The Inevitable: Major League Baseball Expansion

In 1998, Major League Baseball expanded to thirty teams, the Tampa Bay [Devil] Rays and the Arizona Diamondbacks and has not expanded the league in the 18 years since. This is the longest the game I love dearly has gone without a new team since expansion began in 1961.

Why not mix things up a little bit and add two more teams to the league? Which cities would be most deserving of its first — or perhaps rejuvenated — baseball franchise? Should any teams be moved from their current homes?
I think baseball should strongly consider adding two more teams to the game and restructuring its current playoff and divisional systems. While it’s unlikely that this will occur in the aftermath of a brand new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Player's Union and other subtle changes to the game, here is a blueprint that league officials should pin to the corkboards in their home offices and ponder often...

First of all, Montreal, Quebec, Canada is getting a team when baseball expands, no question about it. They have a LARGE fanbase, they have a logo, and they have an incredible baseball writer named Jonah Keri, who I am honored to have conversed with on Twitter about Montreal baseball numerous times.

Which teams might get moved?
The 3 likely candidates for relocation are:

• The Tampa Bay Rays
• The Oakland Athletics
• The Texas Rangers

The Rays struggle to draw fans to the Trop every single season, even in years that they are quite good at baseball. Part of this is because the team is in Tampa Bay, and it takes half an hour to drive from downtown Tampa Bay to the stadium without traffic. Since there are really only two bridges that connect Tampa & neighboring St. Petersburg that make sense for driving to the games, there is a lot of traffic. If the City of Tampa Bay wanted to keep the team in town, I’d recommend dropping a shiny new stadium in between I-4 and the Selmon Expressway south of Ybor city. It would be near both major highways, the Amtrak line, light rail, and close to many excellent restaurants, bars, and art galleries. Or maybe drop it in the middle of Encore, a very wealthy neighborhood in Tampa Bay. I know that there are plans for that part of town, but...baseball, you guys.
Neither of these things are going to happen. In this scenario, the Rays are gone. This is mainly because Florida just doesn't give a flying you-know-what about baseball, even though they tried [and failed hysterically] to swipe the Mariners away in the late 1980s.
Maybe the Texas Rangers seem a bit odd to you, but consider that both the Oakland and Texas end their current stadium leases in 2024. That convergence — along with the necessity to prepare teams for its new homes and cities for its new teams — opens up an interesting window of possibility for baseball. The troubles with the Athletics, their attendance [or lack thereof], and Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum are well-documented. The threat of the Rangers moving to Dallas, while less known nationally, continues to grow. However, I have always said this about Oakland/Bay Area sports fans, they may not be high in number but they are definitely high in team spirit, so they will not let their Athletics skip town without a fight.

Here are my picks for the 2024 Major League Baseball expansion:

Austin, Texas and Portland, Oregon!

• If you want to talk about the demographic that Major League Baseball wants to bring back into the game — millennials — then these are two of the hottest cities on the planet right now. Both are among the fastest-growing cities in the country, and both sport interesting cultures that are underrepresented by professional sports.
• Austin has no professional sports team. While they do host the Texas Longhorns, who are arguably as dominant as the Buckeyes when it comes to supremacy over a state capitol, the city is loaded with private equity and startup money. If you stuck it a little bit south of the Colorado River, residents of San Antonio could conceivably make it to several games per season, or even scoop up partial season ticket packages.
• Portland has the Trailblazers in basketball and the Timbers in American Soccer, but also a long tradition of hosting minor league and independent league baseball teams [the Portland Beavers are the most well-known baseball team in state history]. Its TV market is comparable to Pittsburgh's, and even though they don’t fluoridate their water, it also gives the Mariners a team somewhat closer to avoid a few more long flights every year.

Discuss in the comment box below! I’d love to hear your ideas about this brave new baseball world. I guarantee you this, though: I will be creating this new baseball world using Out of the Park Baseball.

A Modest Proposal

Can we call the World Series the "MLB Finals" at this point, please? The reason being that, since 1994, their have been exactly ZERO teams outside of the United States in the so-called "World Series" If Major League Baseball wanted to make it a true "World Series", they should make the country that is number one in the world according to the International Baseball Federation [for example, the Cuban National Team or the best team in the Japanese League] the team that the MLB team has to face in October. I'd rather see this than the format that MLB currently has in place, where it's one team from the American League & one team from the National League.

My Evaluation of Jerry Dipoto

I really am pleased with Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto.
I know there are many Mariners fans that aren't too pleased with the trade of Taijuan Walker for Jean Segura, but I must admit I'm one of those that was wondering when Taijuan was going to "reach his full potential" and if he was going to do it at the speed we needed him to given our situation, which is to win now. Not only do I believe it was time to move on, I personally believe that Jerry got a pretty decent deal out of him. The Mariners have a legitimate shortstop in Jean Segura, now.
But like the majority of Mariner fans, I wasn't too thrilled with the shortstop the Mariners had last season in Ketel Marte either..
I know that time will tell on all these acquisitions, but I'm THRILLED that the Mariners have a GM that does things to fill the gaps that the team had last year. A player like Danny Valencia, for example, will help greatly versus left handed pitchers. Jerry Dipoto's seeing needs and ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING to fill them.
There was a time not long ago that I was wondering why the hell Mariner management wouldn't get rid of the dead weight to bring in star players.. NOW the Mariners have a GM that can work quickly.
But Jerry's not done... he hasn't spent any cashola...yet! My next guess is that he'll pay A LOT OF $$$ for a starting pitcher. Perhaps a damn good one. He knows the hole he made by getting rid of Walker, so I'm thinking he'll fill it soon.

