Bottom 1: Brian McCann struck out swinging against Nate Eovaldi

Bottom 4: walked against Eovaldi

Bottom 6: struck out swinging against Eovaldi

Bottom 8: struck out swinging against Kenley Jansen

Bottom 10: struck out swinging against Javy Guerra

Final Line: 0-for-4, BB, 4 K

Notes: The Braves’ All-Star catcher recorded his first golden sombrero of the 2011 season on Saturday against the Dodgers.  A slew of Dodger pitchers held the Braves offense in check, as they were able to push across one run on seven hits in the 10-inning loss. Despite missing time due to a strained oblique, McCann still has dropped 23 bombs this season, and should surpass his career high of 24 with ease.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 105

Top 1: Jim Thome struck out swinging against Luke Hochevar

Top 4: called out on strikes against Hochevar

Top 6: called out on strikes against Hochevar

Top 9: struck out swinging against Greg Holland

Final Line: 0-for-4, 4 K

Notes: With his golden sombrero on Saturday, Thome became the second player this season to accomplish the feat for two different teams – Kelly Johnson is the other.  A recent addition to the 600 Home Run Club, I can only imagine how many times Thome has worn a sombrero in his career. It looks like it might be time to subscribe to Baseball-Reference.com’s Play Index…

Total 2011 Sombreros: 104

Top 2: Carlos Santana struck out on a foul tip against Tim Wakefield

Top 4: Santana struck out swinging against Wakefield

Top 6: Santana struck out swinging against Wakefield

Top 8: Santana struck out swinging against Randy Williams

Final Line: 0-for-4, 4 K

Notes: To say that Santana struggled against Wakefield’s knuckie would be a gross understatement.  In fact, Santana was so baffled by the pitch that he actually turned around to face him right-handed for his third at-bat.  As you can see above, it didn’t matter; his golden sombrero was meant to be.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 84

It’s Friday.  And this season, Friday has been a day highlighted by the MLB debuts of baseball’s best and most exciting prospects.  On June 10 it was Mike Moustakas.  A week later it was Dustin Ackley.  On July 8 we celebrated Mike Trout’s arrival.

And today, July 22, 2011, The Golden Sombrero once again celebrates the debut of another top-notch prospect: Jason Kipnis.  Kipnis announced his arrival yesterday on Twitter:

This debut carries a bit more significance than the others, surprisingly, as Kipnis and I have a long history on the field.

A year younger than me, Kipnis and I both played in the same high school conference outside of Chicago.  While I manned shortstop for Deerfield High School, Kipnis was my counterpart for rival Glenbrook North.  In 2004 we were both named All-Conference shortstops in the Central Suburban North.

These days I’m writing, scouting and coaching baseball while Kipnis is, well, playing in the Major Leagues.  In the end, I’m going to say that he came out on top..barely.

Anyway, prior to his call up, The Golden Sombrero’s No. 26 prospect was slashing .281/.363/.849 with 15 doubles, nine triples, 12 home runs and 54 RBI for Triple-A Columbus.  He also swiped 12 bases and coaxed 43 walks compared to 71 strikeouts.

With Orlando Cabrera struggling for the Tribe, it seems as though Kipnis will almost exclusively play second base, although he does have plenty of experience in the outfield.

Here are some videos of Kipnis in action:

Welcome to The Show, dude.

Just over a week ago, the Washington Nationals and Jayson Werth reached an agreement on a seven-year/$126 million contract, making him one of the highest paid outfielders in baseball history.  Even before the 2010 Major League regular season began, rumors were swirling regarding where the soon-to-be free agent might call home in 2011.  In addition to an outstanding four-year career in Philadelphia that included a .885 OPS, 99 doubles, 120 home runs, 406 RBI, and 60 stolen bases, Werth’s abundance of postseason experience made him one the most sought after free agent this off-season.  Still, many forget that Werth is actually a product of Illinois, and frankly, I can understand why.

Continue reading ‘Jayson Werth: the greatest prep player in Illinois history?’ >>