November, 2009 | The Baseball Zealot

Move Over Damon Here Comes Curtis

I was doing some more research on kids whose stars shined brightly in the desert in the 2009 AFL and came across the story of Colin Curtis, which is a story too good not to be told. Curtis is the property of the World Champion New York Yankees.

The Yankees are currently trying to decide on whether or not to bring back Johnny Damon and/or World Series MVP Hideki Matsui. I have a sneaking suspicion they’re going to go after outfielder Matt Holliday, that sounds okay to me, but I’d let both Damon & Matsui walk if I chose to sign Holliday, and give youngster Colin Curtis a shot at the leftfield spot, with Holliday becoming the regular DH.

I’m sure you’re asking, who is this Curtis kid, known also as C-2? Colin was the three year starting centerfielder for the Arizona Sun Devils, where he batted .300, .342, & .335, with a total of 40 stolen bases. Maybe more impressive than this kid’s baseball talents is his makeup. As a high school senior he was the leader of his Issaquah, WA team which won the state championship, all this after he beat testicular cancer.

I’m not saying the Yankees should just give this kid the job based on a sappy sentimental story, he can play! Colin batted .397 (2nd in the league) with a .472 OBP in twenty games in the AFL, showing patience at the plate with eleven walks. To be fair this 2006 4th round draft has struggled since being drafted, not hitting above .270 above Single A, with a disappointing .235 at Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2009 most recently staring back at him in his rear view mirror.

This game isn’t just about numbers, it’s also about character, as the Yankees might’ve finally found out, it’s about overcoming adversity, and if that’s the case, then I look forward to watching Colin Curtis in the New York Yankees outfield very soon.

Hot Prospect @ Hot Corner Heats Up in Desert

I couldn’t make it to the desert to watch any Arizona Fall League action this year, which was very disappointing. I’m a huge baseball fan, who enjoys seeing young talent more than anything, and then watching these players develop. Last Fall I enjoyed getting a chance to see The Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year Gordon Beckham of the White Sox play in the AFL for the Peoria Javelinas.

Looking over this year’s stats I couldn’t help but notice Brent Morel. Brent is also a member of the White Sox organization, plays thirdbase, was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2008 draft out of Cal Poly San Luis Obisbo. He hit .435 in the desert to lead the AFL in batting, with two homers, two doubles, & two stolen bases, in 62 at bats.

Since being drafted by the Sox this kid has done nothing but impress. After completing his career at Cal Poly where he hit .368, 18 doubles, 5 triples, 8 homers, & 60 RBIs in 56 games, Morel tore up rookie ball, hitting .375 in 64 at bats there, before being promoted to A Ball Kannapolis, where again he held his own, with a .297 average & power numbers of 6, 2, 6, in 172 at bats.

In 2009 Brent spent the entire season at Class A+ Winston-Salem, where he posted numbers of .281, 33, 1, 16, & 25 steals. He has always been a California kid, born in Bakersfield, so it took some adjusting getting used to the other coast, back home it rains 5 inches in a year, while in Winston-Salem you might see that in a day. This kid isn’t just a pretty bat as he was also rock solid in the field.

Morel is an all around athlete who starred at QB for his high school football team at 6’2″ 200 pounds, he could’ve gone on to have played football if he’d chosen to do so. Since then he’s added 20 pounds of muscle and appears ready to move up the ladder. Interestingly he’s always idolized Cal Ripken, so he gobbled up #8 as soon as it became available, like gobbling up a groundball.

Brent will most likely start out 2010 in Double A, but if all goes well the 22 year old from the Golden State might see some action at Triple A before the year’s out, and I’ll be waiting at the Cell to cheer on this talented youngster when he reaches the big leagues in the not too distant future.

You can watch Brent Morel along with the rest of the Peoria Javelinas when they battle the Phoenix Desert Dogs in the AFL Championship game, which will be telecast on the MLB Network, Saturday, November 21st, at 1:00 PM CST.

C-U Kiwanis host Sports Trivia Championship on Jan 31

For those in the Champaign-Urbana area, the local Kiwanis chapter is putting on a “Sports Trivia Championship” on Sunday, January 31 at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Some of the question topics: Illini basketball and football, Cubs, Cardinals, White Sox, Chicago Bears.

If you’re interested, you can sign up at the Sports Trivia Championship website. Entry fee is $25 and proceeds are going to the Don Moyer’s Boys and Girls Club, Little League Baseball, and Challenger Baseball League for Handicapped Youth. Did I mention there was a $1,000 grand prize?

I’m thinking of entering but that means I have to study up on the White Sox. Help Teddy!

1961- Jim Gentile’s career year

A few posts I posted a trivia question of sorts. Who came in third in the 1961 MVP voting after Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. My only hint was that this player had superior BA/OBP/SLG than Maris, the winner of the award.

The answer, easily looked up of course, is Jim Gentile.

Kudos to DonS who texted me the answer the next morning. It took him two tries (his first was Norm Cash, a good guess).

