Baseball Short Stories: Race To the Plate

This is a short story I wrote in sixth grade. I thought I might as well post it on here for you to read:

 

The stadium was filled with people. The Braves were playing the Mets to decide who would dominate the National League East. In the clubhouse, the room was full of uncertainty.

 

“I’m so nervous!” exclaimed rookie Jeff Barber.

 

“Don’t worry,” the first baseman, Lawrence Slade said. “You’ll do fine.”

 

“I remember my first game,” recalled Garrett Flynn. “I came up with the bases loaded in the sixth. I got a great pitch and crushed it. It went into the gap and I got a triple out of it.”

 

“Okay guys,” the Braves skipper, Pat Moran said. The docile team turned toward Moran.

 

“This is probably the most important game of your lives. All of you have the potential to be someone great. Prove it tonight. Winning this game will bring us closer to achieving our ultimate goal—winning the World Series. So let’s get out there and win us a ball game!”

 

“Yeah!” shouted the team in response. With that, the players ran out onto the field.

The first inning started with Jeff at second base.

 

“Okay,” he said to himself. “You can do this. It’s just like at Reading only here the players are less fickle.”

 

The first pitch was sharply hit to the third baseman, Merle Lovett. He fielded it cleanly, but then had a wild throw to first. The runner stayed where he was at first base. The next batter stepped up.

 

“You cover on a steal!” Jeff shouted to Sung-Hoo Shim, the shortstop.

 

On the next pitch, the runner was off. Jeff ran to backup Shim.

 

Wait, Jeff thought. Shim doesn’t speak English! Jeff started to run towards second. He caught the throw coming in from the catcher and dove for the bag. He put the tag on the runner.

 

“Yer out!” shouted the ump.

 

“Yeah!” shouted Jeff. That was close, he thought. The next batter struck out and the batter after him grounded out to Shim. Jeff grabbed a bat because he was leading off.

 

“Well if it isn’t the rookie,” the catcher said as he stepped up. “Don’t miss, okay?”

 

“Don’t let him tamper with your mind!” shouted Slade from the on-deck circle. “Ignore him!”

 

The first pitch was way outside. The second and third pitches were strikes and the two after that were balls. The count was full and Jeff swung at the last pitch. He missed strike three.

 

“Forget it,” Slade said as he walked back to the dugout. “You’ll get it next time.” No one threatened to score until the fifth inning when the Mets had men at second and third with one out.

 

“Come on!” Jeff shouted at his second base position. “We can get out of this!” The first was hit sharply to him. He fielded it masterfully and gunned it towards home plate. The catcher caught it and put the tag on the runner.

 

“Yer out!” shouted the ump.

 

“Yeah!” Jeff shouted. “What a play!” The next batter grounded out and the inning was over.

 

In the bottom of sixth, Jeff had his third at bat. In his second at bat, he got a double. He crushed the first pitch to deep center. The centerfielder got a great jump on it and made a great shoestring catch near the wall. It was the last out.

 

“Aw!” Jeff whined. As the centerfielder jogged in, he said, “Nice catch.”

 

“Thanks,” the centerfielder replied. Jeff decided to be tactful to everyone while I played because that was the way the game should be played.

 

In the bottom of the ninth, the score was still tied, 0-0. He came up one last time with two outs and no one on. He was incredibly nervous.

 

“Okay, I can do this,” Jeff said over and over. He stepped up to the plate. The first pitch was a ball and the next, a strike. The third was in the dirt and the fourth wasn’t much better. The count was 3-1 and the fifth pitch looked good so he swung. He crushed it into the gap and took off for first.

 

As Jeff rounded first, he saw that the ball was still in the outfield. He put on the afterburners and slid head first into third. He was safe.

 

“Oh yeah!” Jeff shouted. One run and the Braves would win! He looked at the pitcher’s delivery and found the error that he was looking for. On the second pitch, he took off for home. The pitcher was so shocked that he threw the ball too high. Instead off sliding, Jeff barreled into the catcher. The ball rolled out of the backstop’s glove.

 

“SAFE!” shouted the ump.

 

The other Braves charged out to meet Jeff at the plate. He helped win a substantial victory for the team by stealing home! The Braves were going to the playoffs!   

 

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Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins: Future Hall of Fame Candidates

The Philadelphia Phillies have been fantastic over the last two years, repeating as National League Champs and winning the World Series in 2008.

The main reason why they have done so well isn’t because of their pitching. It’s because of their three core players in Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard.

