text:
Category Archives: Mike Minor
2012 Season Forecast – Atlanta Braves
Posted on April 5, 2012 by Paul Proia
2011 Record: 89 – 73
Runs Scored: 641 (10th in the NL)
Runs Allowed: 605 (3rd in the NL)
The Braves actually played better than can be expected based on the ratio of runs to runs scored (estimated 86 wins).
2011 Season Summary:
Never really a threat to win the division (to my dismay as I predicted them to surprise many to win the east), the Braves were never really bad. They could win in four spots of the rotation, but they couldn't generate enough offense to make it easy. Off seasons by Jason Heyward, Chipper Jones, Dan Uggla (he needed a 30-game hitting streak to get to .233 on the season), and anyone who played center field offset a bullpen led by Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters that held every lead… Well, until the last ten days of the season. Like their old cousins in Boston, the Braves couldn't get that one or two wins that would have sealed the deal and wound up being kicked out the playoffs by the Cardinals.
The Braves have ample starting pitching. Tim Hudson won 16 games and was well above average all year long. Three others made between 22 and 25 starts – all were successful. Jair Jurrjens, who is constantly on the trading block, was the best of the lot (13 – 6, 2.96 ERA), but Tommy Hanson and Brandon Beachy were both decent. Mike Minor took on 15 starts and continues to improve – he's nearly a league average pitcher now and could be ready for a rotation slot. Only Derek Lowe struggled – he fell off the map in the second half – and has been dispatched to Cleveland to see if he has anything left. The Braves even have prospects in Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado if needed. Looking forward, the rotation could still be solid if not a hair better than last year. Hudson and Jurrjens might take a slight step backward, but Beachy and Minor could be better and one of the rookies will most certainly be better than Derek Lowe last year.
In the bullpen, three pitchers had absolutely stunning years. Closer Craig Kimbrel saved 46 games and was 16 runs better than the average pitcher in his 75 innings. Set up man Jonny Venters was even better – 21.5 runs better than average. The best of the lot was Eric O'Flaherty, who had a 0.98 ERA in just shy of 74 innings and saved the team nearly 25 full runs. George Sherrill, Scott Linebrink, and Christian Martinez were also above average pitchers last year. Looking ahead, it's hard to see the Braves being BETTER than that – it's rare to save that many runs over 70+ innings – so I think gravity is going to pull this team back some 25 runs. O'Flaherty can't possibly have a sub 1.00 ERA again, for example. This will still be a good unit, but it can't be THAT good again.
Catching:
Brian McCann is one of the premier offensive catchers in the game and his defensive skills are pretty good. His backup Dave Ross remains dependable and adds a little offense. As a unit, this is one of the three best teams in baseball behind the plate. At issue is the fact that McCann may be the best offensive player on the team – but his best seasons seem to be two or three years ago.
Infield:
Defensively, an infield of Freddie Freeman, Dan Uggla, Alex Gonzalez, and Chipper Jones is, at best, not bad but not too good either. It's actually better when Martin Prado plays third. Offensively, they put up runs – and that's one reason the Braves win games.
Freddie Freeman is going to be one of the better first basemen in the NL – already a fair fielder and an above average hitter, he will be an all-star for many years to come. Dan Uggla has been a steady, dependable power source and is good on the double play. Tyler Pastornicky is going to get every shot to take over at short, now that Alex Gonzalez has been allowed to leave. Gonzalez gave you flashes of power, but his bat isn't great anymore and his glove is now just pretty good for an old guy. Pastornicky will have better range, but might not match the offense. As for Chipper Jones, he's nursing sore knees and has already said that 2012 will be his last season. Defensively, he's been problematic at third for a while but his bat has been good enough. Now, that's not going to be the case. When Jones is gone, Prado or Eric Hinske will get innings. It sure would be more beneficial if Prado hit closer to .300 than .260 as he did last year.
I think Freeman and Uggla will be slightly better this year, which should make up for the team losing runs at short and third – call it a wash…
Outfield:
I think that the Cubs have a weak outfield in terms of production. The Braves aren't much better.
In left, you had Martin Prado – decent glove, middling power, and slightly worse than league average production. That's LEAGUE average, not LEFT FIELD average – where you want someone who hits 20+ homers and might drive in 85 or more runs. Prado went 13 – 57 – .260 with hardly any other benefits (4/12 SBs, 34 walks in 129 games). If Jose Constanza can hit the way he did in 109 at bats last year, that wouldn't hurt. Unfortunately, he's not a banger either – he's a burner and could play center for many teams.
In center, nobody hit. Michael Bourn will be there all year, but he's never hit .300 and doesn't hit for power. Nate McClouth hit .228 with four homers and Jordan Schafer was less productive (and sent to Houston for Bourn). A full year of Bourn will be better, though, than what the Braves had last year.
In right, you had sophomore Jason Heyward, who fell off the map after such a promising rookie season. I don't see him hitting .227 again. He still shows some patience at the plate and his power remains.
The problem may be a lack of a plan B. Eric Hinske remains, as does Constanza, but even a returning Matt Diaz doesn't look to help much if a hole opens up in the outfield.
Bench:
Prado gives the Braves some versatility, as does Hinske. Diaz can pinch hit and platoon some. Josh and Jack Wilson are around, but don't offer much offense (and Jack is getting up there in years) and both are losing defensive skills, too. Ross is good behind the plate. It's a full bench, but maybe not a great one.
Prospects:
The top prospects in AAA mostly made it for cups of coffee last year, including Constanza, Teheran and Pastornicky. The one who didn't was undrafted first baseman Mauro Gomez, who might be able to help out. I don't have a read on his glove, but he's a decent power bat – might hit .250 with 20 homers in the big leagues. He just doesn't have a place to play here. Another guy who wouldn't kill you might be pitcher Todd Redmond, who had decent numbers at AAA Gwinett, going 10 – 8 with 142 Ks and just 47 walks in 169.2 innings. The problem is that he's been at AAA for three years now and he's probably going to have to get a shot somewhere else as he's not high on the prospect list.
The best hitter in AA isn't high on the prospect lists either – that's 26 year old Ernesto Mejia, who has stats like Mauro Gomez and, thus, has nowhere to play. Some like infielder Mykal Jones, but he's not going to replace Pastornicky any time soon. Pitchers Arodys Vizcaino and Randall Delgado got shots – they have major league stuff and are just kids. Another good arm might be Brett Oberholtzer, who is close but needs more strikeouts to move up more quickly. Reliever Billy Bullock has quite the arm, but lacks in control (65Ks, 34BBs in 49.2 innings).
A+ Rome features catcher Joe Terdoslavich, a power hitter who had 52 doubles to go with 20 homers. A one-time former #1 pick, Cory Rasmus has the stuff, but needs to find the strike zone more frequently – and stay healthier.
2012 Forecast:
I think the offense can be 25 runs better than last year – might even be more than that – because Bourn is here all year and Heyward will be better. On the other hand, I think that the gravitational pull that will be working against the bullpen will equally offset that 25 run gain. Throw in the fact that two other teams may well be challenging for the top spot in the NL East, the Braves will be lucky to finish with 85 wins, which might be third or fourth in this division.
Posted in Alex Gonzalez, Arodys Vizcaino, Atlanta Braves, Billy Bullock, Brandon Beachy, Brett Oberholtzer, Brian McCann, Chipper Jones, Cory Rasmus, Craig Kimbrel, Cristian Martinez, Dan Uggla, Dave Ross, David Ross, Derek Lowe, Eric Hinske, Eric O'Flaherty, Ernesto Mejia, Fredrick Freeman, George Sherrill, Jack Wilson, Jair Jurrjens, Jason Heyward, Joe Terdoslavich, Jonny Venters, Jordan Schafer, Jose Constanza, Josh Wilson, Julio Teheran, Martin Prado, Matt Diaz, Mauro Gomez, Michael Bourn, Mike Minor, Mykal Jones, Nate McLouth, Randall Delgado, Scott Linebrink, Tim Hudson, Todd Redmond, Tommy Hanson, Tyler Pastornicky	| Leave a reply
Not the Start Tampa Bay Imagined
The Tampa Bay Rays opened with a series against the rebuilding Baltimore Orioles and got swept. Depending on how you see this (are you a Rays fan or an Orioles fan?), it was either great pitching by a young Orioles staff (they have great young arms, for sure), or a lifeless Rays offense (they lost Crawford, Pena, and Bartlett).
Let's call it a little of both.
But the Rays certainly didn't need this… Evan Longoria, among the most productive players in all of baseball, was placed in the 15-day DL was a strained oblique – and while Longoria believes that he'll be back in a couple of weeks, many times it's a four to six week problem. [ESPN]
As an insurance policy, the Rays recalled infielder Felipe Lopez from AAA Durham. Lopez, who turns 31 in May, is a journeyman – and the Rays are the seventh different team he's played for since 2006. Heck, in the last five years, he's been in St. Louis two different times. Lopez is a career .266 hitter with medium range power but has had streaky productive runs, so you never know. For a month, he isn't a bad option.
Sean Rodriguez got the start there on Sunday and we'll see how manager Joe Maddon manages around the injury. This kind of start and injury, on the heels of losing such major contributors to the Rays playoff runs, is the type of bad karma that might take months to get past – so if Maddon gets them out of April with a record near .500, that will be quite the managerial accomplishment.
But he can take heart in the fact that the other team I picked to win this division, the Boston Red Sox, are also 0 – 3 to start the season.
Other Notable Transactions…
With Jair Jurrjens heading to the disabled list with a strained right oblique, the Braves recalled Mike Minor from AAA Gwinnett. Minor is a very polished prospect, though he had mixed results in a short stint with the Braves in 2011. He'll be a fifth starter for the short term, and I think he can help. [ESPN]
Minor, as my friend Andy Finch will remind you, was an ace of the Vanderbilt University staff, and has moved very quickly through the minors. He's fanned 163 batters in 134 innings at three levels, and has great control. Even with Atlanta, he fanned 43 and walked just 11 in 40 innings – he just got hit around a little. Minor had a decent enough spring, though, so maybe he can stick this time around.
Grab a Screen Shot, Royals Fans…
As of this morning, your first place Kansas City Royals are 3 – 1, atop the AL Central, and it's because of three consecutive wins in their final at bat. Yesterday, backup catcher Matt Treanor hit a game-winning homer in extra innings to beat the Angels.
Mickey Owen (1916) – solid catcher, started up baseball camps, that I believe are still around today…
Gil Hodges (1924) – Dodger favorite, Mets manager, late Hall of Fame addition…
Eddie Watt (1941) – Oriole reliever in the late 1960s and early 1970s…
Jim Fregosi (1942)
Ray Fosse (1947)
Tommy Herr (1956)
Brad Kommisk (1961) – long ago Braves prospect…
Scott Rolen (1975)
I'm ten years older than Scott Rolen, but in my mind, he's older than I am. Go figure.
100 Years Ago in The Sporting News
The April 6th, 1911 paper led with an article about Nebraska ruling in favor of Sunday baseball, and covered a number of teams as they were traveling through the south, as teams often did at the end of spring training, barnstorming through various cities to help pay for spring training expenses.
