Posts belonging to Category Videos

The Seattle Mariners signed 16-year old Alex Liddi as a non-drafted free agent in September, 2005.  Hailing from Italy, Liddi was the first Italian-born position player to play in the United States and now, at 22, has a shot at cracking the Mariners’ 2011 line-up.

In his first professional season, Liddi posted slashes of .291/.329/.450 with 14 doubles, six triples, and three home runs, and 27 RBI while splitting time between the Peoria Mariners and Single-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.  While playing for Peoria, Liddi hit safely in 34 of 47 games, recorded eight three-hit games, and had an eight game hitting streak.

(more…)

On July 28, 2010, the Philadelphia Phillies gave their fans a taste of the future when they called up 22-year old outfielder Dominic Brown to play right field.  The move was a result of Shane Victorino’s trip to the DL, and the subsequent decision to shift their usual right fielder, Jayson Werth, over to center field.  Although Brown’s playing time drastically decreased after Victorino’s activation, he showed the baseball world that there is a lot to look forward to in 2011.

Ranked by Baseball America as the 15^th best prospect headed in the 2010 season, Brown began the year at Double-A Reading of the Eastern League where he played in 65 games as the team’s right fielder.  There he slashed .318/.391/.602 with 16 doubles, three triples, 15 home runs and 47 RBI.  Brown also managed 29 walks and struck out 51 times in 236 at-bats.  Although the 6’5” outfielder has tremendous speed, he has not yet mastered the art of stealing a base, as evidenced by his 12 stolen bases in 18 attempts.

(more…)

Yesterday it was reported that talks between Paul Konerko and the Chicago White Sox had hit a standstill, and that Kenny Williams was exploring other options at first base.  On Wednesday morning, the speculation and doubt regarding Konerko’s return to the South Side was laid to rest as the free agent first baseman inked a 3-year deal worth $37.5 million.

While Paulie did not receive as much money as he had hoped, and not nearly as much as the 4-year, $56 million contract that they offered Adam Dunn, his desire to return to the Chicago White Sox obviously played a key role in his re-signing.

When asked about his thoughts and emotions regarding today’s big announcement, Konerko proclaimed:

There is nothing an organization loves more than a middle to low round draft pick that ultimately emerges as a top prospect, and forces a team to incorporate him into their immediate plans.

For the Los Angeles Dodgers, that player is Jerry Sands.  Drafted in the 25^th round of the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft, Sands, 22, has continued to punish the baseball at each Minor League stop, displaying tremendous power, as well as the ability to play multiple positions.

(more…)

The Texas Rangers have made it clear that they will do everything in their power to re-sign starting pitcher Cliff Lee this off-season.  While signing Lee would obviously be the ideal outcome for the reigning American League Champions, there is no reason to believe that the Rangers should live-or-die by him, especially with a prospect like Martin Perez surging through the Minor Leagues.  And while there is an inherent risk in signing the 32-year old Lee – as there is with signing any 32-year old pitcher – the left-handed Perez is just 20-years old and already has a full Double-A season under his belt.

(more…)