So... as I see it, the Mariners offseason to-do list consisted of:
Get rid of Chris Iannetta & that racist catcher [Steve Clevenger], add Carlos Ruiz as the catcher [Check!]
Remove Franklin Gutierrez [as much as I hate to say it], Adam Lind & Dae-Ho Lee.. add Valencia [Check!]
Remove Marte, add Segura [Check!]
Next up: Remove Walker, add ????
So far, nothing but plus signs in my eyes & I can't see Dipoto reversing course... It's not in his DNA to reverse course, at least from what I've seen from him since he first took the job as Mariners GM at the end of 2015.

The Bizarre Similarities between Nomar Garciaparra & Corey Seager

It was announced this morning that Los Angeles Dodgers Shortstop Corey Seager was named the 2016 Rookie of the Year Award Winner. I just want to point out some of the bizarre similarities between this young superstar & my favorite baseball player of all-time, Nomar Garciaparra:

1. They both won Rookie of the Year [Nomar won his in 1997 while playing for the Boston Red Sox]

2. They both have a brother who played in the Seattle Mariners organization [Nomar's younger brother Michael & Corey's  two Older Brothers Kyle & Justin]. In fact, Nomar was almost a Seattle Mariner himself in 2010, but instead chose to sign a 1-day contract with Boston & retire as a member of the Red Sox organization.

3. They both played for the Dodgers. Nomar played for them from 2006-2008 & Corey will play for the Dodgers until at least 2022, as that is when his contract expires & is then therefore eligible to sign with any other team in Major League Baseball.

4. Corey & Nomar both had a statistical value of over 6 Wins Above Replacement [WAR] for their respective teams in their rookie seasons.

5. They both wear #5 as their jersey numbers.

 

My Family's Connection to the 2016 World Champion Chicago Cubs

I just want to congratulate the Chicago Cubs for winning their first World Championship since 1908. They deserve it, the city of Chicago deserves it and, most importantly, my whole entire family deserves it.

Why is that?

My family & I have a personal connection to the Chicago Cubs as my Grandfather, Douglas Roy Hailey, played catcher & occasionally pitched for a Cubs Minor League Affiliate a LOOOONG time ago. But his promising career was tragically cut short after he blew out his arm & knees throwing a ball while crouching down behind home plate during a practice game at Wrigley. The funny thing is, though, the scout who signed him [I couldn't find the scout's name anywhere] mistakenly wrote "Roy Bailey" on my Grandfather's 1st Professional Baseball contract, which was worth $1,000, which was a lot of money for a Minor League Player back then. In the scout's defense, my Grandfather was called by his middle name "Roy" in those days by his parents. Below is a picture of my Grandfather Douglas, courtesy of the Society for American Baseball Research [SABR].

Sweet Lou

The Seattle Mariners were eliminated from postseason contention this past week for the 14th consecutive year! Not only is that pathetic in this country, it's pathetic even by foreign baseball standards, as the Yokohama Bay Stars of the Japanese League made their 1st Playoff appearance in 11 years, so that means that the Mariners have the longest baseball playoff drought in the World! But that is besides the point of this entry, I want to write about the man who was the head of the 1995, 1997, 2000 & 2001 Mariners playoff teams: Sweet Lou Pinella.

Lou Pinella was, is, and always will be, the greatest manager in Seattle Mariners history. Lou managed with a lot of attitude,

players on both sides loved him & of course he had the guts of a burglar when the game situation called for it.

Of course I would be stupid to not mention that Lou threw the best tantrums I have ever seen a baseball manager have, outside of the late Billy Martin, who managed & heavily influenced Lou when he was a star for the New York Yankees. Lou provided Major League Baseball's Archives with more tirades than anyone. For example this one from his 1st year as Mariners manager...

Lou's 1st ejection as Mariners Manager

Finally, my favorite Lou tirade didn't come from on the field, it came during an interview. In 1998, a young, brand new reporter for FOX Sports Net Northwest named Rich Waltz had the very unfortunate task of interviewing Lou after pitcher Bobby Ayala blew a 5 run lead at the Kingdome (Sorry I don't remember who they were facing, I think it was Detroit...) Oh, and did I mention this was Rich Waltz's 1st day working for the Mariners? He asked Lou what he thought of Ayala's performance, and well...Lou just EXPLODED in anger! He started swearing like crazy. It was AWESOME!!!!!!! But wait! There's more! Rich had to give the tape to Executive producer Mark Englebrekt, who just laughed & according to Rich, said "Get used to it.". The next afternoon, after pitcher Paul Spoljaric blew a 7 run lead, Rich Waltz had to go back to Lou's office after the ballgame & here is how that conversation went down...