The top right corner of the first page included a small blurb about two young and bony St. Louis lefties – Harry "Slim" Sallee, who was a regular on the Cardinals, and the beanpole Thomas "Lefty" George. The SABR Biography project has a great article about Sallee, a 6′ 3″, 150 pounder who was an awkward thrower – he would stride at a 45 degree angle between home and first, and then throw across his body back to the plate – that appears to have been written by a couple of his descendants. Lefty George was a rookie with the Browns, having had a successful season with Indianapolis in the American Association. Like Sallee, he barely tipped 150 pounds, but was a tad shorter at just 6′ 0″. Sallee had the longer career, winning more than 170 games and being on the 1919 Reds team that won a fixed World Series. George didn't succeed in St. Louis (at that time, few did), wound up in Cleveland a year later, and then bounced around the minors for more than a decade after that – getting two short shots at the big leagues over the course of the next decade.
Posted in Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Evan Longoria, Felipe Lopez, Jair Jurrjens, Kansas City Royals, Matt Treanor, Mike Minor, Sean Rodriguez, Tampa Bay Rays	| Leave a reply
Youkilis in Left? God, Engineering Saves Friend
Posted on August 7, 2009 by Paul Proia
With Jason Bay out for most of the weekend and Rocco Baldelli nursing a sore ankle, the Red Sox moved Kevin Youkilis to left field for a game or two. Youkilis was lifted for a defensive replacement, but managed an assist – throwing out Derek Jeter at second base. [FoxSports]
Arizona placed outfielder Justin Upton on the DL with an oblique strain suffered, oddly, while running the bases. (Well, it could have happened earlier, but he noticed it running the bases…) Taking his roster spot is long time minor leaguer, Trent Oeltjen – an Aussie Olympian – who brings some speed, but not much power to the Snakes. Hitting .300 in Reno, it translates to about .250 with a few walks, some steals and maybe a triple or two more than most players… [ESPN]
The Mets have decided that Bobby Parnell will replace the injured Jonathan Niese in the rotation. Parnell throws HARD – 98 MPH or so – so I might have to actually watch a Mets game (when they aren't playing the Marlins or Cubs). [ESPN]
The Yankees acquired Chad Gaudin from the Padres for either cash or a player to be named later… With San Diego acquiring a number of prospects at the trading deadline, Gaudin became expendable. He'll be a long reliever or fifth starter option in the Bronx. Let me ask you this… How good is any pitcher with a 5.13 ERA pitching in the run scarce environment in San Diego? [SI]
Two Washington Nationals minor leaguers, both at AA Harrisburg, were suspended 50 games for testing positive for amphetamines. Ofilio Castro and Edgardo Baez will miss most of the rest of the season. [FoxSports]
Then, the Nationals set infielder Anderson Hernandez to the Mets for minor leaguer Greg Veloz. Neither is a prospect, and I've watched Hernandez – he's a glove in search of hitting skills.
Baseball card collectors wanting official MLB stuff will now have fewer options… MLB signed an exclusive multi-year deal with Topps Trading Cards Co., which (if you didn't know) is now run by Michael Eisner. Yeah – that Michael Eisner. Upper Deck still has a deal with the MLB Players Association, which means that they can make cards, but cannot use team logos and what not. I've collected pretty much only Topps cards for years, but I will admit the last 15 years or so have been crazy with so many possible brands. Now, it should be easier for kids to figure out what to buy. [SI]
I mention this because my friend, Andy Finch, is a professor at Vanderbilt… Mike Minor, Commodore grad and seventh overall pick in the 2009 draft, signed a contract with Atlanta yesterday. This summer, we saw two other Vandy alums playing in Peoria – so maybe we can find this guy in a minor league game next summer. [ESPN]
Speaking of friends… One of the best people I know, Steve Dubin, walked away from a five car accident yesterday morning. He was on the turnpike heading to the office when he had to stop for cars who had slowed for a flash rain. He stopped, but the van behind him did not and plowed into him at about 65 MPH. The impact threw Steve and his car across three lanes of traffic, where he bounced off of three other cars. God and Hyundai engineering shined down on Steve – he got out of his car and, not knowing what to do, began taking pictures of the mess. The interior – including two car seats, which thankfully were empty – was intact. The exterior, however, was crushed like a discarded beer can.
I've known Steve for about a decade, our kids will probably date in high school, and his wife is a sweetheart. But I feel especially lucky to still have the big lug around. He was hauled to a hospital, checked out okay, and given pain killers to deal with the ache of getting whalloped the way Albert Pujols hits belt-high fastballs. That seems reason enough to think today will be a good day no matter what else happens.
Welcome Back! Doug Waechter returns from the DL for the Royals, and they need him… Royal reliever Juan Cruz was placed on the DL with a strained right shoulder. The Yankees signeed Russ Ortiz to a minor league contract. He's Chad Gaudin, only older and used to be good.
Hurry Back! Other than Cruz, Rocco Baldelli (mentioned above) is on the DL with his ankle contusion.
Posted in Anderson Hernandez, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Bobby Parnell, Boston Red Sox, Chad Gaudin, Doug Waechter, Edgardo Baez, Greg Veloz, Jason Bay, Jon Niese, Juan Cruz, Justin Upton, Kansas City Royals, Kevin Youkilis, Mike Minor, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Ofilio Castro, Rocco Baldelli, Russ Ortiz, San Diego Padres, Trent Oeltjen, Washington Nationals	| Leave a reply
Topics Covered Here
Topics Covered Here Select Category Baking (1) Baseball (14) Baseball History (70) 300 Game Winners (3) Steroids (11) Marriage (1) Players (332) A. J. Burnett (16) A.J. Cole (1) A.J. Ellis (3) A.J. Pierzynski (5) Aaron Bates (3) Aaron Boone (2) Aaron Cook (9) Aaron Crow (5) Aaron Cunningham (1) Aaron Harang (4) Aaron Hartsock (1) Aaron Heilman (6) Aaron Hill (14) Aaron Laffey (2) Aaron Miles (5) Aaron Poreda (3) Aaron Pribanic (1) Aaron Rowand (6) Aaron Shafer (1) Aaron Thompson (1) Adam Dunn (12) Adam Eaton (7) Adam Everett (3) Adam Jones (10) Adam Kennedy (7) Adam LaRoche (10) Adam Lind (7) Adam Milligan (1) Adam Moore (2) Adam Ottavino (1) Adam Rosales (1) Adam Russell (2) Adam Tracy (1) Adam Wainwright (5) Adam Warren (1) Adam Wilk (1) Adeiny Hechevarria (2) Adrian Beltre (19) Adrian Gonzalez (12) Akinori Iwamura (12) Alan Embree (2) Alan Farina (1) Albert Pujols (14) Alberto Callaspo (5) Alberto Castillo (1) Alberto Gonzalez (2) Alcides Escobar (5) Alejandro De Aza (4) Alex Avila (3) Alex Burnett (2) Alex Cintron (3) Alex Cobb (2) Alex Cora (8) Alex Gonzalez (19) Alex Gordon (11) Alex Rios (11) Alex Rodriguez (21) Alex Romero (1) Alex Torres (1) Alex White (1) Alexander Cobb (2) Alexander Torres (2) Alexei Ramirez (6) Alexi Amarista (1) Alexi Casilla (9) Alexi Ogando (1) Alfonso Soriano (11) Alfredo Aceves (3) Alfredo Amezega (5) Alfredo Figaro (2) Alfredo Simon (1) Allan Dykstra (1) Allen Craig (2) Amalio Diaz (1) Amaury Rivas (1) Anderson Hernandez (2) Andre Ethier (3) Andrelton Simmons (1) Andres Blanco (2) Andres Torres (8) Andrew Bailey (5) Andrew Battisto (1) Andrew Carpenter (2) Andrew Cashner (4) Andrew Dobies (1) Andrew McCutchen (6) Andrew Miller (4) Andrew Oliver (1) Andruw Jones (8) Andy Gonzalez (3) Andy Green (1) Andy LaRoche (8) Andy Marte (6) Andy Pettitte (15) Andy Sonnestine (4) Aneury Rodriguez (3) Angel Berroa (4) Angel Guzman (4) Angel Pagan (5) Angel Salome (2) Angel Villalona (1) Anibal Sanchez (9) Anthony Carter (1) Anthony Gose (1) Anthony Reyes (1) Anthony Rizzo (4) Anthony Slama (1) Anthony Swarzak (3) Antonio Bastardo (5) Aramis Ramirez (10) Argenis Diaz (1) Argenis Reyes (3) Armando Benitez (1) Armando Gallaraga (3) Arodys Vizcaino (2) Aroldis Chapman (9) Arthur Rhodes (3) Asdrubel Cabrera (8) Asher Wojciechowski (1) Aubrey Huff (14) Augie Ojeda (2) Austin Hyatt (1) Austin Jackson (6) Austin Kearns (8) Austin Romine (2) B.J. Ryan (7) B.J. Upton (9) Barbaro Canizares (1) Barry Bonds (4) Barry Zito (5) Bartolo Colon (6) Ben Francisco (3) Ben Revere (2) Ben Sheets (4) Ben Zobrist (10) Bengie Molina (5) Bill Bray (1) Bill Hall (14) Billy Buckner (4) Billy Bullock (2) Billy Butler (7) Billy Sadler (1) Billy Wagner (12) Blaine Boyer (3) Blair Walters (1) Blake DeWitt (4) Blake Kelso (1) Blake Wood (1) Bobby Abreu (9) Bobby Bell (1) Bobby Borchering (1) Bobby Crosby (3) Bobby Howry (2) Bobby Jenks (7) Bobby Lanigan (1) Bobby Parnell (7) Bobby Scales (3) Bobby Wilson (3) Boof Bonser (1) Boone Logan (4) Brad Ausmus (2) Brad Bergesen (7) Brad Hand (1) Brad Hawpe (5) Brad Lidge (24) Brad Lincoln (2) Brad Miller (1) Brad Mills (4) Brad Peacock (2) Brad Penny (13) Brad Thomas (1) Brad Thompson (2) Brad Wilkerson (1) Brad Ziegler (1) Braden Looper (3) Brandon Allen (5) Brandon Backe (2) Brandon Barnes (1) Brandon Beachy (1) Brandon Belt (1) Brandon Boggs (1) Brandon Cooney (1) Brandon Crawford (1) Brandon Douglas (1) Brandon Erbe (2) Brandon Fahey (1) Brandon Guyer (1) Brandon Hynick (2) Brandon Inge (6) Brandon Jones (1) Brandon Kintzler (1) Brandon Laird (1) Brandon League (1) Brandon Lyon (4) Brandon McCarthy (3) Brandon Medders (1) Brandon Morrow (6) Brandon Phillips (10) Brandon Snyder (3) Brandon Waring (1) Brandon Webb (16) Brandon Wood (5) Brayan Pena (5) Brayan Villarreal (1) Brendan Donnelly (6) Brendan Harris (4) Brendan Ryan (6) Brendan Watson (1) Brennan Boesch (4) Brett Anderson (1) Brett Bigler (1) Brett Carroll (4) Brett Cecil (2) Brett Gardner (9) Brett Hayes (2) Brett Jacobson (1) Brett Lawrie (1) Brett Lillibridge (3) Brett Lorin (1) Brett Morel (1) Brett Myers (12) Brett Oberholtzer (1) Brett Tomko (2) Brett Wallace (5) Brian Anderson (5) Brian Bannister (3) Brian Barden (1) Brian Bass (3) Brian Bixler (3) Brian Bogusevic (1) Brian Bruney (5) Brian Burres (4) Brian Buscher (2) Brian Dinkelman (2) Brian Dopirak (2) Brian Duensing (4) Brian Fuentes (3) Brian Giles (2) Brian Matusz (6) Brian McCann (6) Brian Moehler (3) Brian Roberts (10) Brian Sanches (3) Brian Schneider (7) Brian Shouse (3) Brian Stokes (1) Brian Tallett (3) Brian Wilson (6) Brock Bond (1) Brock Holt (2) Bronson Arroyo (7) Brooks Conrad (1) Bruce Chen (4) Bruce Pugh (1) Bryan Augenstein (2) Bryan LeHair (4) Bryan Peterson (3) Bryan Price (1) Bryce Harper (6) Buck Coats (1) Bud Norris (3) Buddy Carlisle (2) Burke Badenhop (5) Buster Posey (4) C.C. Sabathia (18) C.J. Wilson (3) Caleb Gindl (1) Cameron Maybin (4) Carl Crawford (16) Carl Pavano (8) Carlos Beltran (18) Carlos Carrasco (3) Carlos Corporan (1) Carlos Correa (1) Carlos Delgado (8) Carlos Dominguez (1) Carlos Fisher (2) Carlos Gomez (5) Carlos Gonzalez (4) Carlos Guillen (7) Carlos Lee (5) Carlos Marmol (6) Carlos Pena (10) Carlos Perez (1) Carlos Quentin (13) Carlos Rosa (1) Carlos Ruiz (6) Carlos Santana (3) Carlos Silva (5) Carlos Torres (2) Carlos Triunfel (1) Carlos Villanueva (2) Carlos Zambrano (17) Casey Blake (5) Casey Coleman (3) Casey Erickson (1) Casey Fossum (1) Casey Janssen (3) Casey Kelly (1) Casey Kotchman (11) Casey McGehee (4) Casey Weathers (1) Cesar Hernandez (1) Cesar Izturis (7) Cesar Ramos (1) Cesar Valdez (1) Cha Seung Baek (2) Chad Billingsley (6) Chad Bradford (6) Chad Cordero (1) Chad Durbin (4) Chad Gaudin (3) Chad James (1) Chad Moeller (5) Chad Paronto (1) Chad Qualls (3) Chad Tracy (6) Chad Tracy – TEX (1) Chan Ho Park (5) Charlie Blackmon (1) Charlie Furbush (1) Charlie Morton (6) Charlie Zink (1) Chase D'Arnaud (1) Chase Headley (2) Chase Utley (9) Chase Weems (1) Chaz Roe (1) Che-Hsuan Lin (3) Chen Lee (1) Chien-Ming Wang (14) Chipper Jones (12) Chone Figgins (10) Chris Aguila (1) Chris Archer (3) Chris Bootcheck (1) Chris Capuano (2) Chris Carpenter (10) Chris Carter (4) Chris Cody (1) Chris Coghlan (7) Chris Coste (4) Chris Davis (6) Chris Dickerson (5) Chris Duncan (6) Chris Getz (9) Chris Gimenez (1) Chris Gomez (3) Chris Heisey (1) Chris Herman (1) Chris Ianetta (8) Chris Jakubauskas (4) Chris Jimenez (1) Chris Johnson (3) Chris Leroux (4) Chris Marrero (1) Chris Mobley (1) Chris Narveson (1) Chris Nelson (1) Chris Nicoll (1) Chris Nowak (1) Chris Perez (4) Chris Ray (5) Chris Rusin (1) Chris Sale (1) Chris Smith (1) Chris Snyder (8) Chris Stewart (2) Chris Tillman (4) Chris Volstad (8) Chris Waters (1) Chris Woodward (2) Chris Young (4) Chris Young – OF (5) Christian Yelich (1) Christopher Carpenter (1) Chuck James (1) Cla