Good morning HDWEB’ers, it’s February 21st and now the Braves have nobody left to sign to an extension. Good going, Braves. Here’s everything you need to know.
HDWEB: Braves sign Andrelton Simmons, Rangers rotation on the ropes
In today’s HOW DARE WE ENJOY BASEBALL, we appreciate a fine piece of defense with Andrelton Simmons, observe late off-season rotation panic with the Rangers, wonder whether umpires get even worse as they age, and more. YES!
If you have ideas or suggestions, send 'em my way at @justinbopp.
Phillies accused 2013 draft picks of NCAA rules violations - The Phillies and Ben Wetzler are at odds, but why they are isn't precisely apparent. I'm not sure it matters -- the Phillies look terrible here. Have any ideas for why they would do this? Grant has some.
Andrelton Simmons gets seven-year, $58 million extension - Talking Chop -- The Braves' shortstop is locked up through 2020.
Ervin Santana rumors: Potential landing spots for the market's best remaining pitcher -- The Blue Jays are out, is anyone in? There's no way the Royals wouldn't overpay for Erv's services, but I will say bringing him in would make every other move (Vargas, Chen especially) look better by comparison. Please, please, please make it happen GMDM.
Matt Harrison injury: Left hander will have MRI due to 'renewed back issues' -- The Rangers rotation could be even more shorthanded if Harrison misses time. Weird how these links end up together sometimes. Santana is looking for a job, Rangers are looking for a starting pitch that can handle that bandbox ... oh, nevermind.
Chris Capuano, Red Sox agree to deal -- Just days after Ryan Dempster announced he would sit out the 2014, the Red Sox signed Chris Capuano to fill the void.
Two plead guilty in 2011 attack on Bryan Stow - Three years after an incident that left Bryan Stow fighting for his life, his attackers pleaded guilty and will spend several years in prison.
Rays Spring Training Storylines: Starting Pitchers - DRaysBay -- What Rays fans need to watch during Spring Training
More on Melky. Says he hasn't lost a lot of weight but turned what he had into muscle. Says he's in best shape of his life. #BlueJays
— Barry Davis (@SNBarryDavis) February 20, 2014 Melky Cabrera 'in the best shape of his life' - Bluebird Banter -- REMINDER: Melky Cabrera once created a fake website to avoid a drug suspension. It didn't work.
Examining the potential backup first base options for the Yankees - Pinstripe Alley -- Who is going backup Tex at 1B, and heaven forbid, take the job full-time if Tex gets injured?
Indians reliever Matt Capps injures shoulder - Let's Go Tribe -- Cleveland Indians bullpen candidate Matt Capps has suffered a shoulder injury that will keep him out at least a couple weeks, hurting his chances of making the team.
- Don't click this photo of Matt Capps.
USA TODAY Sports
Baseball America released Top 100 Prospects List - Minor League Ball -- Baseball America released their annual Top 100 Prospects List yesterday. Here are some thoughts and a place to discuss the list.
Yankees Prospects: Baseball America ranks Masahiro Tanaka and Gary Sanchez among top 100 - Pinstripe Alley -- Baseball America has included Masahiro Tanaka and Gary Sanchez among their top 100 prospect list
Astros place 6 on Baseball America Top 100 prospects list - The Crawfish Boxes -- Carlos Correa headlines a good bunch on BA's annual list.
Four Royals listed in BA Top 100 Prospect List - Royals Review -- No Bubba, but four Royals won plaudits from the gold standard in prospects lists, Baseball America.
Baseball America ranks 8 Red Sox prospects in top 100 - Over the Monster -- The last of the major prospect rankings are out, and once again, the Red Sox are well-represented.
The value (or lack thereof) of stolen bases - Beyond the Box Score -- How often do stolen bases directly lead to a run being scored? Not very often!
Who are the Orioles getting in Ubaldo Jimenez? - Camden Chat -- He's not exactly the same pitcher that wowed us a couple years ago, but there's still some value here.
The Braves, Pickoffs and Controlling the Running Game - Talking Chop -- Last season the Braves threw out 28.8% of runners, 13th best in the league, compared to the league average of ~27%.
Towards aging curves for umpires - Beyond the Box Score -- Bryan Cole investigates whether umpires' ability to call balls and strikes gets worse with age.
SLG vs. ISO: Allen Craig's Power Outage - Viva El Birdos -- Allen Craig's power-hitting fell off significantly from 2012 to 2013, turning the Cardinals cleanup man into a singles hitter.
Andrelton Simmons' extension moves market for defense-first players - Bucs Dugout -- Charlie points out that now that the Braves are paying for defense, the rest of the market will too:
I do wonder, though, how much this deal will edge extensions upward for defense-first middle infielders, and perhaps for all defense-first players.
Prior to the 2012 season, Alcides Escobar (who isn’t as good as Simmons, but who’s still a very effective defender) signed away his last four pre-free agency years and two option years for $10.5 million guaranteed. Those kinds of deals probably aren’t possible anymore.
The effect of team P/PA on late-series winning percentage - Beyond the Box Score -- In 2013, one team saw 3,000 more pitches than another -- the equivalent of over 20 games' worth of pitches. Did it actually make a difference in the win-loss column? This is one of my favorite theories in baseball (take more pitches --> get to the bullpen --> rack up some runs --> expose shallow teams in games three and four) and I only ever come away with "not enough data."
Here’s a video of Andrelton Simmons bathing in fifty-eight million dollars:
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