Earlier tonight, the Nationals' Bryce Harper became the first teenager to steal home since Ed Kirkpatrick did it for the Angels in 1964. Meanwhile, tonight's injury sustained by Jayson Werth could shift the youngster over to right field for the time being. Here are some links on this Sunday night..
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) believes that Cole Hamels can approach C.C. Sabathia's record $161MM deal if he reaches free agency. The Phillies haven't made much progress with Hamels on a new deal lately.
- If the Red Sox decide to send Clay Buchholz to the minors, the pitcher will first have to clear optional waivers, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. It's unlikely that Buchholz would be claimed, however, as optional waivers are revocable.
- The Nationals worked out pitcher David Ramos, the younger brother of catcher Wilson Ramos, earlier today, according to Mark Zuckerman of CSNwashington.com (via Twitter). Wilson caught for his brother as he threw 89-91 mph and GM Mike Rizzo was in attendance, tweets Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com.
After watching Chris Davis Throw 90 mph, 89-91 doesn’t sound impressive at all for a pitcher.
Then I don’t see a way Buchholz gets sent down because in what universe do the 29 other teams all see him on the waiver wire and say “pass”? If nothing else wouldn’t the Yankees claim him just to mess with the Red Sox?
Optional Waiver…. since he is 3 years since making his major league debut, he is an optional waiver eligible… which if they do send him down and someone claims him (lets say the yankees) the red sox have the choice of not sending him down and they keep him on their roster
And wouldn’t that scupper the Red Sox’ plans to send him down? The question remains: why wouldn’t the Yankees do that?
Or Rays…Or Blue Jays..Or Orioles…
no… if u look at the history of optional waivers.. the large majority of players pass through waivers because other teams know that the team sending him down can just take him back
(this isnt me trying to start an argument of opinion and a hypothetical scenario of a team that would claim him just to screw over the red sox….. just stating that if you look at past optional waivers they go through
It does seem like a poor choice though. If a team in your division is trying to send down an underperforming player, why wouldn’t you make a move to force them to keep him on their roster?
Hamels will not reach C.C’s record. If he does I will probably fall out the window like I did with C.C’s.
Well you made it back alive. You don’t think you can make it back alive a 2nd time?
Sending down Clay would make no sense unless theres an injury that we don’t know about then the Red Sox could send him down on a rehab assigment and he wouldn’t have to clear waivers or anything.
I am not a huge CC fan – he IS very good. But Hamels doesn’t hold a candle to what CC did before he signed for what he did. Hamels will be the next Barry Zito contract. Book that.
Yeah, I mean they’re pretty much nothing a like.
Um…Zito was never as good as Hamels. He had one great season, followed it with two decent seasons, and three barely-above-replacement seasons…then got a huge contract.
When Zito signed, his WAR had decreased every season for 5 seasons in a row. He had never posted an xFIP below 4.30 (and was over 5 in his last season in Oakland, another reason people with basic baseball knowledge knew it was bad from the get-go).
Hamels has never posted less than 3.6 WAR in a full season, had his BEST season ever last year. His xFIP has never been higher than 3.63, and he posted his lowest ever last season.
Zito was already in decline when he signed; had been for years. Hamels is only getting BETTER. The two are not comparable in the least.
Also in the American League is it allowed to have a hitter pitch but play DH if hes good with the bat or is it not allowed? Just curious
If a DH takes the field during a game (not usually to pitch, of course, but sometimes!), the team relinquishes the DH. Thus when Davis and MacDonald came up to bat in the 17th inning, each was listed as P, not DH.
You can forfeit the right to an DH…so yes, your pitcher can bat.
Yep happen to Seattle this week in Tampa when olivo got hurt they had to put Montero in from dh to catch
Well a manager doesn’t HAVE to “field” a DH. They can always just put the pitcher in the line up.
Pretty indicative of a team’s offense when they are contemplating sending down a 3-1 pitcher because he is struggling. How many guys with an ERA over 9 have a winning record? Let alone lose just one game out of six starts…
This will sound like a silly question, but can a position player pitch and then go back to playing somewhere in the field afterwards, and have another position player pitch?
For instance, let’s say instead of Chris Davis pitching, Nick Johnson (the 1B) came in to pitch and let’s say Chris Davis took his spot at 1B., and then let’s say after Nick Johnson pitched, then Mark Reynolds pitched. Can Nick Johnson go back to 1B (with Davis then going from 1B to 3B). Or would Nick Johnson in that case have to be out of the game?
Yes. Happens frequently in little league.