Meredith (2) Claudio Vargas (5) Clay Buchholz (7) Clay Condrey (6) Clay Hensley (2) Clayton Kershaw (6) Clayton Mortensen (3) Clayton Richard (1) Clayton Tanner (1) Clete Thomas (2) Cliff Floyd (5) Cliff Lee (17) Cliff Pennington (3) Clint Barmes (5) Coco Crisp (14) Cody Ransom (3) Cody Ross (11) Colby Lewis (1) Colby Rasmus (6) Cole Gillespie (1) Cole Hamels (9) Cole McMurray (1) Colin Curtis (1) Collin Balester (2) Collin Delome (1) Collin McHugh (1) Colt Hynes (1) Colton Cain (1) Connor Graham (1) Conor Gillaspie (1) Conor Jackson (2) Corbin Joseph (1) Cord Phelps (1) Corey Hart (7) Corey Patterson (4) Corky Miller (1) Cory Gearrin (2) Cory Rasmus (1) Cory Sullivan (2) Cory Wade (1) Craig Breslow (2) Craig Clark (1) Craig Counsell (4) Craig Gentry (1) Craig Italiano (1) Craig Kimbrel (3) Craig Muschko (1) Craig Stammen (3) Craig Tatum (5) Cristian Guzman (2) Cristian Martinez (3) Curtis Granderson (8) D.J. Carrasco (3) D.J. LeMahieu (1) D.J. Mitchell (1) Daisuke Matsuzaka (11) Dale Thayer (1) Dallas Braden (1) Dallas Keuchel (1) Dallas McPherson (3) Damaso Marte (3) Damion Easley (2) Dan Cortes (2) Dan Giese (1) Dan Haren (4) Dan Johnson (2) Dan Meyer (2) Dan Runzler (1) Dan Uggla (14) Dan Wheeler (5) Dana Eveland (2) Dane De La Rosa (2) Daniel Bard (6) Daniel Cabrera (6) Daniel Descalso (1) Daniel Hudson (3) Daniel Joseph (1) Daniel McCutchen (5) Daniel Moskos (1) Daniel Murphy (9) Daniel Nava (3) Daniel Schlereth (5) Daniel Webb (1) Danny Cortes (1) Danny Duffy (2) Danny Espinosa (1) Danny Farquhar (1) Danny Gutierrez (1) Danny Herrera (1) Danny Richar (1) Danny Valencia (2) Danny Worth (3) Danys Baez (4) Daric Barton (5) Darin Downs (1) Darin Erstad (5) Darin Mastroianni (2) Darin Ruf (1) Darnell McDonald (3) Darrell Rasner (1) Darren O'Day (2) Darren Oliver (4) Darwin Barney (3) Dave Bush (6) Dave Ross (2) David Aardsma (1) David Adams (1) David Carpenter (2) David Cooper (1) David Davidson (3) David DeJesus (9) David Dellucci (2) David Eckstein (7) David Freese (1) David Freitas (1) David Hernandez (5) David Herndon (1) David Holmberg (1) David Huff (2) David Kopp (1) David Murphy (5) David Ortiz (18) David Patton (2) David Phelps (2) David Price (8) David Purcey (2) David Robertson (4) David Rollins (1) David Ross (3) David Sappelt (1) David Weathers (2) David Wright (13) Dayan Viciedo (3) Dee Gordon (1) Delino Deshields (1) Dellin Betances (2) Delmon Young (10) Delwyn Young (3) Denard Span (7) Dennis Sarfate (1) Denny Bautista (1) Dennys Reyes (1) Deolis Guerra (1) Derek Holland (2) Derek Jeter (27) Derek Lowe (8) Derek Norris (1) Derrek Lee (9) Derrick Robinson (1) Derrick Saito (1) Desmond Jennings (2) Deunte Heath (1) Devern Hansack (1) Devin Mesoraco (3) Devon Washington (1) Dewayne Wise (4) Dexter Carter (1) Dexter Fowler (7) Dillon Gee (1) Dimaster Delgado (1) Dioner Navarro (9) Dirk Hayhurst (1) Domingo Santana (1) Dominic Brown (4) Donald Kelly (1) Donald Veal (5) Donn Roach (1) Dontrelle Willis (4) Doug Brocail (3) Doug Davis (4) Doug Fister (2) Doug Mathis (2) Doug Mientkiewicz (1) Doug Slaten (3) Doug Waechter (3) Drew Butera (2) Drew Locke (1) Drew Macias (4) Drew Pomeranz (1) Drew Storen (3) Drew Stubbs (2) Drew Sutton (3) Duane Below (1) Duaner Sanchez (1) Duke von Schamann (1) Dustin McGowan (2) Dustin Moseley (3) Dustin Nippert (2) Dustin Pedroia (8) Dustin Richardson (2) Dylan Axelrod (1) Dylan Owen (1) Eammon Portice (1) Eddie Bonine (1) Eddie Guardado (3) Edgar Gonzalez (7) Edgar Osuna (1) Edgar Renteria (4) Edgardo Baez (1) Edgmer Escalona (1) Edinson Volquez (10) Eduardo Nunez (3) Edwar Ramirez (1) Edward Mujica (3) Edwin Encarnacion (10) Edwin Jackson (9) Edwin Maysonet (1) Edwin Nunez (1) Eli Whiteside (3) Elih Villanueva (1) Elijah Dukes (11) Elvis Andrus (10) Emil Brown (1) Emilio Bonaface (5) Emmanuel Burriss (4) Endy Chavez (4) Eric Bruntlett (6) Eric Byrnes (5) Eric Chavez (7) Eric Farris (1) Eric Fryer (1) Eric Gagne (1) Eric Hinske (6) Eric Hosmer (1) Eric Jokisch (2) Eric Milton (6) Eric O'Flaherty (4) Eric Sogard (1) Eric Stults (6) Eric Thames (1) Eric Young Jr. (1) Erick Aybar (5) Erik Bedard (12) Erik Kratz (1) Ernesto Frieri (1) Ernesto Mejia (1) Ervin Santana (3) Esmerling Vasquez (2) Eugenio Velez (4) Eulogio De La Cruz (1) Evan Anundsen (1) Evan Crawford (1) Evan Longoria (16) Evan Meek (2) Evan Reed (1) Everett Teaford (1) Everth Cabrera (4) Fabio Castro (1) Fausto Carmona (4) Felipe Lopez (6) Felipe Paulino (4) Felix Doubrant (4) Felix Hernandez (10) Felix Pie (8) Fernando Abad (2) Fernando Martinez (5) Fernando Nieve (2) Fernando Rodney (3) Fernando Salas (1) Fernando Tatis (6) Francisco Cervelli (6) Francisco Cordero (4) Francisco Liriano (7) Francisco Rodriguez (7) Francisley Bueno (1) Frank Catalanotto (3) Frank Del Valle (1) Frank Francisco (8) Frank Freeman (1) Frank Herrmann (1) Frank Thomas (1) Franklin Gutierrez (8) Franklin Morales (1) Fred Lewis (7) Freddie Bynum (1) Freddy Galvis (2) Freddy Garcia (6) Freddy Sanchez (12) Fredrick Freeman (2) Fu-Te Ni (1) Gabe Gross (4) Gabe Kapler (3) Gaby Sanchez (5) Garrett Anderson (5) Garrett Atkins (8) Garrett Jones (1) Garrett Mock (3) Garrett Olson (3) Gary Matthews (3) Gary Sheffield (13) Gavin Floyd (2) Geoff Blum (7) Geoff Jenkins (1) George Kontos (1) George Kottaras (6) George Sherrill (7) George Springer (1) Geovany Soto (9) Gerald Laird (3) Gerrardo Parra (4) Gil Meche (8) Gio Gonzalez (4) Giovany Soto (1) Glen Perkins (5) Glendon Rusch (1) Gordon Beckham (8) Gorkys Hernandez (2) Grady Sizemore (18) Graham Godfrey (1) Grant Balfour (4) Greg Dobbs (7) Greg Golson (1) Greg Holland (3) Greg Maddux (2) Greg Norton (2) Greg Reynolds (2) Greg Smith (1) Greg Veloz (1) Greg Zaun (10) Gregor Blanco (6) Gregory Halman (1) Gregory Infante (1) Guillermo Moscoso (1) Guillermo Mota (3) Guillermo Quiroz (1) Gustavo Chacin (1) Hank Blalock (6) Hank Conger (2) Hanley Ramirez (18) Hayden Simpson (2) Heath Bell (2) Hector Ambriz (1) Hector Noesi (1) Henderson Alvarez (1) Henry Barrera (1) Henry Blanco (5) Henry Owens (1) Henry Rodriguez (1) Henry Sosa (1) Hernan Iribarren (2) Hideki Matsui (9) Hideki Okajima (3) Hiroki Kuroda (12) Homer Bailey (6) Hong-Chi Kuo (2) Hoover (1) Howie Kendrick (4) Humberto Quintero (3) Hunter Jones (3) Hunter Pence (6) Huston Street (7) Ian Desmond (2) Ian Kennedy (4) Ian Kinsler (13) Ian Snell (6) Ian Stewart (6) Ichiro Suzuki (9) Ike Davis (3) Ivan DeJesus Jr. (2) Ivan Nova (1) Ivan Rodriguez (10) J.A. Happ (10) J.C. Romero (8) J.D. Drew (7) J.D. Martin (2) J.D. Martinez (2) J.J. Hardy (9) J.J. Hoover (1) J.J. Putz (10) J.P. Arencibia (5) J.P. Howell (4) J.R Towles (4) Jack Cust (8) Jack Taschner (1) Jack Wilson (10) Jacob Turner (1) Jacoby Ellsbury (13) Jacque Jones (1) Jair Jurrjens (8) Jake Arriata (5) Jake Elmore (1) Jake Fox (3) Jake McGee (1) Jake Odorizzi (1) Jake Peavy (19) Jake Westbrook (3) James Loney (2) James McOwen (1) James Russell (2) James Shields (6) Jamey Carroll (2) Jamey Wright (1) Jamie Burke (1) Jamie Moyer (12) Jamie Walker (1) Jared Burton (4) Jarred Cosart (1) Jarrett Hoffpauir (3) Jarrod Dyson (2) Jarrod Saltalamacchia (12) Jarrod Washburn (6) Jason Bartlett (13) Jason Bay (19) Jason Bergmann (2) Jason Berken (5) Jason Bourgeois (2) Jason Castro (2) Jason Donald (5) Jason Frasor (5) Jason Giambi (9) Jason Grilli (6) Jason Hammel (3) Jason Heyward (7) Jason Hirsh (1) Jason Isringhausen (5) Jason Jaramillo (3) Jason Jennings (1) Jason Kendall (11) Jason Kipnis (2) Jason Knapp (2) Jason Kubel (5) Jason LaRue (2) Jason Marquis (9) Jason Michaels (3) Jason Motte (2) Jason Repko (4) Jason Schmidt (5) Jason Stoffel (1) Jason Vargas (1) Jason Varitek (11) Jason Waddell (2) Javier Baez (1) Javier Vasquez (9) Javy Guerra (2) Jay Bruce (4) Jay Gibbons (1) Jay Jackson (1) Jay Payton (1) Jayson Nix (4) Jayson Werth (9) Jeanmar Gomez (1) Jed Lowrie (12) Jeff Bailey (4) Jeff Baker (6) Jeff Beliveau (1) Jeff Bennett (4) Jeff Bianchi (1) Jeff Clement (4) Jeff Francis (3) Jeff Francoeur (6) Jeff Fulchino (1) Jeff Gray (2) Jeff Karstens (4) Jeff Keppinger (3) Jeff Locke (1) Jeff Manship (1) Jeff Mathis (4) Jeff Niemann (2) Jeff Salazar (2) Jeff Samardzija (6) Jeff Stevens (3) Jeff Suppan (5) Jeff Weaver (3) Jenrry Mejia (1) Jensen Lewis (1) Jered Weaver (4) Jeremy Accardo (2) Jeremy Affeldt (3) Jeremy Bonderman (8) Jeremy Cummings (1) Jeremy Guthrie (6) Jeremy Hall (1) Jeremy Hellickson (3) Jeremy Hermida (10) Jeremy Jeffress (3) Jeremy Reed (3) Jeremy Slayden (1) Jeremy Sowers (1) Jermaine Dye (7) Jerome Williams (1) Jerry Hairston Jr. (4) Jess Todd (5) Jesse Carlson (3) Jesse Chavez (4) Jesse Crain (3) Jesse Litsch (3) Jesus Flores (8) Jesus Guzman (1) Jesus Montero (5) Jhan Marinez (1) Jhonny Peralta (6) Jhoulys Chacin (3) Jim Johnson (3) Jim Miller (1) Jim Negrych (1) Jim Thome (10) Jimmy Gallagher (1) Jimmy Gobble (1) Jimmy Paredes (1) Jimmy Rollins (11) Jo-Jo Reyes (5) Joakim Soria (6) Joaquin Arias (1) Joaquin Benoit (4) Joba Chamberlain (12) Jody Gerut (3) Joe Beimel (2) Joe Benson (1) Joe Blanton (4) Joe Crede (5) Joe Cruz (1) Joe Dickerson (1) Joe Dillon (1) Joe Inglett (3) Joe Mahoney (1) Joe Martinez (2) Joe Mather (2) Joe Mauer (11) Joe Nathan (3) Joe Nelson (2) Joe Saunders (7) Joe Savery (2) Joe Smith (4) Joe Terdoslavich (1) Joe Thurston (2) Joel Carreno (1) Joel Guzman (1) Joel Hanrahan (3) Joel Peralta (2) Joel Pineiro (2) Joel Zumaya (8) Joey Devine (1) Joey Gathright (2) Joey Votto (11) Johan Santana (11) Johermyn Chavez (1) John Andreoli (1) John Axford (1) John Baker (6) John Bale (2) John Bowker (1) John Buck (14) John Danks (3) John Gaub (1) John Grabow (6) John Halama (1) John Jaso (4) John Lackey (9) John Lamb (1) John Lannan (3) John Maine (8) John Mayberry Jr. (6) John McDonald (6) John Parrish (1) John Smoltz (22) Johnny Cueto (9) Johnny Damon (15) Johnny Giavotella (1) Jon Garland (6) Jon Jay (3) Jon Lester (8) Jon Link (3) Jon Meloan (1) Jon Niese (7) Jon Rauch (4) Jonathan Albaladejo (2) Jonathan Broxton (3) Jonathan Diaz (1) Jonathan Sanchez (3) Jonathan Singleton (1) Jonathan Van Every (1) Jonathan Villar (1) Jonathon Papelbon (10) Jonny Gomes (9) Jonny Venters (3) Jordan Lyles (3) Jordan Pacheco (1) Jordan Schafer (5) Jordan Zimmermann (5) Jordany Valdespin (1) Jordy Mercer (1) Jorge Campillo (3) Jorge Cantu (8) Jorge De La Rosa (5) Jorge Julio (3) Jorge Padilla (2) Jorge Posada (15) Jorge Sosa (1) Jose Altuve (1) Jose Arredondo (2) Jose Ascanio (2) Jose Bautista (7) Jose Ceda (3) Jose Constanza (2) Jose Contreras (8) Jose Guillen (8) Jose Iglesias (1) Jose Lobaton (2) Jose Lopez (5) Jose Mijares (4) Jose Molina (9) Jose Morales (3) Jose Ortegano (1) Jose Pirela (1) Jose Reyes (17) Jose Sanchez (1) Jose Tabata (1) Jose Valverde (9) Jose Veras (3) Jose Vidro (1) Joseph Musgrove (1) Josh Anderson (4) Josh Banks (1) Josh Bard (3) Josh Barfield (1) Josh Beckett (14) Josh Bell (4) Josh Collmenter (1) Josh Ellis (1) Josh Fields (4) Josh Fogg (1) Josh Geer (2) Josh Hamilton (16) Josh Harrison (1) Josh Johnson (10) Josh Lueke (1) Josh Reddick (3) Josh Roenicke (1) Josh Rupe (1) Josh Satin (1) Josh Satow (1) Josh Schmidt (1) Josh Tomlin (1) Josh Vitters (3) Josh Whitesell (3) Josh Willingham (6) Josh Wilson (2) Joshua Outman (3) Joshua Stinson (1) Joshua Thole (3) Juan Carlos Oviedo (1) Juan Castro (3) Juan Cruz (5) Juan Lagares (1) Juan Miranda (1) Juan Pierre (9) Juan Rincon (2) Juan Rivera (6) Juan Uribe (7) Julian Tavarez (1) Julio Borbon (7) Julio Lugo (9) Julio Manon (1) Julio Rodriguez (1) Julio Teheran (2) Junichi Tazawa (4) Junior Lake (1) Justin Berg (3) Justin Bour (2) Justin De Fratus (1) Justin Duchscherer (3) Justin Fuller (1) Justin Germano (4) Justin Greene (1) Justin Lehr (1) Justin Masterson (5) Justin Maxwell (2) Justin Miller (3) Justin Morneau (12) Justin Ruggiano (2) Justin Smoak (2) Justin Speier (2) Justin Turner (2) Justin Upton (6) Justin Verlander (9) Kam Mickolio (3) Kameron Loe (2) Kasey Kiker (1) Kason Gabbard (1) Kaz Matsui (8) Kei Igawa (1) Kelly Johnson (8) Kelly Shoppach (7) Kelvim Escobar (2) Kelvin Pichardo (1) Ken Griffey (10) Kendry Morales (5) Kenji Johjima (5) Kenley Jansen (2) Kenny Rogers (3) Kenshin Kawakami (3) Kerry Wood (8) Kevin Cash (1) Kevin Chapman (1) Kevin Correia (3) Kevin Frandsen (6) Kevin Gregg (10) Kevin Hart (5) Kevin Jepsen (1) Kevin Kouzmanoff (6) Kevin Mench (1) Kevin Millar (5) Kevin Millwood (12) Kevin Mulvey (3) Kevin Rhoderick (1) Kevin Russo (1) Kevin Slowey (6) Kevin Youkilis (20) Khalil Greene (7) Kiko Calero (3) Kilo Kaaihue (5) Kip Wells (7) Kirk Nieuwenhuis (3) Koby Clemens (2) Koji Uehara (8) Kosuke Fukudome (7) Koyie Hill (4) Kris Benson (3) Kris Medlin (4) Kris Negron (1) Kurt Suzuki (3) Kyeong Kang (1) Kyle Blanks (3) Kyle Davies (3) Kyle Drabek (5) Kyle Farnsworth (10) Kyle Jensen (1) Kyle Kendrick (6) Kyle Lohse (9) Kyle Lotzkar (1) Kyle McClellan (1) Kyle Skipworth (1) Kyle Weiland (2) Kyuji Fujikawa (1) Lance Berkman (14) Lance Broadway (3) Lance Cormier (2) Lance Lynn (1) Lance Pendleton (1) Landon Powell (1) Lars Anderson (2) Lastings Milledge (3) Latroy Hawkins (7) Laynce Nix (5) Leandro Cespedes (1) Leo Nunez (5) Leslie Anderson (1) Liam Hendriks (2) Livan Hernandez (9) Logan Kensing (3) Logan Morrison (3) Lonnie Chisenhall (1) Lorenzo Cain (4) Lou Marson (8) Lou Montanez (5) Louis Coleman (2) Lucas Duda (2) Lucas Harrell (1) Luis Ayala (2) Luis Bryan (1) Luis Castillo (5) Luis Exposito (3) Luis Garcia (1) Luis Gonzalez (1) Luis Mendoza (1) Luis Perdomo (3) Luis Rodriguez (2) Luis Valbuena (5) Luis Valdez (1) Luke French (1) Luke Gregerson (3) Luke Hochevar (5) Luke Hughes (1) Luke Scott (6) Lyle Overbay (6) Macier Izturis (1) Madison Bumgarner (3) Magglio Ordonez (12) Manny Acosto (2) Manny Banuelos (1) Manny Corpas (2) Manny Delcarmen (4) Manny Machado (1) Manny Parra (2) Manny Ramirez (17) Manuel Pina (1) Marc Krauss (1) Marc Rzepczynski (5) Marco Estrada (1) Marco Scutaro (13) Marcus Giles (1) Marcus Thames (5) Mariano Rivera (13) Mark Buehrle (9) Mark DeRosa (14) Mark DiFelice (2) Mark Ellis (5) Mark Grudzielanek (5) Mark Hendrickson (3) Mark Kotsay (7) Mark Loretta (1) Mark Lowe (1) Mark Melancon (5) Mark Redman (1) Mark Reynolds (7) Mark Teahan (7) Mark Teixeira (14) Marlon Byrd (9) Martin Prado (5) Marwin Gonzalez (1) Masahiro Tanaka (1) Mat Gamel (2) Mat Latos (2) Matt Alberts (6) Matt Belisle (3) Matt Cain (3) Matt Capps (7) Matt Dan Dekker (1) Matt Diaz (8) Matt Dominguez (3) Matt Downs (1) Matt Garza (6) Matt Guerrier (2) Matt Harrison (4) Matt Harvey (1) Matt Herges (4) Matt Holliday (17) Matt Joyce (5) Matt Kata (1) Matt Kemp (7) Matt LaPorta (6) Matt Lindstrom (8) Matt Loosen (1) Matt Maloney (3) Matt Miller (1) Matt Moore (3) Matt Murton (1) Matt Nevarez (1) Matt Palmer (2) Matt Purke (1) Matt Rizzotti (1) Matt Spencer (1) Matt Stairs (1) Matt Thornton (2) Matt Tolbert (3) Matt Treanor (4) Matt Tuiasosopo (1) Matt Wieters (8) Matthew Heidenreich (1) Matthew Sweeney (1) Mauricio Robles (1) Mauro Gomez (1) Max Ramirez (7) Max Scherzer (4) Maxwell Sapp (1) Melky Cabrera (10) Melvin Mora (6) Micah Hoffspauir (2) Micah Owings (5) Michael Aubrey (4) Michael Barrett (1) Michael Bourn (8) Michael Bowden (7) Michael Brantley (4) Michael Cuddyer (12) Michael Dunn (3) Michael Kirkman (1) Michael Kohn (1) Michael Mariot (1) Michael Moustakas (2) Michael Paulk (1) Michael Pineda (3) Michael Saunders (4) Michael Schwimer (1) Michael Stanton (6) Michael Stutes (1) Michael Taylor (5) Michael Wuertz (2) Michael Young (12) Miguel Angel Sano (1) Miguel Batista (2) Miguel Cabrera (16) Miguel Cairo (6) Miguel Montero (3) Miguel Olivo (9) Miguel Sano (2) Miguel Sulbaran (1) Miguel Tejada (19) Mike Adams (4) Mike Aviles (10) Mike Baxter (1) Mike Burns (1) Mike Cameron (14) Mike Carp (1) Mike Cervanek (1) Mike Fontenot (3) Mike Gonzalez (8) Mike Gosling (1) Mike Hampton (10) Mike Jacobs (4) Mike Lamb (1) Mike Leake (1) Mike Lincoln (1) Mike Lowell (12) Mike MacDougal (3) Mike Maroth (1) Mike Minor (3) Mike Montgomery (1) Mike Morse (3) Mike Mussina (1) Mike Napoli (6) Mike Nickeas (1) Mike O'Connor (1) Mike Pelfrey (4) Mike Rabelo (1) Mike Redmond (6) Mike Spidale (1) Mike Sweeney (5) Mike Trout (3) Milton Bradley (16) Mitch Maier (5) Mitch Moreland (1) Mitch Talbot (2) Mitchell Boggs (2) Moises Alou (1) Mychal Givens (1) Mykal Jones (1) Myles Jaye (1) Nate Jones (1) Nate McLouth (7) Nate Robertson (4) Nate Schierholtz (4) Nathan Adcock (2) Neftali Feliz (2) Neil Cotts (2) Neil Walker (1) Nelson Cruz (10) Nelson Figueroa (1) Nicholas Struck (1) Nick Adenhart (5) Nick Blackburn (2) Nick Evans (2) Nick Green (5) Nick Green – P (1) Nick Hagadone (3) Nick Hundley (4) Nick Johnson (13) Nick Markakis (8) Nick Massett (5) Nick Punto (12) Nick Stavinoha (1) Nick Swisher (8) Noah Lowry (1) Nolan Reimhold (6) Nomar Garciaparra (3) Nyjer Morgan (6) Octavio Dotel (5) Ofilio Castro (1) Oliver Perez (5) Omar Infante (5) Omar Poveda (1) Omar Quintanilla (1) Omar Vizquel (8) Omir Santos (4) Orlando Cabrera (10) Orlando Hernandez (2) Orlando Hudson (9) Oscar Salazar (2) Oscar Tejeda (1) Osiris Matos (1) Osvaldo Martinez (1) P.J. Walters (1) Pablo Ozuna (1) Pablo Sandoval (9) Pat Burrell (10) Pat Egan (2) Pat Misch (2) Pat Neshak (1) Pat Venditte (1) Paul Bako (5) Paul Byrd (3) Paul Janish (4) Paul Konerko (5) Paul Maholm (2) Paul Phillips (2) Pedro Alvarez (1) Pedro Beato (1) Pedro Feliciano (2) Pedro Feliz (9) Pedro Figueroa (1) Pedro Hernandez (1) Pedro Martinez (17) Pedro Zapata (1) Pete Orr (1) Peter Bourjos (2) Peter Moylan (1) Phil Coke (3) Phil Hughes (6) Philip Humber (3) Phillippe Aumont (4) Placido Polanco (10) Polin Trinidad (1) Preston Guilmet (1) Prince Fielder (9) R. J. Swindle (4) R.A. Dickey (4) Radhames Liz (1) Rafael Betancourt (5) Rafael Dolis (1) Rafael Furcal (4) Rafael Rodriguez (1) Rafael Soriano (9) Rajai Davis (7) Ramiro Pena (2) Ramon Castro (11) Ramon Hernandez (6) Ramon Martinez (2) Ramon Ortiz (2) Ramon Ramirez (8) Ramon Santiago (2) Ramon Vazquez (1) Randall Delgado (2) Randy Choate (3) Randy Johnson (17) Randy Messenger (1) Randy Ruiz (3) Randy Wells (6) Randy Winn (7) Randy Wolf (5) Raul Chavez (1) Raul Ibanez (7) Rebel Ridling (1) Reed Johnson (6) Reggie Willits (4) Reid Brignac (10) Reid Gorecki (1) Reidier Gonzalez (3) Reynal Pinto (5) Rhiner Cruz (1) Rich Aurilia (8) Rich Harden (10) Rich Hill (6) Rich Rundles (1) Richard Jones (1) Richie Sexton (1) Rick Ankiel (15) Rick Porcello (8) Rick VandenHurk (5) Rickie Weeks (5) Ricky Nolasco (8) Ricky Romero (3) Rob Johnson (4) Rob Rasmussen (1) Robb Quinlan (3) Robbie Grossman (1) Robbie Hammock (1) Robert Andino (3) Robert Bono (1) Robert Manuel (1) Robert Ray (1) Robert Widlansky (1) Robinson Cano (11) Robinson Diaz (1) Robinson Fabian (1) Robinson Tejada (4) Rocco Baldelli (4) Rod Barajas (6) Rodrigo Lopez (3) Roger Bernadina (2) Roger Kieschnick (1) Roman Colon (2) Ron Mahay (4) Ronald Belisario (4) Ronnie Belliard (1) Ronny Cedeno (8) Ronny Morla (1) Ronny Paulino (6) Roque Mercedes (1) Ross Detwiler (2) Ross Gload (4) Ross Ohlendorf (4) Roy Corcoran (1) Roy Halliday (27) Roy Oswalt (12) Royce Ring (1) Ruben Flores (1) Ruben Tejada (2) Rudy Owens (1) Russ Adams (3) Russ Ortiz (5) Russell Branyan (11) Russell Martin (4) Rusty Ryal (2) Ryan Adams (1) Ryan Braun (12) Ryan Church (7) Ryan Cook (2) Ryan Dempster (11) Ryan Doumit (6) Ryan Feierabend (1) Ryan Flaherty (1) Ryan Franklin (5) Ryan Freel (6) Ryan Garko (5) Ryan Goins (1) Ryan Hannigan (4) Ryan Howard (8) Ryan Kalish (5) Ryan Langerhans (3) Ryan Lavarnway (2) Ryan Ludwick (7) Ryan Madson (10) Ryan Mattheus (1) Ryan Perry (3) Ryan Rayburn (6) Ryan Roberts (2) Ryan Rowland-Smith (2) Ryan Sadowski (1) Ryan Shealy (1) Ryan Speier (1) Ryan Spilborgs (3) Ryan Sweeney (5) Ryan Theriot (3) Ryan Tucker (1) Ryan Verdugo (1) Ryan Vogelsong (1) Ryan Webb (2) Ryan Zimmerman (10) Ryne White (1) Ryota Igarashi (2) Sam Fuld (7) Sam Gervacio (3) Sammy Sosa (4) Santiago Casilla (1) Scot Shields (2) Scott Atchison (1) Scott Baker (3) Scott Barnes (2) Scott Cousins (1) Scott Downs (10) Scott Eyre (8) Scott Feldman (4) Scott Hairston (6) Scott Kazmir (17) Scott Linebrink (2) Scott Maine (3) Scott Olsen (7) Scott Podsednik (12) Scott Proctor (4) Scott Richmond (2) Scott Rolen (13) Scott Schoeneweis (6) Scott Sizemore (5) Scott Thornton (2) Sean Burnett (3) Sean Casey (1) Sean Green (2) Sean Henn (1) Sean Marshall (5) Sean O'Sullivan (3) Sean Rodriguez (7) Sean West (2) Sean White (1) Sebastian Valle (1) Sergio Escalona (2) Sergio Mitre (6) Sergio Romo (2) Sergio Santos (3) Seth McClung (2) Seth Smith (3) Shairon Martis (1) Shane Carpenter (1) Shane Costa (1) Shane Loux (3) Shane Peterson (1) Shane Robinson (2) Shane Victorino (8) Shane Wolf (1) Shannon Stewart (1) Shaun Marcum (3) Shawn Camp (2) Shawn Hill (2) Shawn Kelley (1) Shawn Riggans (1) Shelly Duncan (3) Shin Soo Choo (6) Shooter Hunt (1) Sidney Ponson (7) Simon Castro (1) Skip Schumaker (5) So Taguchi (3) Starlin Castro (7) Stephen Drew (4) Stephen Pryor (1) Stephen Strasburg (13) Steve Cishek (1) Steve Johnson (2) Steve Lombardozzi (1) Steve Marek (1) Steve Susdorf (1) Steve Tolleson (1) Steve Trachsel (1) Steven Jackson (2) Stolmy Pimentel (2) Tai Iguchi (2) Taijuan Walker (1) Takashi Saito (5) Tanner Roark (1) Taylor Buchholz (2) Taylor Tankersley (1) Taylor Teagarden (6) Ted Lilly (7) Thad Weber (1) Theron Geith (1) Thomas Neal (1) Tim Alderson (1) Tim Beckham (5) Tim Byrdak (2) Tim Collins (2) Tim Hudson (11) Tim Kennelly (1) Tim Lincecum (5) Tim Redding (3) Tim Smith (1) Tim Stauffer (1) Tim Wakefield (13) Todd Coffey (3) Todd Frazier (2) Todd Helton (5) Todd Redmond (2) Todd Wellemeyer (6) Tom Glavine (7) Tom Gordon (3) Tom Gorzelanny (9) Tom Koehler (1) Tommy Hanson (13) Tommy Hunter (5) Tommy Manzella (2) Tommy Milone (1) Tony Abreu (1) Tony Armas (1) Tony Campana (1) Tony Clark (4) Tony Gwynn Jr. (4) Tony Pena (5) Tony Sipp (2) Torii Hunter (13) Torsten Ross (1) Travis Buck (3) Travis D'Arnaud (4) Travis Hafner (6) Travis Ishikawa (4) Travis Schlichting (1) Travis Snider (6) Travis Wood (2) Trent Oeltjen (2) Trever Miller (2) Trevor Cahill (1) Trevor Crowe (3) Trevor Hoffman (3) Trevor May (1) Trevor Plouffe (1) Trey Hearne (1) Troy Glaus (8) Troy Patton (1) Troy Percival (4) Troy Tulowitzki (9) Trystan Magnuson (2) Tsuyoshi Nishioka (2) Tug Hulett (1) Ty Wiggington (8) Tyler Chatwood (2) Tyler Clippard (4) Tyler Cloyd (1) Tyler Colvin (2) Tyler Flowers (1) Tyler Green (2) Tyler Greene (1) Tyler Ladendorf (1) Tyler Moore (2) Tyler Pastornicky (2) Tyler Townsend (1) Tyler Walker (3) Tyler Yates (3) Tyson Gillies (2) Ubaldo Jimenez (7) Vance Worley (2) Vernon Wells (7) Victor Garate (1) Victor Marte (1) Victor Martinez (16) Vincent Mazzaro (3) Vincente Padilla (12) Vinnie Rottini (1) Virgil Vasquez (1) Vladimir Guerrero (15) Wade Davis (2) Wade LeBlanc (2) Wade Miley (1) Waldis Joaquin (2) Walter Silva (1) Wandy Rodriguez (3) Warner Madrigal (1) Wellington Castillo (3) Wes Helms (3) Wes Whisler (1) Wesley Wright (4) Wil Myers (1) Wil Nieves (1) Wilkin Castillo (1) Wilkin Ramirez (5) Will Middlebrooks (1) Will Ohman (8) Will Rhymes (2) Will Venable (1) William Glen (1) Willie Bloomquist (5) Willie Eyre (1) Willie Harris (2) Willy Aybar (5) Willy Taveras (9) Wilmer Flores (1) Wilson Betemit (5) Wilson Ramos (4) Wilton Lopez (3) Wily Peralta (1) Winston Abreu (2) Wladimir Balentien (7) Xavier Cedeno (1) Xavier Nady (10) Yadier Molina (8) Yangervis Solarte (1) Yasiel Puig (1) Yasuhiko Yabuta (1) Yoenis Cespedes (1) Yonder Alonso (1) Yorman Bazardo (2) Yorvit Torrealba (7) Yovani Gallardo (3) Yu Darvish (1) Yunel Escobar (8) Yuniesky Betancourt (9) Yusmeiro Petit (3) Zach Britton (3) Zach Daeges (1) Zach Duke (3) Zach Quate (1) Zach Stewart (3) Zachary McAllister (2) Zack Greinke (17) Zack Wheeler (1) Season Forecast (41) Teams (310) Arizona Diamondbacks (71) Atlanta Braves (80) Baltimore Orioles (63) Boston Red Sox (109) Chicago Cubs (104) Chicago White Sox (68) Cincinnati Reds (88) Cleveland Indians (62) Colorado Rockies (79) Detroit Tigers (81) Florida Marlins (83) Houston Astros (76) Kansas City Royals (81) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (75) Los Angeles Dodgers (102) Milwaukee Brewers (66) Minnesota Twins (80) New York Mets (104) New York Yankees (126) Oakland A's (66) Philadelphia Phillies (87) Pittsburgh Pirates (60) San Diego Padres (63) San Francisco Giants (71) Seattle Mariners (75) St. Louis Cardinals (95) Tampa Bay Rays (91) Texas Rangers (97) Toronto Blue Jays (79) Washington Nationals (87) Uncategorized (519)
MLB.com News
Hall of Famer exits booth, takes mound
Where top int'l prospects are signing
Yanks to land No. 1 int'l prospect Arias
The year Pierzynski turned into a slugger
MLB offers new proposals in CBA session
Twins to sign Bryan Acuña among int'l class
More CBA updates and information
FAQ on the CBA negotiations
Sherlock returns to Mets as bench coach
ESPN Baseball News
Baseball History for… on Baseball History for September…
Colin Howell on Happy Birthday, Sonny Sen…
Dorothy Senner on Happy Birthday, Sonny Sen…
Paul Proia on Happy Birthday, Nathan Je…