Lou Pinella: ARE YOU GONNA TALK ABOUT THE GODDAMN F***IN' BULLPEN AGAIN????!!!!

Rich Waltz: No Lou I am not going to talk about the bullpen again...

In other words, I guess he learned his lesson.

Players of the Past: Rickey Henderson

The 1st time I saw Rickey Henderson was when he played for the Seattle Mariners [in 2000]. At that point in his career [at age 41], he was already the All-Time Leader in Stolen Bases with over 1,000, he had 74 career Leadoff Homeruns [the 2nd closest is Brady Anderson, with 43!]. Those credentials cannot be denied. But their was just one flaw in Rickey Henderson's career: He was one arrogant baseball player. But, he had the ability to back it up. Nobody in the history of Major League Baseball could drive a pitcher more crazy than Rickey Henderson could. For instance if Rickey reached 1st base via a base hit or getting hit by a pitch, he'd steal 2nd base on the next pitch & steal 3rd on the next one! I think he stole 3rd base more often than he stole 2nd base! He was just an incredible athlete.  He played not only with the Mariners, but for every other team in the league. He even played in South Korea in 2005! But my favorite Rickey Henderson story was when he was with the Mariners in 2000:

During the playoffs that year, the Mariners were in New York to face the Yankees [who Rickey had played for in the '80's] & Rickey was checking into the team hotel. But he didn't check into the hotel under the name "RICKEY HENDERSON" he checked under the name "RICHARD PRYOR". Yes, Rickey Henderson checked under the name of the legendary comedian who, at that time, had been DEAD for 4 years!

I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!

BREAKING NEWS: The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired Starting Pitcher Francisco Liriano,  outfielder Harold Ramirez & catcher Reese McGuire from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for pitcher Drew Hutchison. I am not going to say I told you that Reese McGuire may be traded to another team. But, to steal a line from sportscaster-turned-political analyst-turned-sportscaster Keith Olbermann: I TOLD YOU BUT YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE ME!!!!! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME???

But seriously, how stupid are the Pirates? I said that Reese McGuire would be the 2nd coming of Jason Varitek back in my very first entry on this blog. But I do understand that Francisco Liriano has had a terrible season [a 5.46 Earned Run Average] this year & the Pirates wanted to get Liriano's salary off their books, but the Pirates, realistically, have NO SHOT at making the playoffs, unless the Cubs' Billy Goat Curse shows up & the Cubs lose 20 consecutive games AND the St. Louis Cardinals lose 10 consecutive games. There is NOTHING to gain in trading Reese McGuire. In three years, when the Blue Jays have McGuire behind the plate as their starting catcher & is their team captain [like Jason Varitek was to the Boston Red Sox], the Pirates will look like idiots for trading him for a mediocre pitcher [like the Mariners did back in 1997 when they traded Varitek for Heathcliff Slocumb!] & will be thinking what might have been...

Reese McGuire

Why I believe Major League Baseball is rigged against the Mariners

Here are 4 chilling coincidences that may prove to you that Major League Baseball is rigged against the Seattle Mariners. Please read all of these before you jump to conclusions stating otherwise.

1. If you hadn't noticed, every other team in Major League Baseball has gotten to the playoffs since 2002...except for one team: The Seattle Mariners. Although, you can somewhat blame ownership for not spending enough money, they are NOT the only reason.

2. When the Seattle Pilots became the Milwaukee Brewers after the 1969 season, the city of Seattle felt betrayed by not just the team owners, who didn't have any money, but by conniving MLB officials who looked the other way as some shady car dealer named Bud Selig bought the team. In response, former Washington State Attorney General Slade Gorton sued MLB on behalf of Washington State calling for a new team in the Northwest & $7 million in damages. During the trial, Bill Dwyer, the lawyer representing the City of Seattle, produced evidence that secret talks took place between the Pilots Owners, and Bud Selig during the 1969 World Series. According to MLB rules, you cannot under ANY circumstances, sell or even talk of selling your team publicly or privately. Seattle eventually did get the Mariners, so this isn't the worst coincidence...or maybe it is, I don't know.

3. When Bud Selig [yes, the same guy who took the Pilots away] became Commissioner of MLB in 1992, it was conveniently mere weeks after the Seattle Mariners hired Lou Piniella, who would lead the Mariners to four playoff appearances [1995, 1997, 2000 & 2001]. Since 1993, MLB has added two new Postseason Rounds [the Division Series in 1995 & the Wild Card Game in 2012] So really it's getting more difficult for the Mariners to get to the Playoffs, let alone a World Series. He also employed the current MLB umpire group back in 2000.

4. Edgar Martinez hasn't made the Hall of Fame

Since his retirement from MLB after the 2004 season, Edgar Martinez has NOT been given the honor of being in the Hall of Fame. I don't believe that it's because he didn't play an actual position, I believe it's because he played in Seattle. If you think about it, if Edgar had played for the New York Yankees, he'd be in the Hall of Fame on the 1st attempt[which, for Edgar, was in 2010, six years ago]. Mark my words: David Ortiz will get into the Hall of Fame before Edgar Martinez. Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong...

The Safeco Effect

Before I start, I would like to take a moment & say congratulations to my mom, who is getting married in 2 hours [as of this writing] in Ireland.

