Tucson Mexican Baseball Fiesta
Jose Altuve. Altuve is a 5’5, 170 pound second baseman signed by Houston from Venezuela in 2006. This legitimate Eddie Gaedel has had a meteoric rise through the Astros farm system this season. According to Baseball Almanac, only 60 players in baseball history have been 5’5 or shorter, so Altuve is joining a pretty exclusive club. If he becomes a solid contributor, he wouldn’t be the first good short baseball player, but they’re few...
Last week’s update ran from June 2 through June 8. Said so right there in the headline. So imagine my surprise when I started looking at players this week and realized I had missed somebody. I marked it down and kept going, figuring I’d make note of it this week. So of course, I found another one, which meant I had to go back and look at all the games from that day to...
I was sitting in my car on Souhegan St. last summer, talking to Eric Hosmer on the phone, when I asked him if there was anything he wishes he could do on the field, but can’t. “Yeah,” he said with a laugh. “Run.” It’s interesting, then, that in his major league debut last night, after drawing his second major league walk in his second major league plate appearance, Hosmer took off for second and...
Anyone, Manny Ramirez. This is mostly Major League related, but it was pretty big news last week, so I thought it warranted an entry here. It’s been a wild career for Manny, entertaining fans with some of the best statistics anyone has ever seen and frustrating fans with his attitude and antics. For 19 years, Ramirez was one of the most feared hitters in the league, but after forcing a trade from two teams,...
Opening day for Major League Baseball was this past Thursday, which means we’re likely to have a bunch of “Now Batting/Pitching For” worthy players in the next few days and weeks. Just today, actually, Kyle Drabek went seven innings for Toronto, walking three and allowing just one hit, so it’d be easy to say that he more than qualifies. Since Drabek got himself one of these when he was called up last season, though,...
Pardon me for interrupting the extravaganza that is Bus Leagues Awards Week, but I thought this was important. The Los Angeles Angels are experiencing some serious problems in the infield. Erick Aybar, Alberto Callaspo, and Maicer Izturis have missed time recently with injuries, Kendry Morales‘s season ended in May, Howie Kendrick has been average, and Brandon Wood has suffered through a historically terrible season (OPS+: 7). In an attempt to plug the gaps, the...
I know I’ve mentioned before that prospects are a major part of why I follow minor league baseball. Maybe it’s because they provide the best opportunity for “Hey, I saw him when he played in ______” moments. Or maybe it’s because they’re the most visible players, and therefore the easiest to follow. Or maybe it’s because they represent greatness, and writing about and interviewing them allows me to touch that greatness for a moment....
(Photo: Atlanta Braves with David O’Brien) Much like the last “Now Batting For…” post, this will feature three prospects who were called up in the last few days. * I almost dropped the ball entirely on Freddie Freeman. The big (6’5″, 225 lbs), 20-year-old first baseman had his contract purchased from Gwinnett a week ago and has since appeared in four games, starting one. He began his career 0-6 with two strikeouts before singling...
The Oakland A’s called up outfielder Chris Carter this afternoon. He will make his major league debut tonight in Seattle, batting seventh and playing left field. The 23-year-old Carter was hitting .262 with 27 homeruns and 89 RBI for Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento. He has long exhibited ridiculous power, with 145 career homeruns, including 25-39-28-27 the past four seasons. He also strikes out a lot (676 in 2471 at-bats). Carter was the Texas...
Since he was selected by the Phillies in the 20th round of the 2006 draft, Domonic Brown has made a slow, steady climb up the minor league ladder. Witness the games played at each level from 2006-2009: (I’m ignoring brief three-game stints in 2007 at High A and 2009 at the Rookie level) 2006 – Rookie (34) 2007 – Short Season (74) 2008 – Low A (114) 2009 – High A (66), Double-A (37)...