text:
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) ist eine zusammenfassende Bezeichnung aller US-amerikanischen Baseball-Profiligen unterhalb der obersten Liga, den Major Leagues. Die einzelnen Ligen werden als unabhängige Unternehmen geführt, die bekanntesten sind jedoch Mitglied eines Dachverbandes, der ebenfalls Minor League Baseball genannt wird. Diese Ligen stehen in enger Zusammenarbeit mit Major-League-Teams (Franchises) und werden Affiliates (Tochterunternehmen) genannt. Einige Ligen, die so genannten Independent Leagues (unabhängige Ligen), haben keinerlei Verbindung zur Major League und sind somit auch kein Mitglied des Dachverbandes Minor League Baseball. Die Minor Leagues sind nach Spielstärke in "Triple-A" (AAA), "Double-A" (AA), "Single-A" (A) und "Rookie Leagues" (R) klassifiziert.

Derzeit gibt es 20 Ligen mit 246 Clubs in Kleinstädten und Vororten von Großstädten, die über die Vereinigten Staaten und Kanada verteilt sind, 17 davon im Dachverband der Minor League Baseball. Jede dieser an die Majors angeschlossene Minor League ist aus eigenständigen und separat geführten Teams zusammengestellt, die jedoch alle direkt an ein Major-League-Team gebunden sind. Diese Affiliates haben die Aufgabe, Spieler zu entwickeln und sie an die Major League heranzuführen, wohin sie dann nach Bedarf berufen werden. Minor League Baseball wird deshalb auch Farm System, die Minor-League-Teams Farm Clubs bzw. Farm Teams genannt. Diese, ursprünglich verächtliche, Bezeichnung entstand, als der General Manager der St. Louis Cardinals, Branch Rickey, in den 1930ern anfing die Baseballteams in Kleinstädten zu organisieren, um sie "Spieler heranzüchten zu lassen".