All four of them have been key parts of the Phillies success since they joined the team.

The first to join the team was Jimmy Rollins in 2000.

He won the starting job in 2001, and had a terrific rookie year, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting, leading the league in stolen bases, and making the All-Star team. He also was an All-Star the next season.

His greatest successes came from 2004-2007, when he had at least 190 hits and scored at least 100 runs each season. He made the All-Star team in 2005 and won the 2007 NL MVP Award.

In 2007, Rollins became the fourth player to have at least 20 home runs, doubles, triples, and stolen bases in one season.

His past two seasons haven’t been as stellar, but he will surely bounce back soon.

The next to join the team was Chase Utley in 2003.

He became a full-time starter in 2005 and has been the best second baseman in baseball ever since. He has been the starting second baseman for the NL All-Star team the past four years and will surely be elected many more times unless another player steps up.

Utley is a five-tool player who has had many seasons that could rival as his best. The most likely is 2006, in which he had 203 hits, 32 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 131 runs scored. He also consistently leads the league in hit by pitches and has won a Silver Slugger every season since 2006.

Finally, there is Ryan Howard. He has been the most productive hitter in baseball since he was called back up to the majors in 2005. He already has a Rookie of the Year and an MVP Award under his belt and could very well make a case for more MVPs in the future.

Howard has led the league in home runs twice and RBIs three times. He also is the fastest player to reach 100, 150, and 200 home runs in MLB history.

Now, there is no doubt that by the time all three of these players’ careers are over they will have a long list of achievements and awards. They all will make strong cases for the Hall of Fame after they are done playing.

There are many reasons to support this. For one thing, they aren’t old.

Rollins and Utley will be 31 when the season starts, and Howard will be 30. They already have great stats and will add during the next few years.

Another reason is the number of awards they have and will have. All three already have notable awards and achievements. They will surely get many more before their careers are over.

Also, one of the things the Hall of Fame looks for is whether they were the dominant player at their position. Chase Utley is by far the top second baseman, and Rollins used to be but has fallen from grace of late. Ryan Howard is also up there with Albert Pujols for the top first baseman.

 

Finally, all three have the great stats. Here they are:

Name	Games	BA	H	HR	RBI	R	SB
Ryan Howard	732	.279	750	222	640	465	10
Jimmy Rollins	1406	.274	1629	146	621	945	326
Chase Utley	891	.295	978	161	585	602	83

 

These are already good stats, considering all their playing time. All three will surely make strong cases for the Hall of Fame after their careers are over.

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Pedro Feliz Fills Astros’ Third Base Void

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Phillies, Angels Leading Halladay Sweepstakes

Phillies, along with the Los Angeles Angels, are the front-runners to land Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jay. 

Rosenthal says a source told him that the Phils are offering a package of young players, including J.A. Happ and one of their top two outfielder prospects, Domonic Brown or Reggie Taylor .

The Phillies would “almost certainly need” to clear up some payroll to acquire Halladay, and Joe Blanton is a possibility to be dealt, Rosenthal says; however a source told him that moving Blanton wouldn’t be enough as additional moves would be required.

(Check out my previous article about why Halladay to the Phillies makes the most sense )

For more Phillies coverage, please go to my blog: Phillies Phandom

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Phillies Still in Hunt for Roy Halladay, but Who Makes the Most Sense?

With the winter meetings coming to a close shortly, Roy Halladay still remains a Toronto Blue Jay. Speculation picked up some steam in the last couple of days as the Phillies have quietly jumped back in the sweepstakes, and Philadelphia is his preferred destination.

The Phillies were the favorites to land him during the regular season before they decided to find an alternative in Cliff Lee, a move that turned out to be the best possible deal considering the circumstances surrounding the soap opera Toronto was running.

Five months later, it appears as if the Phils would still love to get their hands on Halladay; however, there are a few things that would have to fall into place before considering a potential Halladay trade with Philadelphia.

Reportedly, Ruben Amaro Jr. has a spending limit for the 2010 season of around $140 million, and adding Halladay’s $15.75 million salary for this coming season would send the Phillies over their budget, meaning the ownership would have to make “Doc” an exception.

Or it makes sense of the rumors that Philadelphia is shopping starting pitcher Joe Blanton, who made $5.75 million in 2009 and is set for a raise in arbitration.

Several media outlets have said that the Phillies have let teams know that they would be willing to trade Blanton to free up money to improve the bullpen. It now looks like they could be shopping “Big Joe” in a precursor move to acquire Halladay.

