May 11, 2010

Every single day(and night) I spend an exceptional amount of time combing the internet, searching for various baseball related articles.  Of course, I love ESPN.com and all of their MLB writers and fantasy gurus, but I have also come to enjoy articles written by MLB, beat writers and bloggers like myself.  To some, the tedious bookmarking of so many sites and remembering to visit them regularly may be problematic. Sure, I can agree with you on that one.  However, these days there are ways to consolidate all of your favorite sites’ updates and view them at your own convenience.  In my opinion, two most common(and best) ways to do so are through RSS Feeds and Twitter.  I have been heavily involved with Twitter for probably a year and a half and believe it is the ultimate tool for staying up-to-date with all-things baseball, as well as consistently reading an assortment of articles.  Over this past week, there were so many stories that caught my attention for different reasons, that I feel compelled to share them with everybody.

R.I.P. Ernie Harwell

Last Tuesday, we lost the legendary broadcaster Ernie Harwell at 92 years-young.  The response by the MLB writers and fans has been tremendous and illustrates his the impact that he has made.  Due to his agelessness, Harwell touched has touched many generations and represents a voice that people have come associate with unique moments in their lives.  Ernie Harwell was and will always be, baseball.  Here are various recollections and articles that I found most enjoyable.

Tweets

Scott Merkin, MLB.com, beat writer for White Sox:

“Very sad news about the passing of Ernie Harwell. He was the utter depiction of what people should strive to be. Harwell was pure class and it was my honor to have had a chance to talk with him on a few occasions. “

Mark Feinsand, Yankees writer for NY Daily Times:

“I only met Ernie Harwell once. Although we spoke for 5 minutes or so, he acted like we’d known each other forever. Huge loss for baseball.”

Articles/Tributes:

Vin Scully Remembers Ernie Harwell

MLB Network’s Tribute

Harwell was an emblem of the Tigers – Ken Rosenthal, FOXSports.com

Ernie Harwell will be missed – Steve Gilbert, Diamondbacks beat, writer

A Fond Farewell to Ernie Harwell – Larry Grinello, wezen-ball.com

The New York Times Obituary

Losing Harwell is Losing Family – Steve Phillips, National MLB Analyst

Eric Byrnes released by Mariners after dismal performance(s)

On Friday, April 30th, I witnessed the single most nauseating display of executing a suicide squeeze while watching the Mariners take on the Rangers.  In the bottom of the 11th inning, and still no score in the game, Seattle had the bases loaded with one out and Eric Byrnes at the dish.  With the suicide squeeze on, Byrnes failed to get down a bunt and left Ichiro out to dry.  Even worse, Byrnes actually threw his bat out to bunt it and then pulled it back at the last moment.  Then, he once again proceeded to awkwardly throw the bat head out after having that “oh, shit!” realization.  Wow.  The Mariners released Byrnes on Sunday after he hit .094/.237/.156 over 38 at-bats but we all know the real reason why.  Personally, I just think it’s because he looks so awkward.

Since his release, he has been discussing a potential retirement and immediate involvement in men’s beer league softball.

BA on the bump

Like I mentioned in my last post, I am a White Sox fan. Spare me your comments, I know. I’m frustrated as well.  Their 2005 World Series team is my favorite team of all time so I always keep an eye out for info regarding the likes Willie Harris, Cliff Politte, Brian Anderson, Pablo Ozuna, Ross Gload, Geoff Blum and more.  I just recently read that fan-favorite Brian Anderson, now with the Kansas City Royals, is transitioning to the bump.  According to MLB Trade Rumors, Anderson and the Royals believe a rejuvenation as a pitcher is possible.  He last pitched in 2005 at the University of Arizona where he was clocked in the low 90’s.

Please Tell Me You’re Kidding..

I have always loved it when a player lands on the DL due to a freak or hilarious injury.  I’m not sure if anything can compare to Kaz Matsui hitting the DL with an “anal fissure” 2 seasons ago. Yet, nothing makes my day more than when a player lands on the DL due to his own wrong doing.  This past week, I came across some of the best examples of hilariousness/stupidity that I have seen in some time.