Geschichte

Siehe auch: Geschichte des Baseball

Baseball entwickelte sich Mitte bis Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts von einer Freizeitbetätigung zu einem professionell organisierten Sport. Mannschaften wurden gegründet und formten die ersten Ligen. Diese Ligen fusionierten, bis es über 35 größere Ligen gab, die über die ganzen Vereinigten Staaten verteilt waren. Die ersten Teams begannen ihre Spieler zu bezahlen und leiteten somit den Profibaseball ein.

Die mächtigsten dieser Ligen war die National League, die Teams in New York City hatte, der damaligen Medienhauptstadt der USA. Was die Aufmerksamkeit der New Yorker Journalisten erregte wurde weitestgehend als das Beste und Größte im ganzen Land betrachtet. Dies hatte zur Folge, dass die Teams der National League viel Zulauf aus den dichtbevölkerten Stadtteilen Manhattan oder auch Brooklyn erhielten, was ihnen viel Geld und somit einen riesigen Vorteil gegenüber anderen Teams und Ligen verschaffte. Sie fingen an Spieler aus anderen Ligen zu kaufen und ließen diese Verträge unterschreiben, die der Liga das Recht gab zu bestimmen, wann und wo die Spieler Baseball spielen würden, bis die Spieler in Rente gingen. Die Spieler waren praktisch das Eigentum der Liga. Diese Verträge wurden bald als Reserve Clause bekannt und waren einer der meistgehassten Aspekte des Baseballs, sowohl von den Spielern als auch von den anderen Ligen, die ihr Geld ausgaben um Talente zu fördern, nur damit diese von der National League weggeschnappt werden konnten. Somit wurde die National League die erste Major League.

In den späten 1890ern entschied sich der Präsident der Western League, Ban Johnson, die National League herauszufordern. 1900 änderte er den Namen der Liga in American League und versprach den Spielern der National League, die unzufrieden mit ihrem Gehalt und ihren Vertragsklauseln waren, sie unter Vertrag zu nehmen. Daraus resultierte ein regelrechter Krieg zwischen den beiden Ligen, der sich 1901 zuspitzte, was den Besitzer der Eastern League, Patrick T. Powers, und andere unabhängige Ligabesitzer besorgte. Sie fürchteten, dass sich der Konflikt auf ihre Ligen ausweiten könnte und so trafen sich Vertreter mehrerer unabhängiger Ligen am 5. September 1901 im Leland Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. Als Antwort auf den Krieg der beiden großen Ligen wurde die National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (kurz NABPL oder NA) gegründet – die Organisation, die heute als Dachverband unter dem Namen Minor League Baseball tätig ist. Powers wurde zum ersten Präsidenten der NABPL, deren Sitz in Auburn, New York eingerichtet wurde. Vierzehn Ligen (die Eastern League, Western League, New England League, New York State League, Pacific Northwest League, Southern Association, Three-I League, North Carolina League, Connecticut League, Cotton States League, Iowa-South Dakota League, Michigan State League, Missouri Valley League und die Texas League) unterschrieben das Abkommen und spielten ab der 1902er Saison mit den neuen Regeln.

Das Ziel der NA war damals, die Unabhängigkeit der angeschlossenen Ligen zu gewährleisten. Viele unabhängige Ligen zogen es jedoch vor der NA nicht beizutreten und arbeiteten weiterhin auf sich alleine gestellt, da sie fürchteten die NA würde zu einer neuen Major League werden und somit ihren unabhängigen Status gefährden. 1903 endete der Kampf zwischen der American und der National League mit einem Abkommen. Die NA war in die Verhandlungen einbezogen und handelte Regeln aus, nach denen Spieler aus den NA-Ligen von den großen Ligen erworben werden durften. Die NA wurde involviert, da Spieler von Clubs anderer Ligen regelrecht gestohlen wurden, wofür der Club – wenn überhaupt – nur eine kleine Entschädigung erhielt. Das Abkommen von 1903 sicherte diesen Clubs in Zukunft eine Entschädigung zu, wenn sie Spieler, die sie selbst entdeckt und gefördert hatten an andere Ligen verkauften. Keinem NA-Team war vorgeschrieben, dass es Spieler verkaufen müsse, viele nutzten das Geld jedoch als wichtige Einnahmequelle.

Die Ligen verteidigten jedoch immer noch ihre Unabhängigkeit, sie sahen sich nach wie vor als eigenständige Sportunternehmen – nicht mehr und nicht weniger. Viele der Stars der NA waren in den Augen vieler Journalisten genauso gut wie viele Major-League-Stars. Der Status der unabhängigen Ligen schien jedoch gefährdet, als das oberste Bundesgericht 1922 den Baseballorganisationen eine spezielle Immunität vor dem Kartellrecht gewährte, was der American und National League praktisch ermöglichte, die Geschäfte der Unabhängigen zu bestimmen. So wurde 1925 von den Major Leagues ein Pauschalpreis für NA-Spieler von 5.000 US-Dollar festgesetzt. Dies war hauptsächlich gegen die Baltimore Orioles gerichtet, damals ein Triple-A-Team, deren Besitzer Jack Dunn sich jahrelang weigerte herausragende Spieler wie Babe Ruth oder Lefty Grove an die Majors zu verkaufen.

Der Begriff Minor wurde nur selten gebraucht, und wenn, dann meist nur von Sportjournalisten der Major League, bis Branch Rickey in den 1930ern das erste moderne Farm System entwickelte. Dem damaligen Commissioner of Baseball, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, gefiel Rickeys Idee überhaupt nicht, und so kämpfte er dagegen an. Die Große Depression in den USA zwang die Major-League-Teams jedoch, ähnliche Strukturen einzurichten, um einen ständigen Nachschub an Spielern zu gewährleisten, denn viele der unabhängigen und NA-Teams konnten es sich nicht leisten, ohne Hilfe der Major-League-Teams weiter tätig zu bleiben und mehrere Ligen stellten den Spielbetrieb ein. Die Ligen der NA wurden den Majors untergeordnet und wurden somit zu den ersten echten Minor Leagues. Mit Ausnahme der Pacific Coast League, die versuchte eine dritte Major League an der Westküste zu werden, behielten die Ligen ihren Namen, waren jedoch ökonomisch und politisch komplett abhängig von der National und American League.

Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs waren viele Profis in der U.S. Army, weshalb die Zahl der Teams und Ligen weiter zurückging. Von 1945 bis 1949 stieg die Zahl der Ligen in der NA kurzzeitig wieder von zwölf auf 59 an. Seither nahm die Zahl wieder ab und so gibt es heute nur noch 17 Minor Leagues in der NA, die sich 1999 offiziell in Minor League Baseball umbenannte. Die Minor League Baseball verwaltet bis heute das Minor-League-System, es gibt jedoch nach wie vor einige Ligen, die unabhängig von der Schirmherrschaft des Dachverbandes in Betrieb sind.

Spieler in den Minor Leagues

Das Aufgebot eines Baseballteams in den Major Leagues besteht aus 40 Spielern. Davon spielen jedoch nur 25 für das eigentliche Major-League-Team, die anderen 15 Spieler spielen in einer Spielklasse der Minor Leagues bei einem Affiliate des Teams, meist Triple-A (der obersten Klasse). Dies ermöglicht den Spielern jeden Tag zu spielen, statt ständig auf der Ersatzbank zu sitzen. Die 40 Spieler des Aufgebots sind Mitglieder der Spielergewerkschaft Major League Baseball Players Association. Die 15 Minor-League-Spieler sind meist am unteren Ende der Major-League-Tariftabelle, sind jedoch mit allen Regeln und Abkommen der Gewerkschaft abgesichert. Die restlichen Minor-League-Spieler, die nicht zu den 40 Aufgebotsspielern gehören, stehen auch bei dem Major-League-Team unter Vertrag, zu dem ihr Minor-League-Team gehört, sie haben jedoch keine Gewerkschaft. Sie arbeiten normalerweise für viel weniger Geld, wobei Spieler in höheren Klassen meist mehr Geld verdienen als Spieler in niedrigeren.

Jedes Jahr finden Drafts statt, in denen die Major-League-Teams neue Talente von den High-School- und College-Mannschaften auswählen, die sie dann exklusiv unter Vertrag nehmen dürfen. Die Reihenfolge, nach denen die Teams Spieler auswählen dürfen ist jedes Jahr verschieden und hängt weiterhin von mehreren Faktoren ab. Diese Spieler werden – wenn sie zustimmen – unter Vertrag genommen, wofür sie manchmal Boni oder andere Entschädigungen erhalten, die in seltenen Fällen sogar in die Millionen gehen können. Sie sind dann mehrere Jahre an diesen Verein gebunden, der dann bestimmt, wo der Spieler zum Einsatz kommt, meist bei Affiliates in den niedrigen Minor-League-Klassen wie Rookie oder Single-A. Die Spieler steigen dann je nach Talent innerhalb der Minor League auf, bis sie eventuell eines Tages ins Major-League-Team berufen werden. Nicht selten kommt es vor, dass auch Minor-League-Spieler getauscht oder verkauft werden. Diese steigen dann jedoch meist in höhere Klassen der Minors ein.

Das Farm-System heute

Klassen
Zwei oder drei Ligen bilden zusammen eine der verschiedenen Klassen, die nach Können und Fortschritt der Spieler gestaffelt sind.