Something occurred back in the 1990's that I think bears repeating...

The Seattle Mariners had a ridiculously good hitting team in the mid to late 90's. They had Ken Griffey Jr, Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner, Alex Rodriguez, etc. But they were a ridiculously horrible pitching team. Actually, they had three good pitchers who were not just good, they were three of the best in the league while they were with the team: Randy Johnson, Jamie Moyer & [I can't believe I'm about to write this] Jeff Fassero. However, the only problem was that these three guys were acquired in trades. Why is this a problem, you may ask? For years, the Seattle Mariners had not just a terrible track record of developing young pitchers, they were the worst. To be fair, part of that can be attributed to the Kingdome, which was a park that favored the hitters. But if that was the whole problem, then there would be no point in me writing this entry, now would it? The other [& more stupid] part was that the Mariners developed these young pitchers the exact wrong way: They rushed them up to the Majors for no good reason & these young pitchers were at fault for no good reason. The only good young pitcher they had during this time was Derek Lowe & we traded him to the Red Sox along with Jason Varitek for some busted pitching machine.

But since the Mariners moved to Safeco Field [a park that favors the pitchers] in July, 1999, the exact opposite has happened: The Mariners can develop good young pitchers [i.e. Felix Hernandez], they just can't develop good hitters, with the exception of 3rd Baseman Kyle Seager. This is something I'd like to call "The Safeco Effect". This means that no matter how much potential you have as a hitter, you will not live up to that potential in Safeco Field.

Zach Lee: The Newest Seattle Mariner

This past Sunday, the Seattle Mariners traded shortstop Chris Taylor to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Zach Lee, who was assigned to Triple-A Tacoma, the Mariners' Highest-Ranked Minor League Affiliate. Here are 3 things you should know about the newest member of the Seattle Mariners...

1. He is a freakishly talented athlete who throws, consistently, 90 to 93 Miles Per Hour & has a lot of potential.

 Zach Lee

2. He was the Los Angeles Dodgers' 1st round pick in the 2010 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft out of McKinney High School in McKinney, Texas, where he starred in both baseball [as a pitcher] & football [as a quarterback]. He was considered a difficult signing by many baseball draft experts due to his football commitment to Louisiana State University and dropped in the MLB draft as a result of this. But he signed with the Dodgers, anyway.

3. His 1st start in Triple-A [while with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization] was against the Tacoma Rainiers, where, as I previously stated, he was assigned to when he was traded to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.

Could Major League Baseball expand in the future?

It won't happen anytime soon, but expanding to 32 teams is in Major League Baseball's not-too-distant future, according to Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. At a meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors in New York back in late April of this year, Manfred acknowledged that such a gaudy move makes sense both for the league's long-term growth strategy and to the nuts and bolts of scheduling. Based on Manfred's statements on Thursday and in the recent past, it's not out of the question that one, or both, of the new teams could be from outside the United States.

A movement to bring MLB back to Montreal has been in the works for awhile thanks to the efforts of former Montreal Expos star outfielder Warren Cromartie and his Montreal Baseball Project [a subject I have written about in previous posts within this blog] In each of the past three years, Olympic Stadium has played host to two-game exhibition series involving the Blue Jays and various opponents, with many former Expos legends, including Pedro Martinez and Tim Raines, showing up for the festivities; paid attendance at those games averaged more than 48,000 per night [100,000 attendees combined]. But, the biggest issue facing expansion here—just as it was when it came to trying to retain the Expos back in 2003—is securing the funding to build a replacement for Olympic Stadium, which needs more than $200 million worth of repairs & is clearly not a MLB-Caliber park. Beyond that, while Manfred stopped short of calling Montreal MLB's top target for expansion, he did say, "I think, even if I didn’t want to say this, the mayor of Montreal would probably tell you if you walked past him on the street, that I have met with him on a number of occasions. They have expressed a strong desire to have Major League Baseball back in Montreal."

BUT, Montreal isn't Canada's only alternative for expansion. Vancouver, British Columbia ranks #1 as the most livable city in North America, according to Mercer's Quality of Living Rankings. Its well-regarded multipurpose stadium, BC Place—the current home of Vancouver’s entries in the Canadian Football League and Major League Soccer—has played host to Minor League Baseball games & spring training practice games in the past, though a 2011 renovation that included a cable-supported retractable roof also added a central scoreboard whose placement generates concerns with regards to future baseball compatibility. Another strike against this city may be its short-lived history in the National Basketball Association. The Vancouver Grizzlies lasted just six seasons, from 1995–96 to 2000–01, before relocating to Memphis, with bad luck in the draft and poor attendance contributing their demise; the league's '98 lockout, like the 1994 Major League Baseball strike for the Montreal Expos, was the crippling final blow.
Another snag for putting a team here is the proximity of the Mariners, who are roughly 140 miles away in Seattle and have asserted their territorial rights in the Pacific Northwest; they would likely require some major concessions to allow a neighbor. Having another team in this area could benefit the Mariners, however, in that they’re currently isolated enough relative to the rest of the majors that they will log the most air miles of any team in 2016, at 47,704 total. A regional rivalry could lessen the blow to both the Mariners and the new club, since some of their games against more far-off located opponents [like the Yankees] would be replaced by those against their new rivals.