The only thing left on Amaro’s to-do list is to improve his pitching staff—more importantly, the bullpen. It has been said that the Phillies aren’t willing to pay top money for a top-notch reliever, but would rather take a chance on a bullpen arm with upside.

One has to wonder why Amaro would be looking in the bargain bin for relievers when he has around $10 million left in his checkbook if the supposed budget is accurate. And while we’re in the speculation game, is Amaro planning to break the bank for Halladay?

I wrote a month ago that it would be a good baseball decision to reel in Halladay this winter, and that’s still my thought process at this point of time.

Halladay wants out of Toronto according to former general manager J.P. Ricciardi, and everyone knows that he will not be pitching for the Blue Jays past this season shall he remain on the team come spring training.

His contract expires after this coming campaign, which is another obstacle in a possible trade with the Jays. If the Phillies were to pull the trigger, they would want to talk extension with him considering what they would have to give up.

Jayson Stark quoted an official from a team who has talked with Toronto about acquiring Halladay in the past saying that Philadelphia is where he wants to pitch.

“If he could only pick one place? Oh, Philadelphia,” the source said. “No question. He lives right near their spring training camp. It’s an easy trip down to Florida to get home. They’ve got a great team. And it’s not the pressure of New York—not that pressure bothers him.”

Stark also said that he would be willing okay a deal to the Angels, Red Sox, or Yankees. His source thinks Halladay would approve a trade to either Los Angeles team, but not sign long-term there.

It’s the thinking that Halladay would want an extension along with the trade from the team who acquires him, and that leaves three teams that he would waive his no-trade clause for: Philadelphia, New York (Yankees, not Mets), and Boston.

Despite rumors of the Sox’ apparent interest in Halladay, it doesn’t sound to me that they are serious about getting Doc. They seem more focused on signing Jason Bay or Matt Holliday than trading away top prospects to meet Toronto’s demands.

The Yankees completed the offseason’s first blockbuster trade yesterday when they acquired Curtis Granderson from Detroit. Though, I wouldn’t count the Bronx Bombers out of the Halladay sweepstakes just yet.

New York still thinks they have what it takes to pry the 32-year-old away from their divisional rival, and lord knows that they have the financial flexibility to add his contract onto the books so there’s always a chance with the Yanks.

And then there were two to dance, and Halos have reportedly offered Joe Saunders, Erick Aybar, and Peter Bourjas to the Jays; however, there’s speculation that Toronto doesn’t want Major League players in return.

So, by the process of elimination, the Phillies make the most sense for Halladay—and for that matter, Toronto as well. If you look at it from the Jays’ perspective, trading him to the Phils would get him out of the American League.

Alex Anthopoulos finds himself between a rock and a hard place because of the guy he replaced as the GM. Blue Jays fans know that they are going to get less for Halladay now than they would have gotten at the trade deadline.

For Anthopoulos, the best-case scenario is to trade Doc into the National League. Imagine how many pissed-off Jays fans there will be 19 times a year if Halladay is donning a Yankees or Red Sox jersey.

The asking price is what got in the way of a Phillies-Jays trade at the deadline; Ricciardi was asking for an arm and a leg for him, and Amaro wasn’t willing to comply with the demands.

I’m expecting Anthopoulos to ask for the roof again until it gets closer to spring training, and desperation starts coming into play. Halladay told the Jays to have a trade done by March, and that he will not waive his NTC during the season.

You have to think at some point this offseason, Toronto will lower their demands for Halladay in fear of losing him for nothing like they will if they don’t trade him next winter. There have been reports that he will not re-sign with the Jays.

Like I said before, the art of trading is all about leverage and right now, Anthopoulos has absolutely none. Everyone knows he has to trade Halladay, and he will trade him sometime between now and spring training.

It’s only a matter of time before this saga finds its solution, but at the end of the day, Halladay will be wearing pinstripes. The question is, what color looks better on him, red or blue?

For more Phillies coverage, please go to my blog: Phillies Phandom

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Baseball’s Best: All-Decade Team

Now that the first decade of the 21st century is coming to an end, it’s a good time to look back at the great players of the decade.

Many players have graced the diamond this decade, but only 14 will make the cut for the all-decade team.

*Designated Hitter isn’t actually the position DH. It’s just an extra hitter.

