Kuzul

Frank Thomas is mediocre—at least that’s what one scout seemed to think back in 1989. 

As Frank Thomas looks forward to possible induction into the Hall of Fame, it’s fun to look back at some scouts who did their best to play baseball soothsayer with the hulking behemoth who once smashed the cover off the ball. 

Busted Coverage pored over a few reports centered on the slugger right before he took his initial steps into MLB legend. 

The following snapshot and scouting assertions come thanks to the archives of Baseballhall.org. Thomas’ page at Diamond Mines features scouting reports from five baseball prognosticators. However, we simply have to start with the most intriguing, Larry Maxie’s report from 1989 (pictured below). 

The part BC found funny and you will no doubt enjoy is the summation that, as best we can tell, reads, “.250 hitter tops, if that. But will hit HR’s (20 on bad year if he gets 500 ABs).” 

That’s essentially like saying Brooks Robinson might be able to stop some grounders from getting through the infield or that Don Drysdale had a slight propensity to throw inside when crowded. 

As we now know, Thomas finished his career a .301 hitter who clubbed 521 home runs and drove in 1,704 runs. 

While he didn’t maintain his prolific output throughout his career, a quick look at his Baseball Reference page is a nice exercise to appreciate his talent anew. 

From 1990 (his age 22 season) to 1997 (29), he managed to hit over .300 every single season, batting a career high .347 in 1997. 

He would then bat .305 and .328 in 1999 and 2000 respectively. What’s more, from 1990 to 2007, his OPS dipped below .800 just once—his 2001 season that saw him play in just 20 games. 

All of this is to say Thomas was very good for a very long time. It’s also important to note the overarching theme here: scouting is hardly an exact science. 

And really, we don’t want to give Maxie too hard a time, because it’s impossible to see every single instance of greatness with 100 percent accuracy. 

If you recall, Busted Coverage spotted a similar scouting report on another former star with eyes on a Hall of Fame prize: Greg Maddux. 

In 1985, Mets scout Duffy Dyer wrote, among other things, that Maddux was, “not strong enough to be a starter.” He also labeled him as tops a Triple-A player. 

Oops. 

To be fair, Maxie does note the otherworldly power. That’s essentially what you get from the other scouting reports as well. 

Mike Rizzo (1988) states, “power and bat are very exciting.” Donald Labossiere (1989) says it best, “Has genuine loft ML power now. His mistakes go 360 feet.” And really those are the best kinds of mistakes. 

CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa seems to think Thomas, a big man who fits the physique of someone suspected of PED use, has long been outspoken against the once popular methods of his colleagues. 

It’s that longtime vocal support for testing that, as Axisa offers, makes Thomas a far better candidate to get into the hall than most. 

The Chicago Sun-Times’ John Grochowski went a step further and proclaimed that Maddux and Thomas are the obvious worthy candidates in this year’s class. 

Regardless, it has to be an honor to merely be considered for inclusion among the sport’s best. If he does get in, it will be pretty darn good for a hitter whom one scout considered to be little more than mediocre. 

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Evelyn Lozada didn’t just get ice for Christmas; she damn near got an entire glacier. 

First, we would like to congratulate Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford and his bride-to-be, Lozada, on their engagement. Fans following the reality star found out on Christmas Day when the 38-year-old posted a picture of the ring to Instagram with the caption, “Yes!”

Here is that photo featuring a not-small diamond: 

That thing is big enough to host the Winter Olympics. Only, we weren’t quite sure how big that ring was at the time. 

As it turns out, when you’re in the middle of a seven-year, $142 million contract, you can splurge a little when you decide to marry the mother of your child. 

TMZ reports the ring is a whopping 14.5 carats and worth $1.4 million, which should make some of you lucky gentlemen who became engaged over the holidays beam a little brighter knowing the cost of your own purchase could have been far more extreme. 

The star of Basketball Wives took time to speak with People Magazine and happily divulged how she was feeling: “I’m overjoyed and in complete and utter shock! … What a different year and a half it has been – I’m truly happy!”