–  Garrett Jones missed a game on Saturday, May 1st after being taken to the hospital earlier that day.  According to reports, Jones ate some beef on Friday night which proceeded to get lodged in his esophagus.  No, I’m not kidding.  He woke up with all sorts of chest and throat discomfort on Saturday morning and spent the following six hours at the hospital.  Apparently, his esophagus was swollen and he was unable to take down any liquids all day.  Doctors actually had to use anesthesia in order to cram some tubes down his throat to break up the beef…which sounds eerily similar to the plot of ‘Armageddon.’

I now have an image of Garrett Jones eating his food like a bird does a worm.

–  Nearly two weeks ago, after blowing a save and getting pulled from the game, Ryan Madson decided to let out his frustrations on an unsuspecting chair in the clubhouse walkway.  However, the chair proved to be way more of a foe than Madson anticipated.  Madson “walked” away from the encounter with a broken toe that required surgery and a trip to the DL.  Luckily(if you can call it that ), Brad Lidge was coming off of the DL that very day and is now in-line for all future blown saves.  The finally tally, chair 1, Madson 0.

–  And now, my favorite; one that now ranks among the most outrageous injuries I have ever read about.  Chicago Cubs second basemen Jeff Baker missed nearly a weeks worth of games due second degree burns on his ass.  How did this happen? He and a few of the Cubs’ pitchers were lighting their farts on fire in the clubhouse.  While the validity of this story is still in question, it’s hard to make up something so ridiculous.  Here is what was originally reported,

“By the way, there is a reason Baker has not been starting until today. I know someone in the Cubs organization, who informed me last week that Baker and two pitchers, one of them a starter, were lighting farts in the clubhouse, when something went awry, and Baker suffered second degree burns to his patoot. Even worse, a pitcher got a slight burn on his throwing hand. The hair on Bakers behind got singed, so he is now hairless there. In tonights game, he was lifted for a pinch hitter, something Lou never does. The reason—–the blisters on his bottom burst, causing so much water, that Theriot accused him of wetting his pants. He never came out of the clubhouse, so Lou was forced to put in Fontenot.”

I’m willing to bet that one of the pitchers involved was Ryan Dempster.

Trade Away the Rays

I don’t have much to say regarding all of the trade rumors surrounding the Rays’ Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford.  I will let these articles do the talking:

Carl Crawford Says That He and Carlos Pena Will Leave Rays in 2011 – hotstove.com May 4, 2010

Crawford: No decisions, quote was wrong – Marc Topkin, tampabay.com   May 4, 2010

Tampa Bay Rays’ Carlos Pena okay waiting on team to determine future – Marc Topkin, tampabay.com  May 6, 2010

Reading Suggestions

For those who might be interested, there have been a few notable, baseball related book releases this spring:

– The Bullpen Gospels: Major League Dreams of a Minor League Veteran by Dirk Hayhurst

I actually purchased this book as a birthday present for my father based upon the rave reviews throughout the baseball community.  Here are a few:

“A bit of Jim Bouton, a bit of Jim Brosnan, a bit of Pat Jordan, a bit of crash Davis, and a whole lot of Dirk Hayhurst. Often hilarious, sometimes poignant. This is a really enjoyable baseball read.”–Bob Costas”

“Dirk Hayhurst has written a fascinating, funny and honest account on life in the minor leagues. I loved it. Writers can’t play baseball, but in this case, a player sure can write.”–Tim Kurkjian, Senior Writer, ESPN The Magazine, analyst/reporter ESPN television

“Bull Durham meets Ball Four in Dirk Hayhurst’s hilarious and moving account of life in baseball’s glamour-free bush leagues.”–Rob Neyer, ESPN.com

– The Game From Where I Stand: A Ballplayer’s Inside View by Doug Glanville

Here is a description of “The Professor’s” upcoming book:

“Doug Glanville, a former major league outfielder and Ivy League graduate, draws on his nine seasons in the big leagues to reveal the human side of the game and of the men who play it.

In The Game from Where I Stand, Glanville shows us how players prepare for games, deal with race and family issues, cope with streaks and slumps, respond to trades and injuries, and learn the joyful and painful lessons the game imparts. We see the flashpoints that cause misunderstandings and friction between players, and the imaginative ways they work to find common ground. And Glanville tells us with insight and humor what he learned from Jimmy Rollins, Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling, and other legendary and controversial stars.