Catcher: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins

Decade Stats: .327 BA, 844 H, 72 HR, 397 RBI, 34 SB

Mauer has been absolutely since his call-up in 2004. From then to his 2009 AL MVP Award, he has been baseball’s best catcher. He’s led the league in hitting three times. He had a power surge last season, hitting 28 home runs. The best part? He’s only 26.

 

First Base : Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals

Decade Stats: .334 BA, 1717 H, 366 HR, 1112 RBI, 61 SB

Pujols has been by far the most productive player this decade. He has the highest batting average of all active players and has been a home run and RBI machine. He has one three NL MVP Awards and could rival Barry Bonds for the most all-time if he continues on this pace.

 

Second Base : Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies

Decade Stats: .295 BA, 978 H, 161 HR, 585 RBI, 83 SB

Chase Utley has been one of the best players in baseball during this decade. He is the perfect player: Good fielder, hits for power, hits for average, can run, and has a good arm. He is the five-tool player that every team wants. He really hasn’t been as good as he could be, but if he can get even better than the Phillies have a lot to look forward to.

 

Third Base: Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees

Decade Stats: .304 BA, 1740 H, 435 HR, 1243 RBI, 179 SB

I know, I know. He took steroids. Well at this point I really don’t care about steroids. I want them out of the game, and sure whoever took it is a cheater, but the fact is they took it. Move on.

Anyway, A-Rod has been a team’s dream third baseman. I know he started out the decade at shortstop, but that’s not stopping him from making the team. He led the league in home runs five times and topped 50 three times. He also led the league in RBIs twice and topped 100 every year.

 

Shortstop: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees

Decade Stats: .317 BA, 1940 H, 161 HR, 727 RBI, 219 SB

Who wouldn’t pick him? Jeter has been the Yankees best player for the past 15 years, and he is making a case for being the best all-time (it all depends on what you like more, contact or power).

He has been an all-around great player and has been mentioned in many MVP selections. He could’ve been sold short a few times.

 

Outfield 1: Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners

Decade Stats: .333 BA, 2030 H, 84 HR, 515 RBI, 341 SB

Ichiro has been the catalyst of the decade. He has topped 200 hits and has batted over .300 every season. He led the league in hits six times and batting average twice. He is also terrific with the glove, winning a Gold Glove every year.

He also isn’t afraid of awards and accolades. He won the AL MVP and Rookie of the Year Award in 2001 and made the All-Star team every year. In 2007, he also won the All-Star Game MVP Award. He also holds the record for most hits in a single with 262 in 2004.

 

Outfield 2 : Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants

Decade Stats: .322 BA, 925 H, 317 HR, 697 RBI, 54 SB

Definitely not the best player due to his steroid use, but he still deserves to make the team. He won four consecutive MVP awards from 2001-2004. He set the record for most home runs in a single season with 73 in 2001. He also set the all-time home run record in 2007. That was his final season in major league baseball.

 

Outfield 3: Vladimir Guerrero, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Decade Stats: .323 BA, 1751 H, 315 HR, 1037 RBI, 147 SB

Vlad has been fantastic since the beginning of the decade. He won the AL MVP Award in 2004 and has been a perfect combination of average and power. 2009 was his first full season without a batting average over .300, without 25 home runs, and without at least 75 RBI.

 

Right-Handed Pitcher: Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays

Decade Stats: 139-60, 3.40 ERA, 1883.1 IP, 1400 K

Roy Halladay has been the arguably the best pitcher in baseball since the start of the decade. He has won one Cy Young Award, and was in the Top Five in voting four times. He led the league in IP three times. He also topped 20 wins twice.

If he can keep on this pace, he will likely be a Hall of Famer.

 

Left-Handed Pitcher: Johan Santana, New York Mets

Decade Stats: 122-60, 3.12 ERA, 1709.2 IP, 1733 K

Santana is the only other pitcher who can rival Roy Halladay for the top pitcher of the decade award. He won two Cy Young Awards with the Minnesota Twins before being shipped to the Mets. He led the league in strikeouts three times and topped 200 k’s five times.

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Philadelphia Philles Mid-Offseason Review

The Philadelphia Phillies have been getting it done so far this off-season. They’ve accomplished one of their main goals so far and have made a lot of small pickups along the way.

So far, the Phillies have done a great job, though they can do better.

They replaced defensive master Pedro Feliz with Placido Polanco, who is just as good with the glove. Polanco, who played with the Phillies from 2002-2005, is a great contact hitter and has a .303 career average. He isn’t much for power, but will definitely be an improvement at third base.