Earlier this month, Lozada spoke with OMG! Insider, divulging the father of her child due in March was none other than 32-year-old slugger Crawford. 

At the time, she stated: 

I definitely would get married again. I still believe in love … I’m not one of those people that’s like ‘we need to get engaged, we need to get married.’ No, absolutely not. I feel like that’s going to come, just like with the baby, let it come. I’m not forcing anything, so if it happens, it happens.

True to her word, she is once again saying yes to marriage. 

As The Los Angeles Times’ Nadine Saad reminds, Lozada was previously engaged to former NBA player Antoine Walker before marrying former NFL star Chad Johnson. That marriage was ultimately short-lived and featured Johnson’s arrest for domestic violence. 

As Lozada touches upon with People Magazine, “What a different year and a half it has been.” The time to look forward is here and that future looks very bright indeed. 

Although that may be the glitter from the diamond. 

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Masahiro Tanaka has a terrifying arsenal of pitches, great command of the strike zone and an arm that can handle an exhausting workload. Oh, and he can also beat celebrity chefs at a strike-throwing contest and make the whole thing rather entertaining. 

Yahoo! Sports’ David Brown spotted some recent videos featuring Tanaka enjoying appearances on Japanese television. 

One cameo saw Tanaka tasked with cutting down a bunch of chefs in what looks like a game you might find at any carnival. 

Simply, you toss the ball and knock down each and every numbered board. At least, that’s what we gleaned from Brown’s report as well as the video. 

Not knowing Japanese, I would love to hear from anyone with a firm grasp of the language to explain what kind of quips caused laughter throughout the video. 

Brown also found more footage of Tanaka hanging out with chefs and delving into some televised shenanigans. In the first video, you can see one chef make a reference to Yu Darvish, a Japanese pitcher who has found success in MLB, notching 277 strikeouts in his second year with the Texas Rangers. 

The second video, posted below, features the Rakuten Eagles ace diving into piles of food to offer his own assessment. So if this whole pitching guff doesn’t work out, he has a promo reel for his own food critique show. Hey, it’s far less jarring that watching 30 minutes of Guy Fieri. 

Of course, this is all just nonsense compared to what really matters. USA Today reports on the latest concerning Tanaka and the posting fee that seems to be holding up his joining the growing list of Japanese pitchers that have landed with MLB teams. 

According to the report, Tanaka stated at a news conference, “I informed my team that I would like them to allow me to test my abilities in Major League Baseball next season.”

At the heart of the issue is Rakuten officials wanting more than the $20 million posting fee that is caped under the new system, less than other teams received for the likes of Yu Darvish and Daisuke Matsuzaka. 

The hope, for MLB fans, is things get worked out and Tanaka can find his way onto a big league roster, because we simply have to see him battle Mario Batali in some sort of athletic contest. 

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A picture may be worth a thousand words, but Jaime Edmondson only really needed a few to convey her tremendous news. She and Tampa Bay Rays star Evan Longoria are getting married. 

Here is the wonderful news via tweet from Edmondson followed by confirmation from The Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Tompkin. 

If you are wondering, the little girl who steals the show in the photos is the couple’s bundle of joy, Elle. Back in March, Tompkin reported the little girl was born on Feb. 20, six weeks earlier than expected.

Now the couple has a way of getting out ahead of the usual media frenzy that accompanies such a story. Back in Dec. of 2012, Edmondson decided to officially announce that the couple was pregnant with an equally adorable picture of a baby jersey hanging right alongside Longoria‘s. 

Longoria rewarded the Rays for their six-year, $100 million contract extension with a strong season, playing in 160 games, batting .269, hitting 32 home runs and driving in 88 runs. 

Edmondson is Playboy’s Miss January 2010 and, as she references in her Twitter bio, a sports blogger for the magazine. 

Tompkin reports on Tuesday that the couple have explained they are hoping for a January 2016 wedding, which seems like a ways off, but then you consider they have more pressing matters.

