He's leaving pitcher-friendly
Dodger Stadium for a home ballpark in the Bronx that favors hitters. He's also
staring at his age-37 season and is leaving behind the navigable NL West for
baseball's toughest division. Factor in that his draft-day price -- current ADP
of 170, per Mock Draft Central -- will likely be inflated in the coming weeks
by his new pinstriped uniform, and we seemingly have a formula for a guy who is
a good pitcher but could land on our overpriced list. http://www.rotoauthority.com/
Texas is best known for producing great beef and the
best football in the world, but they have another commodity that they export
with similar regularity; pitchers. Highlighted by the likes of Nolan Ryan,
Roger Clemens, and Greg Maddux, the Longhorn State has had 431 pitchers appear
in a major league game. One of the best left-handers in that group was Greg Swindell, who enjoyed a 17 year big league career
and is still closely connected to his home state. Swindell followed up a
stellar high school career by attending the University of Texas, for all intent
and purposes replacing Roger Clemens, who left for the pro ranks after the 1983
season. The three seasons (1984-1986) that Swindell played at UT rank amongst
the most dominant of all time in college baseball. He posted a sparkling 43-8
record in 77 games, with a 1.92 ERA and 501 strikeouts. He was the National
Player of the Year as a sophomore in 1985, and still holds many Texas and NCAA
records. http://seamheads.com/2012/01/16/greg-swindell-representing-the-best-of-texas/
The Phillies and LHP Cole
Hamels avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $15 million
contract. A massive (but well-deserved) payout for the arbitration-eligible
left-hander. Hamels, 28, registered a 2.79 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 31 starts last
season, striking out 194 batters in 216 innings for the NL East champion
Phillies. He'd be the ace on most major league staffs and should remain a
valuable fantasy option for many years to come. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/347935/baseball-headlines?r=1
Hiroki Kuroda: 13-16, 3.07 ERA, 1.21 WHIP Kuroda has won 41 games since joining the Dodgers in 2008 and last year was his finest season in terms of wins, innings pitched (202) and strikeouts (161). Kuroda has indicated he would like to stay in Los Angeles even with the team’s ownership situation in flux. He is 37, so it would also be hard to imagine many other teams bending over backwards to give him much more than the $47 million he has been paid the last four years. http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/article/1019347--mlb-free-agency-fire-up-the-hot-stove
Ryan Madson will not be celebrating his reported eight-figure deal deal alone. [Madson] has to be pretty happy with the reported four-year, $44 million deal he's set to receive from the Phillies, but he's not the only one. Jonathan Papelbon can't be too torn up by the deal, either. If Madson is worth $11 million a year, Papelbon -- slightly younger with better stats and more experience -- should be looking at at least $13 million per season. Of course, there's going to be one less big-money team bidding for his services, but there should due enough out there that allows Papelbon to cash in as the market's top free agent closer. http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/316872-price-for-papelbon-may-reach-13m#ixzz1dEKRTyzN
Theo Epstein and Co. have already started ruling by new math -- addition by subtraction. While adding players is a top priority, subtracting players such as Carlos Zambrano is also extremely important. ... [610 Sports Radio] in Kansas City spoke with Royals GM Dayton Moore who indicated that he would consider taking on Zambrano if the deal made sense for his club. "We would have to be interested. We would have to explore it because that's what you should do. You should explore every opportunity. Carlos Zambrano is a heckuva competitor," said Moore. "Carlos Zambrano has had a lot of success in the major leagues. Carlos Zambrano is actually a very pleasant, easy going, classy person off the field." http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/316871-theo-unloading-zambrano-on-royals#ixzz1dEMNUkWt
Darvish has avoided the notorious overwork that plagued Matsuzaka’s amateur and early pro careers. Like Matsuzaka’s teenage years, young Darvish pitched at Koshien, Japan’s national high school baseball tournament. Unlike Matsuzaka, he doesn’t quite have a 250-pitch, 17-inning complete game on his resume. Darvish’s longest outing was a 166-pitch game that he lost on a walk-off home run in the 10th inning. Also, unlike Matsuzaka, Darvish was eased into his pro career: he threw 94.1 innings and 149.2 innings in his first two pro years. Matsuzaka, by contrast, threw 180 innings as an 18 year-old rookie — 347.2 in his first two seasons — and set a career high with 240.1 innings in his third. In essence, Darvish has fired fewer bullets http://projectprospect.com/article/2011/11/08/yu-darvish-scouting-report
He’s local guy, who has made it clear he would play for the Mets; and so I could definitely see him with this team next season (though the Twins could still try to re-sign him, despite declining his option), as he also fits the mold of someone looking to re-establish his footing as a closer. Joe Nathan is a sinker/slider pitcher, who would typically live in the mid-to high-90s with his two fastballs. However, he struggled with his velocity in 2011 after missing the entire 2010 season due to Tommy John surgery. He also missed about a month this past season with a right flexor muscle strain; and, along with his diminished stuff, I wonder how much he has left in the tank at this stage of his career http://www.metsblog.com/2011/11/09/20-experts-say-joe-nathan-over-k-rod