In his professional career, Glanville experienced every aspect of being a player—the first-round pick, the prospect, the disappointment, the can’t-miss, the cornerstone, the veteran, the traded, the injured, the comeback kid. His eye-opening book gives fans a new level of understanding of day-to-day life in the big leagues.”

– Batting Stance Guy: A Love Letter to Baseball by Batting Stance Guy(Gar Ryness)

I’ve been a big fan of the BSG since he burst onto the scene last year. Not only are his impersonations dead on, but they highlight some of the most obscure aspects of players’ swings and mannerisms.  He calls his talent, “The least marketable skill in America,” I call it the sign of a true fan.

Second Spitter

This is an instant classic.  During the Mets’ extra-inning win over the Giants on Saturday, Mets’ broadcaster Keith Hernandez actually fell asleep in the booth on a commercial break.  Don’t act like you’re not impressed.

Grinnell College hosting 2010 MWC Tournament; Greg Suryn ’11 recognized

Much like some of the other guys here at the Sombrero, I’m extremely excited to be headed back to Grinnell College this weekend to watch my friends and former teammates do some work in the MWC Tournament.  After last weekend’s double-header sweep at Monmouth, the Pioneers enter the tournament with 12-0 conference record(21-14 overall).

For those of you in the greater Des Moines area, you might have seen KCCI 8 – Des Moines’ piece on the Pioneers’ Junior outfielder Greg Suryn.  Suryn, currently hitting a robust .446 this season, is one of the reasons for the Pioneers’ great season. Please read the article below:

Grinnell Baseball Player Overcomes Hearing Loss

Now in the words of Dallas Braden, “Let’s go eat!”

Much to the delight (and to some, the disbelief) of the Grinnell College baseball community, it became official late Saturday afternoon: the Pioneers are a perfect 10-0 in Midwest Conference play and South Division champions for just the second time ever.  They’ll be hosting the Midwest Conference Tournament beginning on Friday, May 14, and despite what the Chinese calendar might say, the team could not be more confident that this is finally the year of the Pioneer.

On the mound, the Pioneers have arguably the best one-two starting pitching tandem in the history of the program.  Ryan “Don’t touch the” Harris ’10 takes the ball in Game 1 with a 4-1 record, a 2.41 ERA and a K/BB ratio of almost 3:1.  The big lefty from St. Louis will look to do something on May 14 that no Pioneer has ever done before: advance the Pioneers to the winner’s bracket with a Game 1 victory.  Backing him up is Ben Pope ’12, whose numbers are even better at 6-1, 1.39.  He has also finished five of the eight games he has started, and will take the hill in Game 2.

However, no other pitcher with an ERA below 5 has logged a start for the Pioneers this year.  Candidates to take the ball in Game 3, should the Pioneers make it that far, are Chris Peconga ’12, who has logged the most starts of anyone not named Pope or Harris and compiled a 1-3 record with an 8.42 ERA, or David “Have another beer” Platt ’10, who has started just one game but holds a 5.16 ERA and a 1-0 record, both the best on the team among pitchers not named Pope or Harris who have thrown five innings or more.  In addition, closer Chad “You don’t need a bottle opener, that’s a” Christoff ’10 (2 SV) may be called upon before the ninth inning in a tight ballgame.  As someone who has attended three College World Series and seen his Miami Hurricanes bow out on elimination day all three times, this writer can testify that although two stud pitchers can get you to the dance, it takes more than that to win it all.  It will be very interesting to see who steps up for this Pioneer pitching staff on Day Two of the tournament, when all teams’ Conference starters will be used and games are likely to be much higher-scoring.

On the other side of the ball, the Pioneers are led in nearly all offensive categories by sophomore sensation Mike “Smile and” Nodzenski ’12, whose sizzling .453 batting average and mind-blowing 1.367 OPS makes him an offensive force like no Pioneer lineup has seen since the days of Jason Anderson ’02, whose walk-off grand slam catapulted the Pioneers to their only other South Division championship all the way back in 2001. However, some say Nodzenski is having the greatest season of anyone ever to don the scarlet and black, already with ten round-trippers and the season not over yet.