It’s been years, but I remember seeing a few teams bring in a situational pitcher and send the pitcher to RF. After the one batter was out they would bring the pitcher back from RF. Maybe I was hallucinating. But I’m pretty sure that as long as the pitcher doesn’t leave the game he can keep pitching. Once removed from the field, they can’t go back in.
Come to think of it, didn’t that happen with Roy Oswalt playing LF 2 years ago?
There was also a guy on the Brewers a few years back that pitched and batted regularly. He didnt often also play the field (he was really a mop up reliever and a PH) but he did do it a few times.
Brooks Kieschnick?
Yeah, I think that is him.
Last night I thought Peter Gammons stated Matt Wieters would catch for 7 innings come in and pitch an inning then go back out and catch the final inning for GA Tech.
As a side note I liked Gammons as an analyst for NESN, he’s so funny with his little low key one liners. I think he was in rare form by the time the 17th inning hit.
Of course that scenario is ludicrous… Nick Johnson would just get injured on the way to the mound. I kid, but I do think it works out that Johnson would be able to stay in the game.
Nick Johnson would get injured stepping on a sunflower seed
Double bubble is double trouble to him
As others have said, yep it’s legal. IIRC the Phils did it years past in a 20+ innings game with…the Mets? I think. I think it was Mitch Williams and some other guy…one guy pitched an inning, then played LF, then came in an pitched again.
Watched (and listened) to Boston games since the early 60’s. Seen good teams, fair teams, even awful teams (pre ’67) and the current team just has too many injuries right now to do much.
They could wipe out the system and find some over the hill veterans and try to compete until CC, Ells, Youk and Bailey especially get back, but that is the worst thing they should do.
IMO, they should do just the opposite and look to move a piece or 2 and forget the local media and fans wrath, maybe even that sellout streak. I also think they should go ahead and leave Middlebrooks at the MLB level if Youk is moved quickly, before his trade value is more established as am thinking he is going to be gone anyway before the deadline and also Lavarnway called up and Salty moved as hard to find as even league average catchers are.
It’s time. maybe because have seen this cycle for so many decades I can dmit it where some cannot, but have seen the handwriting on the wall and this team has serious holes that cannot be filled without moving critical pieces of the future, or serious prospects on the farm.. Bogaert, ceccini, Ranaudo.. Guys there is no way who should be sent out for another useless bedard type again, all because of the NE fans/media, who for the most part cannot understand what the team really has.
Even if they are considering trading Youkilis it wont be for a while. They’ll want to get him back and let him play for a while in hopes that he turns it around and starts hitting because if he does that his value goes way up. Right now they wouldn’t be able to get anything for him, so trading him would be pointless.
One of the options have pointed out above and earlier is holding onto Youk, or moving him now. They also have other options and pieces they can move if they go that route and those would mean players waiving 10/5 rights..
David Ortiz.. Not that am saying it would happen, but it could. Enough possible playoff teams in need of a powerful bat remain in play (AL) and even Ortiz could get moved..With his permission of course.
Not saying this will happen, or that Cherrington and Henry would even try it, but I would be fine with 1 season of staying pat for someone (Youk/ortiz) who in likelihood won’t even be with the team next year bringing in prospects that could help a team in the future who is severely crippled in the present.
Then Yankees could use Ortiz…
The Yankees don’t need another DH, they already have about 6 of them.
Just liking this doesn’t go nearly far enough…
Now now John, children could be reading this
Hamels should be suspended for at least 10 game for hitting a player on purpose and then bragging about it (as if throwing a ball at someone makes one tough???). It was a shocking display of his maturity, and frankly the next 5 minutes where a shocking display of Harper’s skills. Going from 1B to 3B on a base hit to left, and then stealing home is pretty impressive and shows insane base running skills for a 19 year old.
Nolan Ryan used to do that all the time (intentionally hit batters) and even threw the ball behind a batters head, yet almost never was ejected even. For some reason, people though he was “cool” for doing it…
Good God, they’re grown men. It’s a part of the game.
Hamels didn’t go after his head. If he did, THEN you suspend him.
“Good God, they’re grown men.”
That’s funny. Throwing a ball at someone is NOT a sign at being a grown man. I know he’s playing a game and it happens all the time. For some reason guys think they can act like children just because they get paid to play a game. Throwing a ball at someone because you don’t like them is something my 6 year old would do, not a “grown man”.
Getting beaned is part of the game. Hamels had no intention of injury. Harper is in the wrong profession if he expects no risk of bodily harm.