April | 2011 | The Golden Sombrero Baseball Blog | MLB, Fantasy, College & High School Baseball News

Articles from April 2011



The Best Jake Peavy Photoshop

courtesy of @KeithLaw with a h/t to @AndrewDMoses

Golden Sombrero: Ryan Howard

Maybe a Ryan Howard Sombrero Tracker would be more appropriate…

Top 1: Ryan Howard struck out swinging against Mat Latos

Top 3: Howard struck out swinging against Latos

Top 4: Howard called out on strikes against Latos

Top 7: Howard struck out swinging against Corey Luebke

Top 9: Howard grounds out to second baseman against Chad Qualls

Final Line: 0-5, 4 strikeouts, 6 LOB

NOTES: Howard’s golden sombrero disrupts the trend of sombreros by leadoff hitters, as he becomes the biggest name to record one this season.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 10

*Be sure to check out the additional sombrero coverage over at OffBasePercentage.com for a more detailed and less graphic-based assessment of baseball’s most impressive feat.


Golden Sombrero: Dexter Fowler

Dex even rocks his sombrero to the right

Bottom 1: Dexter Fowler struck out swinging against Matt Cain

Bottom 2: Struck out swinging against Cain

Bottom 4: Infield single off of Cain

Bottom 6: Called out on strikes against Dan Runzler

Bottom 7: Struck out swinging against Guillermo Mota

NOTES: Fowler’s golden sombrero on Wednesday was the ninth of the 2011 season, and the third straight by a leadoff hitter (Peter Bourjos and Andrew McCutchen).

Poll: Which speedster’s slow start is more concerning?

For as many hot starts as there have been across Major League Baseball, there have also been an alarming number of terrible starts.  Considering that we are now two and a half weeks into the season, it may be time to borderline-panic with some players, or if you are big league or fantasy manager, at least begin to consider an alternative.  For some players that may mean a trip to the minor leagues, while for others it may mean more days off and a possible platoon scenario.

One thing I’ve noticed thus far: several players known for their wheels simply aren’t hitting, and more significantly, aren’t getting on base.  So, I thought I’d poll our readers to find out which speedster’s slow start has been the most concerning: Brett Gardner, Chone Figgins, Austin Jackson, or Carl Crawford.

[poll id=”6″]

Holy balk, Justin Verlander

Considering the swing-and-miss arsenal that Justin Verlander possesses, he’s always been someone who lets his nastiness do the talking, rather than try to out-think opposing hitters.  After all, that’s essentially the catcher’s job anyway. Verlander is a pitcher who’s at his best when he isn’t over-thinking a given situation.

Well, it seems that his little brain might have been working a bit too hard as he prepared to face the A’s David DeJesus, with Daric Barton (always a threat to steal) taking a baby lead at first base.

What happened next is totally unprecedented and perhaps the wackiest balk in the history of the game.  Believe me, I have seen some crazy stuff on the baseball field, but nothing as bizarre as this.

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