Hitting right in front of him in the Pioneer lineup is Greg “All Present and Accounted for” Suryn ’11.  Suryn currently owns a torrid .446 batting average and an other-worldly 1.180 OPS while leading the team with four triples.  While his power (2 HR) does not approach Nodzenski’s, one of those home runs will be counted among the most important in the history of Grinnell College baseball.  Suryn’s crucial blow came in the bottom of the eighth inning of the eventual division-clincher, tying the game up and forcing it into extra innings, where the Pioneers eventually won, 10-6, on Nate Pierce ’10’s walk-off grand slam, who two seasons ago was not even wearing a Pioneer uniform.

Finally, no account of the Pioneers’ offensive abilities would be complete without mention of senior Paden “End of the” Roder ’10, whose team-leading total of ten home runs more than justifies his other team-leading total of 23 free passes.  Roder’s uncanny ability to both get on base consistently and find the other side of the wall, along with leadoff hitter Chad Takabuki ‘10’s disruptive power-speed combination (11 XBH, 8 SB) helps this offense strike some serious fear not only into opposing pitchers, but catchers as well.

Regardless of the Pioneers’ chances (and most think they are very real), the alumni response to the team’s achievement has been nothing short of remarkable.

“Congratulations on the two big wins!” said former all-MWC pitcher Gary “Wrath of” Kahn ’09 via facebook all the way from South Africa.  “I know I had nothing to do with it, but I am so proud of this team,” remarked 2003 second-team all-MWC outfielder Peter Leo ’06, currently a Drake University law student. Jim Malewitz ’09, currently in Iowa City studying journalism and author of his blog, the Iowa City Digress, is “stoked beyond belief” to come back and watch the Pioneers vie for their first-ever conference title.

Former All-MWC second-teamer Robbie Unsell ’08 proclaims that “his spirit will be with” the Pioneers as he studies veterinary medicine in London, England.  2008 MWC South Division pitcher of the year Rick “Everybody knows about the” Berdelle ’09 (Clarendon Hills, IL) will be coming to the tournament and is “willing to accept any sleeping accommodations” to watch the Pioneers next weekend.  Golden Sombrero founder and former Pioneer captain Mike Rosenbaum ’08 will be making the trek in from St. Louis, having already taken in a Pioneer doubleheader sweep of Illinois College in Jacksonville, IL.  Former Pioneer ace Sam Eaton ’07 (Austin, TX) and all-MWC first-teamers Kevin Byrne ’06 (Chicago, IL) and Baylor dental school first-year Daniel Dee Clark ’08 (Farmington, NM) also may be in attendance to watch the Pioneers make their run at history as part of what will undoubtedly be a raucous crowd come May 14th.

The Pioneers are three games—just 27 innings—away from history, as they’ll look to capture Grinnell’s first-ever Midwest Conference title next weekend on the North Diamond.  And if you can’t make it, that’s no problem whatsoever—2008 first-team all MWC South Division catcher Jim Malewitz ‘09 along with myself, Justin Abramson ’08, the one-time voice of Pioneer athletics, will have the call for you for Midwest Conference Television, with coverage starting ten minutes before first pitch.  You can catch all the action at www.pennatlantic.com.

So come on out to the ballpark with us for the Midwest Conference tournament!  From Honolulu, Hawaii all the way to Durbanville, South Africa, Pioneer baseball fever has struck the globe, and the only cure may be a conference championship.  The Pioneers lit the fire this fall as they do every year, and while sometimes that fire is nothing but a few glowing embers after the first week of May, there is no doubt now that it will be a roaring blaze at the North Diamond come tournament time.

