Roberto Perez already faced long odds to get to the big leagues as a 33rd-round draft pick for the Indians in 2008, though he faced another obstacle to both his career and general well-being when he suffered a Bell’s palsy attack in June 2013. As Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan writes, Perez kept playing through his affliction, despite being unable to move the muscles on the left side of his face. Thankfully, the catcher’s condition has improved since he began receiving thrice-weekly acupuncture treatments, and Perez has since made a place for himself in Cleveland postseason lore thanks to his two-homer performance in Game One of the World Series. Here’s some more from around baseball…
- Yoenis Cespedes’ list of possible suitors is examined by Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, who notes that the Mets are “the obvious choice” but several other teams will be in the mix. Several industry sources tab the Giants as candidates to make a push for Cespedes, who would solve San Francisco’s needs for power and a left fielder. The Angels also have a left field vacancy and some payroll space, while the Marlins and Dodgers could potentially emerge in the Cespedes market if they trade one of their current outfielders. Teams who miss out on signing Edwin Encarnacion could also get involved in the Cespedes market.
- The Pirates announced several changes to their coaching staff, including the previously reported hiring of Joey Cora as the team’s new third base and infield coach. Tom Prince, the longtime former big leaguer and coach/manager in Pittsburgh’s minor league system will become Clint Hurdle’s new bench coach. Kimera Bartee becomes the new first base coach as well as the club’s outfield and baserunning coach, following nine seasons as Pittsburgh’s minor league outfield/baserunning coordinator. Dave Jauss, who served as the bench coach in 2016, will return to his previous role as the quality-control coach, MLB.com’s Adam Berry reports. Brad Fischer, a coach on last year’s staff, has been offered a new job in the club’s player development department but is still mulling the offer. Cora and Bartee will respectively replace Rick Sofield and Nick Leyva, who both lost their jobs last week.
- Earlier this week, Major League Baseball ended up canceling a showcase in the Dominican Republic that players were set to boycott, as BA’s Ben Badler reported. A group representing trainers issued a statement saying that the move was “not a fight against MLB,” but rather “a fight against the draft” for international talent that the league has proposed in collective bargaining agreement talks. Many trainers did show up to further their protest, as Badler further documents.
I hope Boston don’t sign E.Encarnacion or Cespedes!they need a left hitter like Morales or Beltran( no logn term and cheaper)
As an A’s fan…it would be the end of me seeing Cespedes go to SF :(
Man…. it’s hard enough being an Angels fan, but to be an A’s fan. Hey! at least you guys understand how to build a farm and team…… The Athletics are to quick to ship players off.
The a’s don’t really know how to build a team. If they get a good player with a rising salary they trade him for garbage. Josh Donaldson for like Kendall Graveman, Brett Lawrie, some good prospect, and two other guys. Then he wins AL MVP. Josh Donaldson turned into Brett Lawrie-brilliant way to build a team.
Being way I stated they are to quick to ship players off.
It is not hard being an Angels fan, just to those who want to whine and cry because their team didn’t make the playoffs. It was hard being an Angels fan 25 years ago. Talk to a long time Padres fan if you think it’s hard being an Angels fan.
seriously hahah, angels fans must be spoiled if they think it’s tough to be an angel fan. lot harder teams to root for
I thought everyone knew the A’s are the AAA team of MLB
How can the trainers representing the Dominican players say they are protesting the draft and not MLB, when MLB is the organization that wants to have a draft? I believe that MLB should offer certification to anyone that wants to represent a player no matter where the player is from. I also think the way the culture is in Latin America that a players should continue to be allowed to sign after their 16th birthday and am in favor of a International draft that would be 20 rounds or more; 10 rounds is not enough.
The draft is an artificial constraint on salary. Look at the differences in bonuses for non-drafted players as opposed to those in the draft. In no other industry besides sports is this model acceptable.
Well, the absence of a draft is the presence of an uneven and uncompetitive auction that artificially drives up salaries. In no other industry besides sports do they play sports and have sports-related considerations to deal with.
The whole reason we have any draft at all in the first place was that it defeats the purpose of a competitive sports league if the flow of talent into said league isn’t regulated and fair.
Try being a White Sox fan these days . . . Ugh! Just ugh!!
It has been painful
I think it’s greed which is motivating MLB to have an international draft. Why can’t they just include the international players in their current draft like the other 3 major sports leagues??
Agreed!
I can’t imagine the Angels signing Cespedes. With him opting out of a $23 million per year salary, he’s going to command even more.
The Angels need pitching badly and would probably be better served spending money that way.
Unless the Angels think Richards will make a full recovery for 2017 and are committed to Heaney and Tropeano when they come back in 2018, maybe they can go after Cespedes.
Ces has to much personality to be an Angel.
They’ll have the money to do it. The real question is whether or not they should do it. Pitching should be their main focus.
i honestly think it’s not the time to sign cespedes. I hope they stay relatively quiet this year in free agency and make a move after next season. Free agents a lot better that year and hamiltons contract is off the book.
If the angels can somehow get Cespedes or Reddick. Eppler said they are looking for Speed, so maybe fowler or Davis. Then for the rotation, I would target Hellickson or Nova. make a strong push for chapman , melencon or jansen, resign bailey, if they have to bring back weaver.
I think this time Cespedes takes the best offer, 5/120