In some ways, Gentile was a one-year wonder. His 1961 season was phenomenal. He had more runs, doubles, homers, rbis, walks than any other season in his career. The same goes for his batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

Jim Gentile’s career stats

Year	Tm	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
1957	BRO	4	6	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	1	1	.167	.286	.667
1958	LAD	12	30	0	4	1	0	0	4	0	4	6	.133	.235	.167

1960	BAL	138	384	67	112	17	0	21	98	0	68	72	.292	.403	.500
1961	BAL	148	486	96	147	25	2	46	141	1	96	106	.302	.423	.646
1962	BAL	152	545	80	137	21	1	33	87	1	77	100	.251	.346	.475
1963	BAL	145	496	65	123	16	1	24	72	1	76	101	.248	.353	.429
1964	KCA	136	439	71	110	10	0	28	71	0	84	122	.251	.372	.465
1965	TOT	119	345	36	84	16	1	17	53	0	43	98	.243	.337	.443
1965	KCA	38	118	14	29	5	0	10	22	0	9	26	.246	.305	.542
1965	HOU	81	227	22	55	11	1	7	31	0	34	72	.242	.352	.392
1966	TOT	82	191	18	41	7	1	9	22	0	26	57	.215	.321	.403
1966	HOU	49	144	16	35	6	1	7	18	0	21	39	.243	.355	.444
1966	CLE	33	47	2	6	1	0	2	4	0	5	18	.128	.212	.277
9 Seasons		936	2922	434	759	113	6	179	549	3	475	663	.260	.368	.486

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/18/2009.

He certainly was no slouch in the couple seasons surrounding his 1961 campaign. But anyone expecting the production they got out of him in that year was surely disappointed.

Coghlan, Bailey are 2009 Rookies of the Year

Rookie of the Year is always such a tenuous award. Sometimes it’s given to a solid steady but unspectacular player (*cough* Bobby Crosby *cough*) who had the luck of not getting hurt his first year in the majors.

This year’s winners?? Outfielder Chris Coghlan of the Marlins and reliever Andrew Bailey of the A’s.

Our own Teddy Ballgame (who knows more about the young talent in the majors than I ever will) did his predictions of the Rookie of the Year award in mid September. He wrong on both counts but I’ll give him credit. His pick, Elvis Andrus both placed second in the voting in the AL. As for his pick of Dexter Fowler?? Well… he barely made a showing, getting one third place vote.

Both votes were close especially the Reds’ J.A. Happ who came within 11 votes of Coghlan.

Coghlan batted .321 in 128 games with 84 runs scored and a pretty impressive .390 on-base percentage. As for Bailey (who by the way, our guest poster Shawn Lee DID pick as the Rookie of the Year in the midst of his Cy Young Predictions… nice call, Shawn!), he saved 26 games for the A’s with a 1.84 ERA. He also had a tasty BB/K ratio at 24/91.

The last reliever to win the ROY in either league was

Kazuhiro Sasaki in 2000.

Good luck next year, Teddy.

2009 MLB Rookies of the Year

roy625nov162009 Back in the middle of September I was assigned the task of predicting who would win the rookie of the year awards. Now two months later the winners were announced, Oakland A’s reliever Andrew Bailey in the American League and Florida Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan. I had predicted Rockies outfielder Dexter Fowler in the NL and Rangers SS Elvis Andrus in the AL.

In 2008 the A’s converted Bailey from a starter to a reliever in AA Ball in 2008. Andrew immediately experienced success in the bullpen, carrying that success over into the 2008 Arizona Fall League, and on into the 2009 regular big league season. He finished the season with 26 of 30 saves, a 6-3 record, a 1.84 ERA, with 91 strikeouts & 49 hits allowed in 83′ innings, and was Oakland’s lone All Star representative.

Chris Coghlan also enjoyed a conversion that enabled him to star in the big leagues, the former infielder was moved to leftfield. He brought his bat out to the outfield with him, batting .321 with a .390 OBP, with 31 doubles, 6 triples, & 9 home runs, as the Marlins leadoff hitter.

Elvis Andrus, my choice for AL Rookie of the Year, the Rangers 21 year old shortstop out of Venezuela, finished 2nd in the balloting behind Bailey. Elvis batted .267, with 33 stolen bases, 72 runs scored, & 128 base hits, with a very impressive range factor in the field of 4.86. Right on the heels of Andrus was Detroit’s 20 year old righthanded starting pitcher Rick Porcello (14-9 & 3.96 ERA). The 6’9″ Tampa Bay’s righthander, Jeff Niemann (13-6 & 3.94) was next, he was 17-0 with a 1.70 ERA as a Junior in 2003 with Rice. Then came The Sporting News choice for Rookie of the Year, the White Sox very own, thirdbaseman Gordon Beckham (.270, 28 doubles, 14 homers, 63 RBIs). Rounding out this crop of AL rookies was another pitcher from Oakland, southpaw Brett Anderson (11-11, 4.06 ERA, & 150 strikeouts in 175′ IP).