If you are unfamiliar with Four Corners or New Mexican high school baseball, this post will probably be meaningless to you.  However, if you are familiar with baseball in this area, then you know that this year is a very unique one for baseball in San Juan County.  Both Farmington High School and Piedra Vista High School have new management for the first time in over a decade.  Gurus Don Lorett and Dick Laughlin retired from their respective managerial positions after the 2009 season.  That was the first season since PV opened ten years earlier that they finished higher in the state tournament than FHS, and they were able to do it while graduating just five seniors, only 3 of which started.  Since PV opened, FHS has won 6 AAAA state titles including a 4-peat from 2005-2008.  Along with Eldorado, and Carlsbad, FHS has been the school with the deepest tradition in the state, winning titles in every decade since the 1960’s.  Thrice since PV opened have they fallen to FHS in the state championship.  It is the deepest rivalry in the state and never before has it seemed as though FHS was the underdog.

The new managers at FHS and PV respectively are Sean Trotter, Lorett’s assistant of 13 years, and Mike McGaha, FHS’s hitting coach since 2004.  When McGaha crossed town, he brought with him FHS’s strength and conditioning coach as well as the head JV coach, who handles PV’s stunning pitching staff.  Adding to the suspense of the rivalry is the fact that many of the top players from both schools play for the same club organization with management that has represented both schools.

At the top of the PV rotation sits UNM-signee, Jake McCasland.  McCasland boasts a fastball that has registered as high as 96 mph as well as three average off-speed pitches.  Following McCasland is everyday SS, Tim Bailey, who sits in the 86-88 mph range and who can reach back for 89 mph when he needs it.  Tim’s changeup and curveball can be above average, and he tends to get the ball on the ground well.  Following Bailey is junior, Dominic Moreno, who works in the 84-86 range from a low ¾ slot.  His fastball has excellent arm-side action, but his breaking stuff tends to be on one plane despite having above average tilt.  His changeup is better and also has good arm-side fade and some sink.  These three guys make up the deepest pitching staff either Farmington school has had since 2002, and the 4 and 5 are not bad either.  Senior, Chandler Joe, leads Farmington’s staff.  Joe works in the low to mid-80’s with an excellent changeup that plays his FB velocity up a tad.  Following him is utility player and UNM-bound, Eli Freese, who works in the mid to high-80s from a very low ¾ slot.  When Freese is in the strike zone, he dominates right-handed opponents because his fastball rides in very hard.  His secondary stuff (slider, curve, change, and splitter) can be equally devastating, but have occasionally been tough for Freese to get in the zone.

With a knee injury to FHS SS, Chris Weaver, PV’s lineup from the top down is head and shoulders above Farmington’s with the exceptions of 3B, Joe Cervantes, and Freese.  With a month left in the season, McCasland has already broken the school’s single-season HR record that was formerly held by Air Force-signee, Kyle Henke, in 2008.  Not to take anything away from Jake, but there are at least three players in the PV lineup equally skilled at the plate.  On paper, FHS is overmatched against PV in every way this season, but the same was true last year, and FHS was still able to wrap up their ninth consecutive District 1-4A title.  The FHS tradition of excellence is tough to overcome.

Well, PV had a very easy time overcoming it this time around. In front of a couple thousand fans they put up 4 runs in the first, and McCasland proceeded to toss a 1-hitter to lock up round 1 with a score of 5-0.  The war continues Tuesday with Freese on the mound against Bailey, and this should prove to be the more competitive of the two regular season bouts.

I think the community of Farmington is already anxiously awaiting the state seedings in hopes that PV and FHS will not meet until the title game.  The rivalry between the two schools has changed a lot over the last year.  The rivalry in the past has resulted in violence, vandalism, and a deep hatred for the opposing school that caused a sizeable rift in the framework of baseball in town.  With the new management a noticeable and long overdue burying of the proverbial hatchet seems to be taking place, and the community is benefiting from it.  Both coaches have been, at least superficially, very complimentary of the other school’s program and players in a number of interviews.  While the rivalry still exists and in many ways has never been stronger, in this particular season, it really does seem to be all about what happens between the lines.  It makes me proud to have once been a part of the same rivalry.

I am equally proud to be a Grinnell Pioneer today.  GC swept Illinois College at IC and has jumped out to 6 and 0 record in Midwest Conference play.  The Pioneers currently find themselves on the inside track to earning the host rights to the conference tourney in a month.  GO PIONEERS!

Mike Nodzenski, GC’s catcher, currently boasts slashes of .456/.518/.912.  Let’s just give this guy the MWC POY award now.  All-America anyone?  I say so.