 

Vancouver, B.C. Place

Player Profile: Dae-Ho Lee, 1st Baseman, Seattle Mariners

This relatively quiet offseason signee is paying huge dividends for the 2016 Seattle Mariners right now.
First off, I want to compare him to the other Korean 1B signing by the Minnesota Twins: Byung Ho Park. Park was the more publicized signing by the Minnesota Twins this offseason. He got lots of coverage and Dae Ho Lee was thought of as just a longshot to make the Mariners' roster and nothing more than a backup first baseman who could hit homeruns if needed late in the game:
...

1) Byung Ho Park -
.253 avg / .326 obp / .921 ops / 7 HR / .283 BABIP ( in 79 at bats)
2) Dae Ho Lee -
.281 avg / .342 obp / .999 ops / 4 HR / .217 BABIP (in 32 at bats)
If you increase Lee's numbers to 79 at bats, then his numbers would best Park's. Now you may say, "but Joey, Lee is only hitting against left-handed pitchers because that is what Jerry Dipoto signed him to do and if he had more at-bats against right-handed pitchers his numbers would suffer." To that I would say this:
1) Lee vs. LHP -
.250 avg / .550 slug % / 2 HR (in 20 at bats)
2) Lee vs RHP -
.333 avg / .833 slug % / 2HR ( in 12 at bats)
I realize these are both small sample sizes. But Lee is a good hitter who has been a starter against both handed pitchers in Korea and Japan for many years. He is a pro.
I also realize that we need to get Adam Lind going, but I really think Dae Ho should be getting more at bats against right-handed pitchers. I would be a proponent of just starting Lee 75% of the games for a while to see what happens. We could also possibly get both Lind and Lee in the lineup at the same time by giving Nelson Cruz a day off or putting him [Cruz] in right field and giving someone else a day off.
In closing, basically I am just saying we may have found a diamond in the rough here with Dae-Ho Lee and I want to see what he can do. In Dipoto & Servais [& Edgar] we trust.
GO MARINERS!

A Message to Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto

Could this happen in real life???

Dear Mr. Dipoto,

According to advanced analytics site fivethirtyeight.com, the 2016 Mariners as of May 17th have a 49 percent chance of making the playoffs, a 35 percent chance of winning the AL West and a 4 percent chance of winning the World Series. You need to win it this year because... I've got $$$ riding on this in Vegas! So Mr. Dipoto, for the love of GOD, DO NOT screw this up!!
 

Joey's Soapbox

As of yesterday, CEO & Chairman Howard Lincoln resigned from his post with the Mariners & Nintendo sold it's majority ownership in the Mariners to 1st Avenue Entertainment, who has control in ROOT Sports [the Seattle Mariners TV Network]. The team's new owner is John Stanton, who had minority ownership of the team since 2000 & had a stake in the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics until they left for Oklahoma City. The recent creation of the Seattle Mariners TV Network, ROOT Sports, became a huge money maker [woo-hoo!] for the franchise. The millions & millions the team will make over the next decade could help pay for good players in the off-season or at the July 31st Trading Deadline if we are in contention for the playoffs, something we haven't done since 2001. So this means that money, especially now with new ownership [T-Mobile], will not be an excuse, by anyone, not the front office, not the fans, ANYONE!

The Seattle Mariners are changing things up from a front office & an ownership standpoint.

Change has finally arrived. Go Mariners!!!!!

Player Profile: John Ryan Murphy

John Ryan Murphy is a young, promising catcher who played for the New York Yankees last year. The problem is, under the personal section on his Wikipedia page, it says he grew up a fan of the Yankees' ancient rival, the Boston Red Sox. Which means that he was a fraud in the Yankee pinstripes. But luckily for Murphy, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins, who play in a state where Murphy's childhood love for the Red Sox is only a misdemeanor & not a felony...

Fraud!

My 3 MLB Predictions for 2016

1. The Seattle Mariners will get to the Playoffs for the 1st time since 2001

Why? Because I have faith in Seattle Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto. He's a more statistically minded individual than previous Mariners GM's Jack Zduriencik & Bill Bavasi put together.

2. Tyson Ross of the San Diego Padres will pitch the 1st no-hitter in Franchise History

Why? Because it's been long overdue, as the Padres are the only MLB team to never have a no-hitter in their franchise history & Tyson Ross is the best candidate to pull it off. Andrew Cashner will not because he gets injured every time he gets out of bed.

3. The Chicago Cubs will win the World Series

Why? Because if anyone can make the Chicago Cubs World Champions, it's their Vice President, Theo Epstein. In my opinion, if the Cubs do win it all this year, Theo Epstein will be in the VIP Suite of Baseball Immortality, because the Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years under his watch.

My 3 MLB Predictions for 2016

1. The Seattle Mariners will get to the Playoffs for the 1st time since 2001

Why? Because I have faith in Seattle Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto. He's a more statistically minded individual than previous Mariners GM's Jack Zduriencik & Bill Bavasi put together.

