Vin Scully signed off for the final time today, ending his incredible career with one final Dodgers vs. Giants matchup. All of us at MLB Trade Rumors join the rest of the baseball world in tipping our caps to Mr. Scully, the greatest to ever call a baseball game. We wish him all the best in a very well-deserved retirement. Here’s some news from around both the NL and AL West…
- The Diamondbacks will talk to free agent reliever Daniel Hudson this winter about a possible return, GM Dave Stewart told reporters, including Jack Magruder of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). Stewart discussed the possibility of extending Hudson last June, though also came very close to dealing the right-hander at the trade deadline. Hudson finished the year with a 5.31 ERA over 59 1/3 bullpen innings, though his solid peripherals (3.89 FIP, 4.20 xFIP, 3.92 SIERA) indicate Hudson’s ERA was inflated by his .333 BABIP and very low 61.7% strand rate.
- The Rockies were within reach of a wild card spot at the trade deadline but stood pat, ultimately faltering over the last two months of the season and finishing at 75-87. MLB.com’s Thomas Harding revisits the decision from GM Jeff Bridich to not make any moves, since while there were some good reasons (such as Trevor Story’s season-ending injury) for Bridich to resist buying for a playoff run, it could indicate an over-reliance on Colorado’s internal talent.
- There don’t appear to be any changes forthcoming to the Angels coaching staff, manager Mike Scioscia told reporters (including MLB.com’s Austin Laymance).
- The Mariners will consider all of their free agents and club option players, GM Jerry Dipoto told reporters, though MLB.com’s Greg Johns believes “only a couple” will return to Seattle in 2017. Outfielder Seth Smith is likely to have his $7MM club option exercised, while the M’s could pass on Chris Iannetta’s $4.25MM club option since it’s a fairly high price for a backup catcher. Of the free agents, Adam Lind will likely be let go while outfielders Nori Aoki and Franklin Gutierrez could be better fits to be re-signed.
Each and every generation is going to have a favorite, say they were the greatest of all. Scully called several periods to.
I’d like to mention several others I had the privilege of hearing during my long time hearing/watching the game which believe were as good as Scully:
Harry Carry
Bob “The Machine Gunner” Prince
Ernie Harwell
Jim Woods
Milo Hamilton
Dave Niehaus
Bill King
Harold Reynolds
Now THAT is funny.
I think you learn more about baseball in listening to Vin for five minutes than you do watching Harold in 1080p all season.
Bob Uecker
I actually feel he’s overrated.
Harry Kalas.
Denny Matthews
I wonder if/when LAA will move on from Scioscia. (or he from them)
Not necessarily advocating it but I do see it as likely that the marriage ends in the near future. I’m curious if the message he’s relaying is becoming stale to the players. Possible complacency issues may exist on the roster.
I always liked Rick Renteria as a managerial option, though it seems he’s off of the table now. Maybe someone like Mark Mcgwire could be an option for the future (Don’t know his baseball philosophy though)
Angels fans have been using the word ‘message’ and implying that is may have become stale or old similar to your comment. But no one seems to ever elaborate what they think that message is. Or how they came up with the idea that the players aren’t responding to it. Of course, that to me just shows how disconnected a lot of Angels fans really are from what is going on with their own team. Lots of following the narratives in the Angels fan base. So what is your definition of ‘message’ and what you mean by ‘stale to the players’? Keep in mind that much of MLB has adopted the kind of approach that Scioscia brought to the Angels in one form or another. In my opinion, the biggest problem for Scioscia and the Angels is they don’t have that competitive edge anymore. Every team in MLB now aims for more balanced rosters, taking the extra base, getting that right mix in the bullpen, defense, etc. Unlike 10 years ago when the Angels were ahead of most of MLB in getting out of the steroid era and into the era we’re in now. Then there’s a more competitive AL West that actually has pitching up and down the division for once, and that alone makes it very difficult no matter what the Angels do. That’s my take. The Angels could still have had a deep roster with a great farm system this whole time and probably would’ve struggled any way because of the way the Rangers, A’s, Astros, and now even the Mariners have all stepped up at different times in the last 7 years.
No way to properly thank Vin for what he’s meant to me over these many years, I’m indebted to a true legend. Vin’s call in the 1988 Series made me the obsessed baseball fan I am today. Had the pleasure of meeting Vin in Vero Beach and he was, unsurprisingly, as classy and humble as I expected. Thank you, Vin, for all the memories.
As a tribute to Vin, instead of “Here’s some news from around both the NL and AL West…” you could’ve used “Let’s go back to this one…”
Eh?? Like it?? No?? Ok…
Grew up listening to Jack Buck. I of course thought he was the best of all time.
Hard not to have Vin Scully on that short list..also depends on what generation is on the other end. I’m 39 and I have to say that its a Babe Ruth/Ty Cobb type argument….but any mention of greatest announcers..as known to the larger american public…has to start with Mel Allen. Scully was the voice of so many of my memories during the 80s…but hed lost a step…..he knew how to let a game breathe back in the day…but he just could not shut up for a second in the past 10 years or so.
MLB without Vin Scully is going to take a lot of getting used to.
A class player like Texierra, two of the best announcers in all sports history (Scully, Enberg) retire, and the bulk of the lame sports media focus mainly on a juiced-up DH (demi player).
True