The report states the two are actually more concerned with expanding their family first, so we may see another small-jersey picture before wedding images appear. 

Now there isn’t a great deal of information on how Longoria popped the big question, merely that he did so about a week before Thanksgiving, meaning we are all the last to know. 

Good luck trying to find a clue on either’s Twitter feed. Although, Edmondson did tweet this out on Nov. 23.

Whatever it was, I am sure Longoria did it with class and sophistication, staying clear of the trap of asking his future wife at a live sporting event. 

With that, we offer Edmondson and Longoria well on their trip toward matrimony and, as it seems, their ever-growing family. 

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If it were profitable, Alex Rodriguez would get on the biggest hill he could find, spin around and sing his story for all to hear like a baseball Julie Andrews. Instead, he is opting to just write a tell-all book about his plight and possibly secure a documentary feature. 

Emily Smith, writing for the New York Post‘s “Page Six,” reports the Yankees’ star third baseman is close to securing a profitable format to explain his side of an ongoing drama.  

First, he has to settle on a publisher. A final decision is still a few weeks off, but HarperCollins and Random House are the two hoping to secure the rights. 

Rodriguez is also hoping to chronicle all that has happened to him in the wake of his 211-game suspension and subsequent hearings in the form of a documentary. 

Alex has also recently had several meetings with filmmaker Billy Corben — whose work includes the acclaimed “Cocaine Cowboys,” which depicts Miami drug culture in the 1970s and ’80s — about making a documentary about his battle to stay on the field.

This should please that very specific demographic of fans who aren’t already weary of the ongoing circus surrounding Rodriguez at the moment. 

Rodriguez spoke to reporters this past weekend while participating in David Ortiz’s charity golf tournament in Punta Cana, per ESPN, and was hopeful. According to A-Rod, there isn’t much to be worried about in regard to his suspension handed down by the league for his part in the Biogenesis scandal.

Rodriguez believes the arbitrator, Fredric Horowitz, will see fit to grant Rodriguez some playing time next season: 

Yes, I feel confident. I’m preparing as always, working hard. I feel completely healthy, I have the entire offseason to prepare for it…We have to get out of this and start talking baseball, about the good things with MLB and about my hard training work to get back in the middle of the Yankees’ lineup.

It being early in the proceedings, there isn’t a great deal of information surrounding the potential book.

Smith did glean a nice round number from a source close to the negotiations, however: “A number of publishers are vying for the book, with offers coming in over $5 million. Alex has met with several publishers over the past few weeks and has meetings with others right after the new year.”

As for the documentary, Rodriguez is hoping for production similar to ESPN’s documentary series 30 for 30, which makes sense because Billy Corben, along with Alfred Spellman, directed the popular The U. 

All of this must have you thinking that everything is coming up A-Rod in the financial department. Well, Smith does remind that Rodriguez has huge bills to pay in the form of his legal representation, and he could still lose out on over a season’s worth of salary. 

We aren’t about to hold a telethon for Rodriguez, but we are sure any book/documentary deal would go a long way to shore up anything a millionaire might consider financially strenuous. 

If not, there is always the money he will get from his recent real estate endeavors. Back in May, the 38-year-old sold his Miami mansion for a reported $15 million profit. 

Now, via Realtor.com, Rodriguez is hoping to sell his Miami condo for a cool $1 million profit. 

All of this is to say you don’t have to fret about Rodriguez, because we know how you all were making yourselves sick with worry over the MLB star. 

From the looks of things, Rodriguez will be just fine. 

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Nelson Cruz may very well enjoy what the winter has in store for him.

Fighting with the likes of Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran and Shin-Soo Choo for money among the top-tier outfielders, it’s clear Cruz has his work cut out for him.

However, there are many who believe his various faults won’t hamper him from making quite the cash grab as the offseason unfolds.

Join MLB Contributor Gabe Zaldivar as he breaks down one of the more intriguing free agent sluggers.