2. Tyson Ross of the San Diego Padres will pitch the 1st no-hitter in Franchise History

Why? Because it's been long overdue, as the Padres are the only MLB team to never have a no-hitter in their franchise history & Tyson Ross is the best candidate to pull it off. Andrew Cashner will not because he gets injured every time he gets out of bed.

3. The Chicago Cubs will win the World Series

Why? Because if anyone can make the Chicago Cubs World Champions, it's their Vice President, Theo Epstein. In my opinion, if the Cubs do win it all this year, Theo Epstein will be in the VIP Suite of Baseball Immortality, because the Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years under his watch.

Update on Pirates Catcher Reese McGuire

NOTE: The quotes in this entry were taken out of an interview from the official Minor League Baseball Website [www.milb.com].

Like most Pittsburgh Pirates fans, Reese McGuire watched as many games as he could last season, particularly during the final month of the regular season and the wild-card playoff game.
But no matter the opponent or significance of the game, one thought consistently flowed through his head.
“I wish I was there. I wish I was playing behind the plate,” McGuire said.
It might not be long before he gets his wish.
McGuire is the top catching prospect in a talent-rich minor league system. The second of the Pirates’ two first-round picks in 2013 — outfielder Austin Meadows was the first — McGuire was recently ranked as the Pirates’ No. 6 prospect by Baseball America, this after putting together a solid first season with high-Class A Bradenton.
McGuire has spent the past month playing for the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League. He’s one of six prospects with the Desert Dogs. Meadows, the No. 2 overall prospect in the Pirates Organization, played in 17 games before being removed from the roster to attend to an illness in his family.
Like Meadows, McGuire was selected to play in the AFL All-Star Game, a big honor made even more significant considering he’s the youngest player on his team and one of the youngest in the league at just 20 years old. McGuire, a left-handed hitter, is batting .333 with a .417 on-base percentage and has struck out only three times in 42 at-bats.
Among those impressed with McGuire’s talent is Glendale pitching coach Justin Meccage, who holds the same position at Class AA Altoona. Meccage praised McGuire’s defensive ability and developing offensive skills, and said he looks forward to working more with McGuire, possibly as soon as the start of the 2016 season.
“He’s a really nice prospect, especially blocking and receiving and throwing, the physical part of the game,” Meccage said. “The thing that he’s still learning and we’re all still learning is pitch calling and things like that. I hadn’t seen him much offensively, but he’s really impressed me offensively out here. He’s swung the bat really well. So there’s a nice little package working for a 20-year-old guy that’s in the fall league.”
After last season, Baseball America named McGuire the best defensive catcher in high-Class A in addition to the No. 11 prospect in the Florida State League.
“Everything seems pretty instinctual out there,” McGuire said. “My baseball IQ has been real good. Being able to call my own games since I was a young kid has really helped me, as well.”
Offensively, McGuire has shown a lot of promise. He hit .254 with 34 RBIs in 98 games at Bradenton in 2015, a year after hitting .262 with 45 RBIs in the same number of games at West Virginia.
“I’m getting better every day for sure,” McGuire said. “I’ve learned a lot this past year. Coming off of my first full season in 2014, I was able to come into this past season with a pretty good idea of who I am as a player and develop a consistent routine.”
Projecting when McGuire will make it to Pittsburgh is difficult. Starting catcher Francisco Cervelli is coming off a strong season and could be in the Pirates’ long-term plans. Another catcher, Elias Diaz, is the organization’s No. 10 prospect who spent the 2015 season at Indianapolis before a late-season call-up.
Regardless, it appears McGuire could have the label “major league-ready” attached to his name soon, maybe even this year.
Said Meccage: “He’s going to put himself in position to be able to make an impact up there in the next few years.”

Good News & Bad News

Let's start with the Good News: There are seven days until the Mariners play their first Spring Training game against the San Diego Padres in Peoria, Arizona. Bad news: It will not be on T.V.

Fun Fact!!

Ken Griffey Jr. [below] was the 1st overall selection in the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft and the 1st number one overall draft pick in MLB history to be elected to the Hall of Fame.  Can you name the highest overall draft pick in MLB history to be elected to the Hall of Fame before Griffey?

The answer is... Reggie Jackson [left], who was selected 2nd overall in the 1966 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Athletics [now the Oakland Athletics].

Steve Dalkowski

“To understand how Steve  Dalkowski, a chunky little man with thick glasses and a perpetually dazed expression, became a ‘legend in his own time’...”

— Pat Jordan in The Suitors of Spring (1974).

The fastest pitcher ever may have been 1950s phenom and flame-out Steve Dalkowski. Dalkowski signed with the Orioles in 1957 at age 21. After nine years of erratic pitching he was released in 1966, never having made it to the Major Leagues. Despite his failure, he has been described as the fastest pitcher ever.

Ted Williams once stood in a spring training batting cage and took one pitch from Dalkowski. Williams swore he never saw the ball and claimed that Dalkowski probably was the fastest pitcher who ever lived. Others who claimed he was the fastest ever were Paul Richards, Harry Brecheen and Earl Weaver. They all thought he was faster than Bob Feller and Walter Johnson, though none of them probably saw Johnson pitch.