Closely behind Coghlan, over in the Senior Circuit, was The Sporting News choice for NL Rookie of the Year out of the University of Northwestern in Evanston, IL, Philadelphia’s lefthander J.A. Happ (12-4 & 2.93). A distant 3rd was Atlanta’s phenom righthanded starting pitcher Tommy Hanson (11-4, 2.89, & 116 K’s in 127″ IP). The Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen wasn’t far in back of Hanson, batting .286, 26 doubles, 9 triples, 12 homers, 74 runs scored, to go along with 22 steals, while playing a very good centerfield for the Buccos. Next up the Brewers thirdbaseman Casey McGehee received some love, .301, 20 doubles, 16 homers, & 66 RBIs. Interestingly six other rookies received very little support in their quest for league’s top rookie honors. They were Randy Wells of the Cubs (12-10 & 3.05), Pittsburgh slugger Garrett Jones (21 HRs & .293), Padres SS Everth Cabrera (25 SBs & 59 runs), my choice Dexter Fowler Colorado outfielder (73 runs, 27 SBs, 29 2Bs, & 10 3Bs), Diamondbacks outfielder Gerardo Parra (.290, 21 2Bs, 8 3Bs, 60 RBIs), and last, but not least, Cardinals centerfielder Colby Rasmus (22 2Bs & 16 HRs).

Zeile is the Only Player to Homer for 11 Clubs

zeile1 Todd Zeile has homered for more clubs (11) than any other player in the history of baseball: St. Louis – 75, Cubs – 9, Baltimore 5, Philadelphia 20, Dodgers – 38, Texas – 30, Florida – 6, Mets – 41, Colorado – 18, Yankees – 6, and Montreal – 5. He hit a grand total of 253 long balls, his first as a member of the Redbirds in 1989 and his last in 2004 with the New York Mets.

48 years ago: Roger Maris 1961 MVP

This week 48 years ago, Roger Maris got his second consecutive MVP award. The year was 1961 and was, of course, when he hit 61 homeruns.

Yankee teammate Mickey Mantle came in second place in the voting. He almost overcame Maris in the voting (202-198). The stats WERE close. Maris (.269, 61 HR, 142 rbis. Mantle .317, 54 HR, 128 rbi)

For the $64,000 question, who came in 3rd in voting? Try not to use your Google-fu before answering. He wasn’t TOO far behind Maris and Mantle in votes and actually had a higher batting average, on-base percentage AND slugging percentage than Maris.

Here’s the answer

Instant Replay a non-issue at the GM meeting

Looks like baseball’s general managers weren’t interested about expanding the role of instant replay in baseball. The topic wasn’t even brought up during their annual meeting on Tuesday.

"There are those who clamor for more and more instant replay," said Jimmie Lee Solomon, MLB executive vice president of baseball operations, "I think we need to digest what we’ve got. I know some (general managers) have talked off-line about the expansion of instant replay, but the commissioner (Bud Selig) doesn’t see any reason to consider it."

Good on them, I say. Even if you favor the system, it’s too soon to rush into it because a few umps made some bad calls.

Thoughts on the 2009 Gold Glove Awards

The 2009 Gold Gloves were presented the other day. Generally speaking, what struck me was this. With an award that used to be awarded so traditionally, only two winners have more four to their credit. Outfielders Ichiro Suzuki and Torii Hunter both have nine Gold Glove Awards on their mantle. In case you’re wondering, they’re 6th on the all-time list for outfielders (they have six more to go to catch Roberto Clemente).

Some thoughts on a few of the Gold Glove award winners:

Ryan Zimmerman finally got his Gold Glove. The cynic in me says that he finally hit well enough to deserve the award. He hit better than David Wright who somehow got it the past two years. Zim led the NL in assists and was 2nd in putouts.

While Jimmy Rollins won the Gold glove for shortstop, my vote would have gone to Troy Tulowitzki. Tulo was in the top two in the league in fielding percentage, putouts, zone rating, total chances, and assists. Rollins had the advantage of leading the NL in fielding percentage, an overrated stat, in my opinion.

I’m a big Orlando Hudson fan. Let’s get that out of the way. But I was a bit surprised when he got the award this year. It was his fourth one of his career but last year, due to his injuries, Brandon Phillips took it away from him. Baseball is such a game of tradition. Despite his deserving it, I wasn’t sure if the coaches would give it back to him.

I’ve been critical of Derek Jeter’s glove work in the past but word has it his fielding has really taken a turn for the better. That and a slightly weak (Orlando Cabrera excluded) competition, Jeter deserved it this time.

Outfielder and Pitcher Gold Gloves… almost irrelevant in most cases. in the cases they are relevant, they get ignored for those who are good with the stick.

NL Gold Glove Award winners

AL Gold Glove Award winners