They also signed Brian Schneider to be the backup catcher, which eliminates the possibility of Paul Bako returning, though he will likely get a spring training invite.

The Phillies two smaller acquisitions include signing Juan Castro and Dewanye Wise.

I’m not a fan of the Castro signing because it’s barely an improvement. What the Phillies need is a right-handed Greg Dobbs to bat against lefties late in the game.

I am a fan of the Wise signing just because of what the guy did last year. He made a terrific catch to preserve Mark Buerhle’s perfect game. He may not contribute too much to the major league club since he was signed to a minor league deal, but who isn’t a little excited about him?

Also, there has been much speculation about Roy Halladay. Folks, the only way the Phillies are trading for Halladay is if they either get rid of either Joe Blanton or Cole Hamels.

I didn’t throw Hamels under the bus because of last year, and I’m positive he’ll bounce back next season. As for Big Joe, never really a fan. Only time he really contributed last year was in July when he had a string of great games.

Finally, there has been talk of a contract extension with Cliff Lee. That would be a very wise move by the Phillies. I was a fan of him before his Cy Young season, and he is definitely someone you want to secure as quickly as possible.

Hopefully the Phillies will be able to make a move for another good starting pitcher before the spring. But if not, the Phillies will still be in great shape to repeat as National League Champs and will definitely make a shot at winning the World Series

 

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Report: Phillies Sign Ross Gload

According to Todd Zolecki , the Phillies have signed free agent outfielder Ross Gload to a two-year contract.

Gload, 33, hit .261/.329/.400 with six home runs and 30 RBI in 230 at-bats last season with the Florida Marlins, who declined his $2.6 million option for 2010.

The left-handed hitting corner outfielder also plays first base, and will be the final piece added to the Phillies’ bench. Next up on the to-do list: strengthening the bullpen and rotation.

For more Phillies coverage, please go to my blog: Phillies Phandom

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Will Placido Polanco’s Fantasy Value Increase with Philadelphia Phillies?

It was a good week last week for Placido Polanco.

He signed a three-year, $18 million contract, he joined one of the best teams in baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies, and now that he is part of a great lineup, his offensive numbers should get a boost.

While all that is great for Polanco, it’s the last item that fantasy owners care about the most. With Polanco in a much better lineup, we should see increased fantasy production from him in 2010.

In 2009, Polanco hit .285/10/72 with 82 runs scored with the Detroit Tigers. I expect Polanco to improve on those numbers in a potent Philly lineup.

Polanco should be batting second in front of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in 2010, which means two things. One, we should see Polanco score more than 82 runs in 2010, and two, he should get plenty of good pitches to hit, which means his average and power numbers should remain constant in 2010.

With a better offensive ballpark coupled with a better lineup, I expect Polanco to put up a .290/13/65 line with 95-plus runs scored.

Polanco moving from second to third doesn’t change his draft value. Consider Polanco a second-tier second base or third base option in 2010.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostomlg

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Philadelphia Phillies Take Care of the Hot Corner, Atlanta Solidifies the Pen

 
The Phillies have taken care of the hole left at third base by Pedro Feliz after the team declined to pick up his option for 2010.

Philadelphia signed Placido Polanco, who played second base for the Detroit Tigers over the past four plus seasons, to an $18 million, three-year contract earlier today. It is his second tenure with Philly (Polanco played for the Phillies from 2002 into 2005).

Polanco, who turned 34 in October, will be an upgrade from Feliz, who hit a combined .258 over his two seasons with the Phils.

A .303 career hitter, Polanco hit .285 with a .331 on-base percentage for Detroit in 2009.

He can be very versatile in terms of his placement in the lineup, as well.

With the Phillie lead-off hitter Jimmy Rollins having a subpar year in 2009, Polanco could take that spot in the lineup, or the second slot as well, which would move centerfielder Shane Victorino down in the lineup.

Placing Polanco eighth in the lineup could also prove to be advantageous. It is always nice to have a runner on base before the pitcher comes to the plate so that the pitcher may lay down a sacrifice bunt. The third baseman’s high batting average could certainly help this strategy.

Meanwhile, the Braves have done an excellent job putting together a very solid back-end of the bullpen.

Atlanta, who signed Billy Wagner to a one-year, $7 million contract yesterday to close for them in 2009, landed setup man Takashi Saito today. The righty pitched to a 2.43 ERA in 55.2 innings pitched with the Red Sox last year.

With the bullpen now solidified, Atlanta can begin to focus on what is really their pressing issue: Offense.

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