Ted Denslow, deceased former owner of the Milwaukee Beers baseketball club, fought to prevent unionization, free agency, and corporate tie-ins from contaminating his league.  In the process he allowed his players to develop the brotherhood and camaraderie that can only come through shared experiences together on the field of battle, as both friends and foes.

Every March I am blessed to participate in a fantasy draft with a mixture of childhood friends, ex-college team/roommates, and a couple of the owner’s girlfriends (they must really love us).  This is the league’s 6th season and my 5th year participating.  In the last five years, the league has evolved considerably with some owners retiring, others taking their places, and all of our lives evolving with the league.  When the league was in its infancy, some of the current owners were underclassmen in high school while others were approaching undergraduate graduation day.  A lot has changed since those early days of our league, and most of the owners now are college graduates and embarking on new adventures both professionally and personally.  One owner is married.  Another has left the country to attend something called the Royal Veterinary Academy, and our newest member recently began a post-baccalaureate pre-med program in St Louis where she lives with one of the league’s original owners.  The champions from the past four seasons now reside in London, Washington D.C., Iowa, and Chicago.  The Iowan was born and raised in Honolulu, and I suspect he will return there upon his graduation in May.  Who wouldn’t want to return to tropical paradise?

I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have fantasy baseball in my life.  When I tried explaining to my fellow student dentists how I could take an afternoon out of a Saturday to drop all of my studies (we had a big physiology test Monday) to play fake sports, I began with how much time and effort goes into preparing for the draft and how important it was that I am comfortable with the draft kit.  We use ESPN, and the folks there seem to alter it annually.  My classmates naturally questioned what I win if my team were to come in first.  I enthusiastically replied “Albert Pujols in 2011!”  They were expecting some monetary sum.  I began telling them that none of the owners actually have any money, which was my default response in yesteryear.  That is no longer even the case.   I had forgotten that some of the owners do indeed have positive income.  This dialogue reminded me of what I love the absolute most about fantasy: the opportunity to continue to share something I love with many of the people I love with who I otherwise might lose touch due to jobs, families, or distance.  While I may lose track of some of the other league owners from October through February, I have March through September to catch up with them and reinforce the friendships that were built away from the laptop, smartphone, and television.

Don’t get me wrong, I truly do prepare for the draft.  I currently own Ron Shandler’s Baseball Forecaster for this season as well as the two prior to this one and Rotoworld’s guide.  I have a very firm grasp on their discrepancies and reasoning behind their projections.  I find Shandler to be very convincing, but I can understand why others might prefer Rotoworld’s style.  I read Hardball Times, Baseball America, and espn.com every day.  The point is that I care if I win.  A lot.  I never have before, but have also never finished outside the top 4.  I check my team a minimum of 15 times daily during the season, but I tend to behave compulsively.  Five would probably be sufficient.  Either way, I believe that some day I will win.  Maybe it will happen this fall.

Win or lose.  First or last.  It really matters little in predicting what I will be doing next March.  Now that our 2010 draft is finalized and the season is set to begin, I have a six-month roller coaster to ride into October.  When I exit the coaster, I will bid farewell to the Denslow Cup 2010 and the other owners for the winter.  I will then begin preparing for the upcoming draft, like I have done for the last five years and intend to do for the next fifty.  I can’t wait to pick the conversation back up.  My bet is it will begin right where it left off five months prior.

You know, I think to some extent that’s what Mr. Denslow wanted out of his league too.

Alright.  Now let’s discuss some real baseball.  One of the biggest question marks of the spring – and it seems like there are a few more than usual this March – has been hovering around the campus of the College of Southern Nevada where 17-year old Bryce Harper is leading the school in every meaningful offensive statistic while handing the bulk of the team’s backstop duties and spending a handful innings in the outfield and at third.  It took the phenom just two weeks to move himself into the JUCO’s cleanup role on offense.  With a line of .413/.505/.875 (as of March 13th) to go along with his six stolen bases and sub-2.00 pop-to-pop time, Harper is in the process of justifying the media hype that began when he graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and was touted as little less than a messianic figure soon to be a household name.   While most players his age are fighting to make their varsity high school teams, Bryce Harper is working to solidify his status as the consensus number one prospect headed into this June’s MLB amateur draft.  Is he doing that?