In 1958 the Orioles sent Dalkowski to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, a military installation where Feller was once clocked. Feller was clocked at 98.6 mph. Dalkowski was clocked at only 93.5, but a few mitigating factors existed:

1) Dalkowski had pitched in a game the day before, so he could be expected to throw 5-10 mph slower than usual;

2) there was no mound to pitch from, which Feller had enjoyed, and this would drop his velocity by 5-8 mph;

3) he had to pitch for 40 minutes before the machine could measure his speed, and he was exhausted by the time there was a reading. Other sources reported that the measuring device was a tube and that he took a long time to finally throw one into the tube.

It was estimated that Dalkowski’s fastball at times reached 105 mph. Dalkowski was not physically imposing, standing only 5'8" and wearing thick glasses. He had legendary wildness, which kept him out of the Major Leagues. In 995 minor league innings, he walked 1,354 batters and struck out 1,396. He walked 21 in one minor league game and struck out 21 in the same game. In high school he pitched a no-hitter while walking 18 and striking out 18.

He threw 283 pitches in a complete game against Aberdeen and once threw 120 pitches in only two innings. He played in nine leagues in nine years.

In 1963 for Elmira he finally started throwing strikes. During spring training in 1964, Dalkowski was with the Major League club. After fielding a sacrifice bunt by pitcher Jim Bouton in spring training, Dalkowski’s arm went dead and he never recovered. He drifted to various jobs and landed in Bakersfield, California, where he was arrested many times for fighting.

He once threw a ball at least 450 feet on a bet. He was supposed to throw the ball from the outfield wall to home plate, but he threw it well above the plate into the press box. He once threw a pitch so hard that the catcher missed the ball and it shattered an umpire’s mask. Dalkowski was the basis for wild fastball pitcher Nuke LaLoosh in the movie Bull Durham.

Sadly, in 1970, Dalkowski was diagnosed with dementia and because of it, he does not remember his life after 1969. He now lives in a nursing home in Frederick, Maryland.

The Pirates may trade Reese McGuire

MLB.com came out with their ten best catching prospects list last week, and it didn't come as too much of a surprise that the Pittsburgh Pirates boasted two players on the list in Reese McGuire (#4 overall) and Elias Diaz (#6).  I guess you actually could consider it a bit of a surprise being that the position, as recently as four years ago, had become so thin throughout the system, that it seemed as though they would never field an adequate backstop again.  But times have changed, and the talent has developed to the point that the depth at the position may force the club to use either Elias Diaz or Reese McGuire as a trade chip in the near future.

Just as any other potential move, especially involving top prospects, you must carefully weigh the pros and cons of such a move, as it could certainly come back to bite you down the line... (This has happened to the Mariners every damn time). One aspect in favor of potentially moving one of the players is that with the current roster, the Pirates have put together one of the most formidable catching combos in the league with Francisco Cervelli and recently resigned Chris Stewart.  While Stewart is locked in for the next few years (2 years $3.0 million/ club option for third at $1.5), Cervelli, however, is presumed to be playing his last year with the club, especially if he duplicates his production from a season ago.  Being that the club and his representatives have discussed a possible extension, he will most likely move in FA after the 2016 season leaving a major gap to fill.  Conventional wisdom would assume that at that point, Diaz will be ready to take over at the Major League level, becoming the every day catcher.  This, of course assumes that his progression continues, which every indication would show.  The Pirates however, have shown that conventional wisdom is not always something that they subscribe too, and may see a golden chance come July to move the MLB ready catching prospect in exchange for pieces that could aid the club for a sustained post-season run.  Diaz would be extremely attractive to a club that is looking to quickly reload and contend, in that he is ready to step in, and has polished fundamentals at this point.  He could step in right now and help a ball club.
But let's face it though, the more attractive piece in a potential trade would be Washington State native, Reese McGuire.  At just 20 years of age, McGuire has shown tremendous upside already in terms of becoming a superstar catcher at Baseball's highest level. While known more for his defensive prowess & rocket arm, his up and down offense seemed to find a level of consistency during the latter part of the Minor League season last year, as well as his stint in the Arizona Fall League, where he batted .294 and had an OPS of .791 [NOTE: "OPS" is short for "On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage", it's a stat that was created by the Godfather of Baseball Stats, Bill James].  This uptick in batting has dramatically boosted his stock as a Minor Leaguer, as the defensive  part of his game has been considered big league caliber by most scouts.  That being said, the first round pick in the 2013 draft is still years away from playing on the blue grass at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, so there is still risk that the development will regress, and he will never put together the offensive game quite enough to be an impact player. But I doubt it and neither does the website Bleacher Report...

McGuire's potential trade stock is at its highest point right now, and the Pirates would be wise to capitalize on that in order to strengthen a club that has been "knocking on the door" for a few years.

However, in my opinion, trading Reese McGuire would be flipping stupid! Have the Pirates not heard of Jason Varitek????