 Triple-A (AAA) – Dies ist die höchste Klasse unter den Minors, meist sind diese Teams in den Großstädten angesiedelt, die keinen Major-League-Verein haben. Hier spielen im Normalfall die 15 Spieler des Major-League-Aufgebots, die nicht in der obersten Spielklasse eingesetzt werden, weshalb Triple-A auch manchmal als Parking Lot (Parkplatz) bezeichnet wird, da hier viele Spitzenspieler für Notfälle bereitgehalten werden. Ab dem 1. September darf ein Team sein komplettes Aufgebot von 40 Mann in der Major League einsetzen, was vor allem für die Play-Offs ausgeruhtere und frischere Spieler bedeutet. Für Teams, die keine Aussichten mehr auf die Play-Offs haben bedeutet dies die Chance, ihre Spieler für die nächste Saison zu beurteilen.
 Double-A (AA) – Meist in mittelgroßen Städten vertreten stellt diese Klasse fast nur eine kurze Durchgangsstation auf dem Weg in die Majors dar. Viele Spieler werden direkt aus den AA-Teams in die Oberliga befördert. Die meisten Spieler in dieser Klasse kommen aus den unteren Ligen, nur wenige neue Spieler steigen direkt in den Double-A-Ball ein, meist Veteranen aus ausländischen Ligen, die schon Spielerfahrung mitbringen.
 Single-A (A) – Viele A-Teams sind in Kleinstädten oder Vororten von Metropolen angesiedelt und sind für den Feinschliff der Talente verantwortlich, d. h., sie arbeiten vor allem an der Kontrolle der Pitcher (Werfer) und der Konstanz der Batter (Schlagmänner). Die Klasse ist unterteilt in zwei Unterklassen, seitdem die Minor League Baseball Single-A 2002 neu strukturierte, an der Beförderung der Spieler hat dies jedoch nichts geändert, da die meisten Teams weiterhin so verfahren, als ob es noch drei Klassen gäbe:
 High-A – Die California League, Florida State League und die Carolina League bleiben weiterhin spielerisch auf einem höheren Level als die restlichen Single-A-Teams. Sie sind somit direkt unter Double-A angesiedelt. Meist ist High-A die zweite oder dritte Beförderungsstufe für Spieler, es gibt jedoch auch einige Quereinsteiger, so z. B. herausragende neue Spieler die entweder schon College-Erfahrung haben oder in ausländischen Rookie-Ligen besonders aufgefallen sind, so spielen hier u. a. Japaner, Koreaner und Australier ihre erste Saison.
 Low-A – Gute neue Spieler steigen hier ein und spielen zusammen mit aufgestiegenen Spielern. Es werden komplette Saisons gespielt. Zu den Low-A-Ligen zählen u. a. die South Atlantic League und die Midwest League.
 Short-Season Leagues – Hier werden verkürzte Saisons, von Juni bis September, gespielt. Der späte Start soll Teams die Zeit geben neue Talente unter Vertrag zu nehmen und diese dann sofort unter Ligabedingungen einzusetzen. Hier spielen somit meist späte Neueinsteiger oder Einsteiger der letzten Saison, die noch nicht bereit waren aufzusteigen oder für die in höheren Klassen kein Platz war.
 Short-Season A – Besteht aus der New York-Penn League und der Northwest League und ist die höchste Klasse der Short Season Leagues. 22 Major-League-Clubs haben hier Affiliates. Im Normalfall beginnen College-Spieler ihre Karriere hier.
 Advanced Rookie League – Bestehend aus der Appalachian League und der Pioneer League kommen hier meist High-School-Spieler an und stoßen zu den Spielern, die ihr zweites Jahr bestreiten. Für manche Teams stellen die Advanced Rookie Leagues die höchste Short Season League dar, andere Teams benutzen sie als Einstiegsliga und unterhalten kein Team in der eigentlichen Rookie League.
 Rookie League – Die niedrigste Klasse der Minor Leagues, bestehend aus der Gulf Coast League und der Arizona League, und ebenfalls mit kurzen Saisons. Die Teams bestehen aus neu unter Vertrag genommenen Spielern, beispielsweise aus High-School-Teams, und Spielern, die aus der Dominican Summer League, Venezuelan Summer League oder der Mexican Academy League, also aus Süd- und Mittelamerika kommen.

Bis in die 1950er gab es außer den oben genannten Klassen noch B-, C- und D-Ligen (und sogar für eine halbe Saison lang eine E-Liga). Die B-Klasse entspricht der heutigen Rookie-Klasse. Die anderen Klassen verschwanden über die Jahre, da die Ligen den Spielbetrieb aufgrund mangelnder finanzieller Mittel aufgeben mussten. Ein Grund war die landesweite Ausstrahlung der Major-League-Spiele im Fernsehen, weshalb das Interesse an den untersten Ligen sank.

Ligen
Insgesamt gehören der MiLB momentan 15 verschiedene Ligen an.

Aufstieg der Spieler

Der Director of Player Development (zuständig für die Spielerentwicklung) beurteilt zusammen mit den Trainern und Managern in Frühlings-Trainingslagern ihre Spieler. Sowohl die Spieler des Frühlings-Lagers der Majors und der Winter-Trainingslager der Minors werden am Ende der Frühjahrs-Trainingssaison vom Major-League-Club in die Aufgebote der Minor Leagues verteilt. Der Director und der General Manager bestimmen im Normalfall in welche Ligen Neueinsteiger kommen, meist in Short Season Leagues, die im Juni beginnen, nachdem ihre Verträge unterschrieben sind. Das Farm-System ist aber in ständiger Bewegung, die Beurteilung der Spieler ein kontinuierlicher Prozess. Der Director of Player Development und seine Manager besprechen sich ständig und beurteilen, wie die Spieler in den verschiedenen Klassen abschneiden. Den Auf- und Abstieg innerhalb der Minor Leagues eines Spielers bestimmen mehrere Faktoren, natürlich vor allem seine persönlichen Leistungen und Verletzungen, jedoch auch guten Leistungen anderer Spieler in höheren und niedrigeren Klassen.

Die Spieler spielen im Normalfall komplette Saisons für das Team, dem sie zugewiesen wurden, es sei denn sie werden in eine höhere Klasse befördert (called up), in eine tiefere Klasse degradiert (sent down) oder komplett aus dem Farm-System gestrichen (released). Früher bedeutete die Entlassung aus den Minor Leagues das Ende der Profikarriere dieses Spielers. Heute kommt es vor, dass ein solcher Spieler ein bis zwei Saisons in einer unabhängigen Liga spielt, in denen viele Scouts (Beobachter) unterwegs sind und den Spieler eventuell einem anderen Major-League-Team empfehlen.

Abweichungen

Es gibt ein paar erwähnenswerte Abweichungen von den Klassen des Farm-Systems:

 Rehabilitation – Verletzte Spieler können in die Minor League versetzt werden, um ihre Verletzungen auszukurieren. Die Spieler werden jedoch nicht unbedingt in Triple-A-Vereine geschickt, sondern meist in ein Team, das geographisch nicht weit vom Major-League-Team entfernt ist. So kann es vorkommen, dass ein Major-League-Star zum Aufbau in eine Single-A-Liga geschickt wird, da das Team in einem Vorort oder einer nahen Kleinstadt angesiedelt ist.
 Minor League Free Agency – Wie alle Profibaseballspieler können Minor-League-Spieler, deren Vertrag nach drei Jahren nicht verlängert wurde, in die Free Agency übergehen, sind also nicht mehr an einen Verein gebunden. Einiger dieser Free Agents spielen dann ein paar Saisons in den unabhängigen Minor Leagues, bevor sie einige Jahre später eventuell in das Farm-System eines anderen Teams einsteigen. Meist gehen Spieler in die Free Agency über, da sie meinen in ihrer Karriere nicht weiterzukommen, da die Major-League-Teams ihre Spieler lieber gegen hochbezahlte Stars anderer Clubs tauschen, anstatt Triple-A- oder Double-A-Spieler zu befördern. Diese suchen sich dann lieber einen neuen Verein, anstatt darauf zu warten, dass sie aufgrund einer Verletzung eines Stars in die Major Leagues berufen werden.
 Variationen des Klassensystems – Die Klassifizierung der Spieler ist heutzutage mehr eine grobe Faustregel, vor allem was die Beförderungsvoraussetzungen der Spieler angeht. Neue Spieler starten in allen Klassen des Farm-Systems, obwohl es nur in seltenen Fällen vorkommt, dass ein Einsteiger in einer Triple-A-Liga startet. Außerdem werden immer mehr Spieler direkt aus den Double-A-Teams in die Majors befördert, ohne Zeit im Triple-A zu verbringen, weshalb AAA zwei passende Spitznamen hat: Zum einen wird es von vielen Sportreportern Parking Lot (Parkplatz) genannt, da es leicht passieren kann, dass ein Spieler bei einem Triple-A-Club "geparkt" wird, für den Fall, dass sich ein Major-League-Spieler verletzt. Manchmal wird AAA auch als dritte Major League bezeichnet, da das spielerische Niveau hervorragend ist, denn viele AAA-Spieler wollen ihr Talent unter Beweis stellen und spielen besonders motiviert.

Affiliation

Major-League-Clubs gehen Anschlussvereinbarungen mit mehreren Minor-League-Teams ein, um ihre Spieler in allen Klassen zu fördern. Jedes Team in den Majors hat eine Vereinbarung mit einem Triple-A-Team, einem Double-A-Team, mindestens zwei Single-A-Team und die meisten haben mindestens ein Rookie-Team in den USA.

Single-A war früher nochmals in High-A und Low-A unterteilt, dies wurde jedoch 2002 von der Minor League Baseball aufgehoben, was jedoch die Major-League-Clubs nicht daran hindert, die Beförderung der Spieler auch weiterhin nach dem alten System durchzuführen, so sind die California und die Carolina League weiterhin auf einem höheren Niveau. 22 Major-League-Teams haben weiterhin noch je ein Team in einer Short-A-Liga und in einer US-amerikanischen Rookie-Liga. Teams, die kein Short-A-Team haben, unterhalten stattdessen zwei Affiliates in den Rookie-Ligen. Manche Clubs haben durchaus mehrere Rookie-Teams, vor allem wenn sie eines in Mexiko, Venezuela oder der Dominikanischen Republik unterhalten. Manche der süd- und mittelamerikanischen Rookie-Teams werden auch von zwei Major-League-Teams gemeinsam kontrolliert.

Affiliations sind Verträge, die im Allgemeinen auf zwei bzw. vier Jahre angelegt sind. Die Major-League-Clubs bezahlen die Spielergehälter, die Minor-League-Clubs kümmern sich um alles Weitere und übernehmen die sonstigen Unkosten. Die Affiliations können sich jedoch durchaus ändern. Dies kann einerseits finanzielle oder Konkurrenzgründe haben, andererseits kann es vorkommen, dass ein Minor-League-Team umzieht und sich einem neuen Major-League-Team anschließt. Die längste durchgehende Affiliation besteht seit 1958 zwischen den Baltimore Orioles und den Bluefield Orioles, einem Rookie-Team in der Appalachian League.

Weblinks
 Offizielle Seite der Minor League Baseball

Baseballwettbewerb
Baseball (Vereinigte Staaten)
Baseball (Kanada)
Baseball (Mexiko)
Baseball (Dominikanische Republik)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Here is a recipe that probably rates among the most popular in Thai restaurants worldwide, notably in the United States where it seems everyone loves it. Ladna, also spelled Radna, means in Thai language "pour on the face" (rad is the verb to pour, na means face). In this recipe noodles are first made and set aside, then the gravy is made and poured on top, thus the name.
We love this vendor because she follows the traditional steps, and the final result is always delicious. Note in the first picture the noodles being fried in the wok, and depending on how you like the noodles, cook them longer if you like a bit crispy. You can try any noodles with radna but usually, as in the case here, wide rice noodles are used.
After the noodles are cooked and set aside, the vegetables are cooked along with the rest of the gravy. Meat is usually already cooked and set aside, then tossed in to cook a bit more with the gravy. Chinese Kale is usually used with ladna, the vegetable is important in this dish. She also adds a bit of Golden Mountain sauce to add flavor.
Here you can see her using the aluminum food funnel so common throughout Thailand, which channels the gravy over the noodles, set in a plastic bag. With a good helping of fresh green vegetables, ladna is a healthy main course that can be enjoyed as a breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it's suitable for all ages thanks to the soft gravy and noodles.