This is not a question anyone would even have to answer had Harper not dropped out of Las Vegas High School in hopes of beginning his professional career a year early.  MLB demands that dropouts sit out a year before they can be drafted.  Harper’s route to the draft is unprecedented but indeed justified given his virtual lock on a team’s top pick.  The question is whether or not that pick will be the Nationals’ first overall pick.  Imagine this: Stephen Strasburg tossing to Bryce Harper in 4 years.  Some scouts have voiced concern over Harper’s unorthodox hitting mechanics, which likely leads to his rather large collection of strikeouts.  He currently has 19 through 80 AB’s.  Scouts may use Harper’s 16 walks to suggest that he has some understanding of the strike zone as well as his justifiable immaturity relative to the 19, 20, and 21-year old pitchers he is facing at Southern Nevada.  While the strikeouts are worrisome, his power is jaw-dropping.  Already with a HR rate of one in every 10 AB’s, Harper’s power will only grow as his body matures and he spends more time in a gym.  He is currently regarded as the number one power option in the draft ahead of UT-Arlington’s Michael Choice, the collegiate junior who led Team USA in slugging percentage last summer.  Choice currently outweighs Harper by twenty pounds and is approximately four years older as well.  Always with players like Harper, signability questions arise.  Given the $15.1 million dollars that Strasburg was awarded in last year’s draft, Harper’s wishes still likely be even greater.  Given his age, he probably has more room to bargain than any American born player in history, which only equates to an even higher price tag.  Driving up his cost even further is the fact that Harper is represented by Scott Boras.

Another question surrounding Harper is what position he will play in the big leagues.  Like all players of Harper’s mold, the risk of spending big money on a player likely to accrue less than 500 AB’s per season can scare scouts and front offices, especially given that lower body injuries are much more common with catchers.  Additionally confusing is the speed Harper possesses that would ultimately be wasted behind the plate.  Harper is not the first talent to face these issues. The Giants have been barraged this spring with questions regarding where Buster Posey will eventually log the most innings as a big leaguer.  In an utterly baffling move, the Giants signed the aging Bengie Molina to receive the majority of pitches this season while Posey again proves his worth in the high minors.  Fans and media have suggested that Posey should slide over to another position on defense to get his massive bat in the lineup, but the value of a slugging catcher has forced them to deny such possibilities.  Harper may follow a similar path to the big leagues full of positional and time-of-arrival question marks.While a great deal of uncertainty remains with Bryce Harper, one thing is certain.  It seems impossible that a team like the Nationals would pass on the potential superstardom of a player with Harper’s endless upside.  Unfortunately for them, it also seems impossible that an organization that has never finished about .500 could spend in the neighborhood of $20 million on a player so far from big league arrival.  Don’t be surprised if Harper falls out of the top few picks in June.  When he does, however, realize that he is not falling because he is anything other than the premier offensive prospect ever.  Despite the strikeouts, Bryce Harper has the athletic tools and, at least superficially, the drive to win to justify this claim.  At his current homerun rate, he may break a number of records at Southern Nevada this spring.  Barring injury, come this June, he likely will break another record: that for amateur price tag.