However, when all is said and done, the Pirates, a really good team with little money & a penny-pinching owner, do have to consider making a real run at it- and despite a lot of the fan base thinking otherwise- it is clear that they do have this in mind as well.  While not mortgaging the future, General Manager Neal Huntington is well aware that they may never put together an outfield as deep and as talented as they have right now, an offense that is good enough to contend, and an elite bullpen that will keep you in any game.   Additionally, the division doesn't look to be falling apart in the near future. The Cubs, after developing all of the young talent in their system, are now beginning to open the wallet & are my pick to win the World Series [but that's for another entry].  The Cardinals are the Cardinals, sure, but they didn't get any better this offseason, and should come back to the pack, by all indications.  That being said, they will always be a factor in the N.L. Central.
That's why, as much as I hate to say it, it would be wise for the Pittsburgh Pirates to leverage their depth at the catching position this season in a trade deadline deal.  And the most logical piece to move would be Reese McGuire.  The Pirates presume to be in the thick of another pennant race this season, and could potentially bolster a questionable starting pitching staff at the deadline, much like last season, when they made a move to bring in J.A. Happ from the Mariners.  That move proved to be helpful for the club, although they finished two games short of the division title . The Pirates, if in a similar position in 2016, will most likely take a more aggressive approach, maybe not as aggressive as the fan base would still like, but more of a calculated risk by dealing their top prospect in McGuire in an attempt to put a "bow" on a four year run, that has seen the Pirates eliminated in a one game wild-card playoff each of the last two seasons.

BIG NEWS about the Tampa Bay Rays

After a 5-3 vote by the Tampa Bay City Council, the Tampa Bay Rays have been granted permission to search for a new stadium for the first time in franchise history. It's about time.

Under the proposal written by the team, the Rays search will be restricted to Tampa Bay and includes a termination clause of the current lease, should a new stadium be found. Additionally, the Rays will be able to leave Tropicana Field as early as the 2018 season, assuming the dome doesn't cave in on itself.

This was a necessary vote for the Rays to make any progress toward remaining in Tampa Bay, otherwise they would probably move to Montreal.

Without permission to search for a new stadium, Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg claimed he would be forced to sell the team due to a lack of economic feasibility, but he needed the City Council's expressed permission to even consider leaving Tropicana Field (or as I like to call it "Tropicrappa Field", as it is an awful stadium)

The lease for Tropicana Field legally prohibits the Rays from considering any stadium locations outside the Tampa Bay city limits. This amendment expands the search area for a new stadium to Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Now that the Rays have permission to consider a new stadium, a search can begin.

Once a new stadium location is found, the Rays can terminate their lease for a cost of $24 million beginning in 2018 -- a sum that decreases each year the team remains at Tropicana Field. The current lease expires after the 2027 season, but the proposal as written is limited to a three-year search window, but the team is unlikely to let that window expire.

Despite strong television ratings (best in the A.L. East other than the Yankees!) and fan support, the Rays currently have the smallest population base within a 30-minute drive of the stadium, and consequently, the lowest attendance figures in the league. It is no secret that the team is most likely to chose a stadium location closer to its population base in the city of Tampa Bay.

Should the Rays move, the city of Tampa Bay would be free to convert the 85-acres of land used by Tropicrappa Field and its parking lots into valuable residential developments, which several members of the City Council saw as a necessary outcome.

By allowing the Rays to vacate Tropicrappa Field early, the city and developers can take advantage of the extremely low interest rates, while receiving a HUGE financial buyout from a team destined to leave the city limits either way. Then again, leaving the city of Tampa Bay is not a foregone conclusion.

The Rays previously considered a new stadium at Al Lang Field on Tampa Bay's waterfront. While such a location may actually lengthen the travel time for most fans to reach the stadium, it was a beautiful design, and may be able to capitalize on recent economic development in Pinellas County.

Also, if the Rays could move their payroll to the $100-110 million range baseball would look much better & have an even playing field (for the most part)

Here is every MLB Team's 2015 Payroll, as the 2016 payrolls haven't been announced yet
1. Los Angeles Dodgers $272,789,040
2. New York Yankees $219,282,196
3. Boston Red Sox $187,407,202
4. Detroit Tigers $173,813,750
5. San Francisco Giants $172,672,111
6. Washington Nationals $164,920,505
7. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim $150,933,083
8. Texas Rangers $142,140,873
9. Philadelphia Phillies $135,827,500
10. Toronto Blue Jays $122,506,600
11. St. Louis Cardinals $120,869,458
12. Seattle Mariners $119,798,060
13. Chicago Cubs $119,006,885
14. Cincinnati Reds $117,197,072
15. Chicago White Sox $115,238,678
16. Kansas City Royals $113,618,650
17. Baltimore Orioles $110,146,097
18. Minnesota Twins $108,945,000
19. Milwaukee Brewers $105,002,536
20. Colorado Rockies $102,006,130
21. New York Mets $101,409,244
22. San Diego Padres $100,675,896
23. Atlanta Braves $97,578,565
24. Arizona Diamondbacks $91,518,833
25. Pittsburgh Pirates $88,278,500
26. Cleveland Indians $86,091,175
27. Oakland A’s $86,086,667
28. Tampa Bay Rays $76,061,707
29. Houston Astros $70,910,100
30. Miami Marlins $68,479,000

Personally, I'd LOVE to see the Rays get a new stadium because then the Yankees would have some extra competition in the free agent market besides the Red Sox & the Dodgers.