Articles from February 2011

The Golden Sombrero presents MLB Look-alikes: Mike Trout and Lochlyn Munro

Thanks to long-time friend of the Sombrero, Jim Malewitz, for digging this one up…he’s probably the only sick bastard who could have made this connection.  Be sure to check out Jim’s work on the Iowa City Digress, and also his blog, How To Train A Watchdog: (Mis)Adventures in Non-Profit Journalism.

#16 Shelby Miller – St. Louis Cardinals

RHP

DOB: 10-10-90

ETA: 2013

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#17 Michael Pineda – Seattle Mariners

RHP

DOB: 1-18-89

ETA: 2011

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It has been altogether too long since I have written for the Sombrero, and with the news of pitchers and catchers reporting on Monday morning, I knew that this amateur writer needed to report very soon as well.  It has been a terribly long offseason, and with a potential trip to Phoenix for Spring Training only a few weeks away, the thrill of a coming baseball season has gripped me once again.

I certainly hope that I’ll be chronicling another triumphant Pioneer run to the finals of the Midwest Conference tournament, adding to my “Four Ballparks” series, and once again extolling Ubaldo Jimenez’s virtues after ten wins and a 0.78 ERA in the season’s first two months. But for now, I’ll settle for a commentary on some of the offseason’s biggest headlines.  They may be old news, but I will begin by evaluating big offseason moves from the two franchises nearest and dearest to my heart.

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• John Parker of MiLB.com recently did a Q & A with the second overall pick in the 2009 draft, Jameson Taillon.  Ranked by MLB.com as the #18 prospect in baseball – and yet to appear on the Sombrero’s list – the 6-foot-6, 225-pound right-hander provides a colorful interview in which he discusses his baseball upbringing, rise to prominence, and lifestyle.  Taillon also mentions that Shelby Miller is a “really good” golfer.

• Although Bruce Bochy has stated that 1B Brandon Belt has a shot to make the club out of Spring Training, Crazy Crabbers still believes that it is highly unlikely.  By delaying Belt’s arrival until late April or early May – provided that he’s still mashing – the Giants retain control of his contract through the 2018 season, as opposed to 2017 if he were to make the team out of Spring Training.  Considering that the two rookies, Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner, were arguably the main reason that the team made the playoffs and went on to win the World Series, perhaps this could be the year that Brain Sabean mixes things up.

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