The Super Bowl Stock Market Indicator is a superstition that says that the stock market's performance in a given year can be predicted based on the outcome of the Super Bowl of that year. This pseudo-macroeconomic concept states that if a team from the American Football Conference (AFC) wins, then it will be a bear market (or down market), but if a team from the National Football Conference (NFC) or a team that was in the NFL before the NFL/AFL merger wins, it will be a bull market (up market).
NOBODY ON CNBC, TWITTER, RYAN DETRICK (the guy on Twitter who always has a bullish study) IS MENTIONING THE SUPER BOWL STOCK MARKET INDICATOR. The Rams are an NFC team so if they win the market will be up but if the Patriots win since they are an AFC team the market will be down. The Patriots are favored by 2.5 points. Are people that superstitious this year?
Below I lay out the daily and weekly charts for the S&P and Nasdaq 100 which suggests a better bet is on the Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
I'm taking Monday off as I am participating at the Real Vision live conference in NYC "The Workshop" There might be some tix left so let me know if you are interested. I'll be back on the desk Tuesday.
S&P 500 Index daily stretched and maybe an A-B-C pattern. I will discuss more next week.
US Unemployment Rate moved up to 4.00% today and now is on month 2 of 9 with upside green Setup.
FANG custom index on day 9 of 13 with upside Countdown.
Gold bullish sentiment is at 80% and now in the extreme zone.


Namiki makes Namiki Limited edition pens to illustrate the skills and experience as the true leader in Japanese maki-e pen making in the world. Namiki was reintroduced to the world of pens in 1995; in the name of Namiki instead of Pilot, when it started its first limited edition, The Namiki White Tiger Limited Edition.
The success was followed by the creation of the Emperor Wind God Thunder God and since then has not stop. It is a declaration of Namiki as the premium brand of Pilot Pen Corporation; just like Lexus is to Toyota.


text:
221 N. Pico Ave. Fallbrook, Ca 92028
Senior Pastor at LifePointe Church Fallbrook
Dr. Richard Koole
Dr. Richard (Rick) Koole became Senior Pastor at LifePointe Church on September 8, 2013. Rick and his wife Carolyn have been blessed with five children. He is a graduate of Cornerstone University and, after attending the Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary, went on to receive a masters and then a doctorate in education from Western Michigan University. He finds no greater joy than taking the timeless truths of the Bible and applying them in an easy-to-understand manner to the challenges faced by students and adults on a daily basis.
Rick had been the Senior Pastor of the dynamic and growing congregation of Chapel Pointe of Hudsonville, Michigan since January of 1997. Rick also served effectively in the Southern California culture as the senior pastor of Tri-City Church in Vista, California where they saw growth in many ways, spiritually and numerically. He has a personal understanding of the challenges faced by the men and women involved in Christian education, having served as Vice President of The Master's College as well as Superintendent of Tri-City Christian Schools of Vista, California and NorthPointe Christian Schools of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Pastor of Congregational Care/ Elder
Dennis was licensed by LifePointe Church as Pastor of Congregational Care in March 2014. His gifts of mercy, encouragement, counseling and love of God's people make him a natural in this capacity. He has also served LifePointe Church and Fallbrook First Baptist Church for many years. Serving as Elder, Trustee, teacher, Men's Coordinator and LifeGroup leader. He works professionally as a Landscape Designer, but his passion is ministry. Dennis and his wife Cheryl are long time residents of Fallbrook and have raised their family here and in our church. If you'd like to make an appointment to speak with him, please call the church office and we will connect you.
Dennis Drummond
Elder and Director of Discipleship
Brian was designated as LifePointe Church Discipleship Coordinator by the Elders in June 2017. Brian's gifts are teaching the Bible and leadership. His love for disciples of Jesus Christ has driven Brian to develop Discipleship and Bible Study materials - The Carpenters Course - to be used in growing believers in Christ and training believers to disciple others. Brian is a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, works as a Systems Engineer for Command Control Systems aboard Naval Surface Ships and currently serves as Elder, small Life Group leader and discipleship teacher at LifePointe. If you would like to make an appointment to speak with Brian about discipleship opportunities at LifePointe, please call the church office and we will connect you.
Brian Dingess
Elder Chairman/ Christian Education Chairman
Tim Howell
Brad Nichols
Elder / AWANA Commander
Leonard Cosby
Eddie Walker came to know the Lord at age 12 in a small Baptist church in Bay Shore, NY. After high school, his family moved to CA where he graduated from San Diego Christian College, and met his future wife, Stacey. He received a BS in Business Administration, then an MBA in Marketing and worked in retail management for 8 years before becoming the Youth Pastor of Cornerstone Community Church in Oceanside. On March 1, 2014 , Eddie Walker became our Youth Pastor. He is married to Stacey, and has 8 children.
Eddie Walker
" You don't choose music, music chooses you", was a quote from a college professor of Chandria's. She came to know Christ at an early age and baptized later in San Antonio, TX. A graduate of Rutgers University, her love for music is evident as she leads the worship team in praise and worship with both classic hymns and modern Christian selections.
Chandria Witwer
Cheryl has been our Office Administrator here at LifePointe Church Fallbrook since 2003. Prior to that, she was the Youth Secretary for 10 years. Cheryl has attended the church since 1988 and raised her 3 kids here. She is also the church pianist and plays with the Praise Team. She and her husband, Dennis, host a Life Group in their home and have been involved in just about every ministry the church has offered. If you need help, or have any questions, just call Cheryl!
Cheryl Drummond

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Rodrigo Almeida
ArticlesInterviews
· May 15, 2020
He was recently one of the faces of Dolce & Gabbana. He has already taken to the catwalk for big labels during major fashion weeks. He has made a name for himself in Portugal, but it is on the international scene that he has been able to work with the biggest labels. Portuguese Soul spoke with the model Rodrigo Almeida.
Do you remember your first job?
Yes. It was soon after I had been discovered by We Are Models. It was for the catalogue of a Portuguese label.
Last year you were the face of Dolce & Gabbana. Was that a special moment?
Yes, it was important because it gave me the chance to work with an excellent international team and to gain more experience, both professional and personal. Being in Milan, which is one of the world's leading fashion cities, helped me realize I had much farther to go and that I was just at the beginning of my career.
What do you still want to do?
Professionally, I would love to work with a number of labels. I would especially like very much to work with Giorgio Armani. However, what I want most and what most fascinates me about the world of fashion is travelling to fascinating countries and cities and discovering new cultures.
You are still very young, but have you made any plans about what to do after the fashion industry?
I see fashion as a long-term career. I don't think it will end soon, but in the future I would like to invest in renewable energy, take care of our planet so that future generations can enjoy it just like I have.
FacebookTwitterPinterestTumblrEmailMessenger
Who is Joana Barrios?
Maria Imaginário


You will be notified by email of your acceptance to the Summit once your application materials and fee have been received and reviewed by our Acceptance Committee. Deposit is due within 15 days of the acceptance email being sent. (Your deposit is refundable before June 1st.) Additional health and permission forms will be emailed to you and need to be returned as soon as possible. Please note that proof of a current (within a year of July 12th) physical is required in order to attend the Summit. FINAL PAYMENT is due Friday, July 4th. A limited amount of funds is available for Financial Assistance.
Thank you for your interest in Redesigning Our Future: A National Environmental Summit for High School Students. We look forward to meeting you in July.


text:
The British naval Force Z consisting of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Repulse, which had set out to hamper the Japanese seaborne invasion of Malaya, was caught at sea by Japanese bombers and sunk. Their commander Admiral Sir Tom Phillips died. It was a shattering blow to British prestige as well as marking the final end of the belief that navies could operate without air support. These were the first major warships lost on the open sea soleley to air attack. The Royal Navy had done almost nothing to make use of land-based aircraft to provide cover.
Germany declared war on the US even though it was not formally bound to join its Japanese partner in its war. It is an idle question as to whether Hitler could ever have held back from this open and move on his own initiative, but it made life much easier for Roosevelt who had long considered that fighting Germany was the higher priority. The America First committee which had been a thorn in the President's flesh as the formidable champion of isolationist hostility to US involvement in the European conflict, dissolved itself spontaneously.
Hitler summoned fifty or so senior Nazi party leaders to his private appartment in the Reich Chancellery where he announced his intention to destroy the Jewish people. The meeting was unofficial and unminuted but Joseph Goebbels left a full account in his diary. Hitler began by saying that he was going to make a clean sweep of the Jewish question. He make a reminded his listeners that he had prophesied that if the Jews brought world war, they would "experience their own anihilation." He seems to have believed that the US entry into the war was the work of the Jews. World war had indeed come about so it was the extermination of the Jews was a necessary consequence.
In response to the supposed intensification of reistance activities since the start of the Russian campaign, Hitler issued a formal directive laying down the treatment of anyone in the occupied states who endangered the security or state of readiness of the occupiers. Unless the punishment was death and could be carried out locally in the victims' territory, they were to be transported to Germany. No information was to be given to friends or family as to their fate. The resulting uncertainty was intended to reinforce the deterrent effect of the measures. The directive became known as the Nacht und Nebel (night and fog) decree, which captured the sense that the victims had simply disappeared.
The Soviet counter offensive against the German thrust on Moscow gathered momentum. The Germans were operating almost at the limit of their fighting capacities and their advance had become increasingly costly. Stalin had been able to draw on reserves from the East, but this had come before Pearl Harbour practically removed the risk of a Japanese attack. The forces were evenly balanced but the Red Army was far better equipped and trained to cope with the Russian winter; record low temperatures were being recorded. The Germans were also caught by surprise as their intelligence had been certain that the enemy had no reserves available. There were no spectacular successes, but the siege of the city of Tula in the South was broken.
Eighty years ago, Churchill christens his second battle of the war and the Blitz claims a famous victim
Churchill christened his second battle of the war and it may well have been the more important one. In the Battle of Britain the Germans had failed to gain air supremacy over England; had they won it would have made an invasion possible, but not necessarily inevitable or inevitably successful. If the Germans had won the Battle of the Atlantic, as Churchill named the conflict between German U Boats and long range bombers on one side and merchant shipping to Britain and its air and sea escorts on the other, Britain would have been unable to go on fighting. Unlike the very public designation of the Battle of Britain, the term Battle of the Atlantic first appeared in a confidential directive, which Churchill signed as Minister of Defence. The Directive gave full priority in supplies of anti-aircraft weapons to the ships and promoted catapult-armed merchant vessels to provide air cover, but otherwise it was light on detail. One public result of the directive was to give the Admiralty fo
Eighty years ago, the RAF repeats the Luftwaffe's errors of the Battle of Britain
Having been largely on the defensive for most of 1940, RAF's Fighter Command under its new, aggressive commander Sholto Douglas tried to take the fight to the Luftwaffe. The scheme had actually been proposed by "the father of the RAF" Hugh Trenchard in keeping with his doctrine of favouring the offensive and it ignored an unfavourable tactical siuation to pursue attacks with questionable military purpose. Operating under the general codename Circus it began to undertake operations over northern France to begin with in collaboration with Bomber Command, which had started at the end of 1940 but intensified in the new year. It escorted in strength bombing missions of a size calculated to draw German fighters into battle. Circus proved to be costly and ineffective. The bombers - notably the Handley-Page Hampdens used in the early attacks - were unsuitable for the work and did little worthwhile damage and the British fighters had no special advantage. Like the German fight
Eighty years ago the RAF enjoys the last hurrah of "air control"
The British position in its protectorate Iraq had been under threat since the beginning of April when a military coup led by the four colonels of the "Golden Square" overthrew the pro-British regent and placed the nationalist and overtly pro-Fascist Rashid Ali in power. Relations between the new regime and the British deteriorated swiftly and deeply. The Iraqi army took positions on the escarpment that dominated the British air base at Habbaniya outside Baghdad and issued an ultimatum that training operations were to cease. The British commander launched pre-emptive bombing attacks on the Iraqis and open war ensued. The British garrison at Habbaniyah consisted mainly of 2,000 odd local Christian Assyrian Levies which were outmatched by the opposing Iraqi forces, but remorseless air attacks by the RAF planes including Wellington bombers from a distant base, kept the Iraqis in check. After a few days they abandoned the escarpment, which marked the end of serious military operations.