How about a little fantasy news?  Since Joe Nathan is likely out for the year, word around front offices is that the Twins are actively pursuing a number of seasoned late-inning veteran aces.  Among those mentioned are Toronto’s Jason Frasor, San Diego’s Heath Bell, and a couple of guys from within including (unfortunately) Francisco Liriano.  Let’s address Frasor first.  Last season with the Jays, Frasor posted essentially a 1 WHIP and a 1:1 K/IP.  These are very comparable to the Mo Riveras and Joe Nathans of the closing ranks.  Bell was also elite, but has more strikeout stuff (not by much).  The Blue Jays and Padres are both deeply entrenched in the rebuilding phase, and neither team will be relevant in their respective divisions for the foreseeable future.  The Twins, however, absolutely must be relevant and must at the very minimum challenge for their divisional title.  The opening of Target Field and the contract negotiations with Mr. Twin, Joe Mauer, mean that games cannot be blown in the 9th this season.  So who should fantasy owners be picking up off of free agency or trading for in deep mixed leagues?  With Frasor and Bell already atop their current clubs’ bullpen depth charts, these players are likely owned in all leagues.  In San Diego, a very intriguing young hurler named Mike Adams deserves some consideration by all owners needing saves.  Last season Adams posted a 0.74 WHIP while striking out nearly 3 times as many guys as he walked with a K/9 of nearly 9.  So he pretty much checked off all the categories we care about.  Monitor what the Padres do with Bell all season, because as soon as his dealing becomes imminent – and it will – Adams needs to be owned.  Toronto’s situation is less certain.  Yeah, they signed Kevin Gregg this winter, but should we care?  Gregg, as flyballer, is often at the mercy of the environment he is throwing in.  He had a decent level of success in Miami because the Marlins play on a football field, but Gregg’s subsurface numbers last season were better than a casual glance would suggest.  Personally, I anticipate him getting the nod in Toronto if Frasor is traded over Scott Downs.  Downs is frankly a better pitcher than Gregg statistically, but his handedness and lack of ninth inning track record make him more of a darkhorse to accumulate any noticeable number of saves this year.  I hate that we have to even consider this, because the Twins have other good late inning options in Jon Rauch, Matt Guerrier, and Pat Neshek (if he is healthy and happy), but the idiots in the Twin Cities have actually suggested using Liriano in a bullpen role.  Liriano was spectacular this winter and may be the Cy Young of the Grapefruit League.  Why not let young pitchers heal from TJS at their own pace?  No wonder these guys built a stadium outside in the Arctic.  Anyway, just pray this doesn’t come to fruition, not because of fantasy value, but because Liriano is so exciting and Minnesota needs a true ace in a year that Minnesota just needs.

Spring Training stuff.  Strasburg was sent down.  No surprise here.  Just wait, though.  From what we saw from him this March, he is the real deal and will immediately become the ace the Nats need.  The Braves have mentioned the possibility of using newly acquired Melky Cabrera at the top of the order occasionally while moving Nate McLouth out of the role and into something resembling a weighted platoon situation.  Melky has proven one thing since becoming a big leaguer: he has a great chance to hit fungo grounders once his career as a AAAA player ends.  Literally half the balls he hit last season were GB’s.  This guy sucks.  That being said, I have to give some love to the Braves for the deal that sent the harmless hitter to Atlanta because it also brought lefty bullpen arm, Mike Dunn, over.  Mike Dunn went to high school about 3 minutes from where I live, and I always have love for clubs that give my old teammates/rivals opportunities.  Dunn would have stood a tougher chance of making the big squad with the Yanks.  Now the Braves have two young New Mexicans throwing for them (the other being 24-year old 4th rounder, James Parr).  Other New Mexicans standing a chance to make some noise this season are Moriarty High grad, Kyle Blanks, and Carlsbad High grad, Cody Ross.  Both of these players have already had varying degrees of success at the big league level, and both look like they may have some nice careers ahead of them, especially if they can both make contact a little more frequently.

I got to visit a new venue last night.  I was able to catch a game between Dallas Baptist and Lafayette at Patriot Field in Dallas.  The venue was very sweet, especially for a smaller college.  Baptist thumped Lafayette, but that was to be expected from the perennial D2 powers.

Back home in Farmington a potential meeting between rivals and annual state title front-runners FHS and Piedra Vista was thwarted when PV was unable to top Monument. Colorado’s Fruita High.  This is disappointing.  Neither Farmington squad – both of which are under new management – has looked terribly sharp this spring.  Expect that to change come April and May as both squads return a lot of talent and experience.

Grinnell College is on their way to Vero Beach for their annual spring break trip.  We all wish them luck.  They will suit up against Amherst tomorrow in what’s sure to be an all-out nerdfest.  Maybe afterward the two teams can go toe to toe in a spelling bee or science fair.  Sophomore and reigning co-Midwest Conference player of the year, Mike Nodzenski, has been a little banged up this March.  Word on the street is that he may have been injured during a team-building exercise that may or may not have involved combat.  Here’s to Nodz’s speedy recovery and another great season for him and the Pioneers.