While Cruz had to serve a 50-game suspension this past season, he still managed to slam 27 home runs and is still considered a top target among a bevy of teams.

It’s clear his image is hardly tarnished, but teams still might consider his age and history of lingering injuries when throwing wads of cash his way.

Of course, we would love to hear from you as to where Cruz fits perfectly and what he deserves as far as a contract.

Or we can always take the debate to Twitter.  

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The season might be over, but Yasiel Puig is still playing baseball at Dodger Stadium, making sure to keep around those who might actually appreciate his antics.

CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder spotted a refreshing sight recently: a tweet from Dodgers PR person Yvonne Carrasco showing off Puig playing baseball with a reported 50 kids from the neighborhood.

Carrasco continues by tweeting the kids are from Northeast Los Angeles Little League. Here is the Dodgers’ exciting and polarizing phenom throwing some soft toss to a young fan.

MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick has more, including the wonderful impetus behind the baseball clinic. It seems the kids’ league actually overlooks the stadium’s parking lot.

A few weeks back, Puig visited the park and spoke with some of the children, and that’s when one of them relayed that he had never actually been to Dodger Stadium.

Consider that remedied.

He didn’t just let the kids see the stadium. He had them experience as much of it as he could possibly offer: pitching 40 minutes of batting practice, giving tours to the clubhouse where the Little Leaguers enjoyed the feeling of sitting at the lockers and letting them take some hacks in the cages.

Puig told Gurnick, “I played Little League when I was 9, went through the system, and now I’m grateful that I’m able to do this for these kids.” The 22-year-old who took over MLB this season added, “Maybe they’ll be able to support me when I get old.”

As long as they don’t turn into crotchety curmudgeons who continue to whine about the “sanctity of the game,” we don’t see why they wouldn’t.

Many of you hear the name Puig and immediately grimace and think of a young man who makes errant throws and attempts to turn singles into triples.

While he may need some education on the finer points of the fundamentals of the game, don’t ever make the mistake of proclaiming he doesn’t get what’s most important about the sport.

MLB, as with any sport, is here to lift spirits and invigorate fans. Puig is rather masterful at doing both.

Now, if seeing Puig give back to the community wasn’t enough to turn that grumpy frown upside down, consider that the young fella is already working hard for next season.

If you are into prolific posting, follow his Instagram feed. There you will find things like the following—Puig training hard at Dodgers facilities.

Puig might overthrow a cutoff man every now and again, and he does have the propensity to swing at balls outside the strike zone.

Heck, he still needs some work on routine plays in the outfield.

But he is the future of the Dodgers organization, and that should make all the Angelenos still wearing blue in November very proud.

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As the Riddler and the Penguin are reprimanded for their diabolical deeds, a city swoons, a nation melts and Batkid goes home for a well-deserved afternoon nap. 

Chances are you’ve heard of this Batkid fellow. He is a caped crusader who, with the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, made a leukemia patient’s comic-book dream come true. 

As USA Today‘s Marco della Cava reports, five-year-old Miles was granted his wish of donning the cowl and helping the denizens of Gotham City. 

The city of San Francisco heard his plea and answered the call, delivering an awesome Batman experience that usurped anything director Joel Schumacher ever did with the franchise. 

By the end of the day, we learned that the Penguin had kidnapped San Francisco Giants mascot Lou Seal, and it was up to Batkid and his trusty companion, Batman to save him.

ESPN summed it up: 

Thanks to Make-A-Wish Bay Area, we have a fantastic look at how it all went down inside the stadium:

A wonderful story captured the hearts of nearly everyone around the nation, no doubt causing many to continuously hit refresh on their Twitter feeds to find out what happened next. 

And the sports world was as enamored with the entire spectacle as anyone. 

The 49ers and coach Jim Harbaugh tipped their collective caps: 

The Warriors and Stephen Curry chimed in with some love: 

The San Francisco Chronicle went above and beyond to craft the perfect Gotham City masthead:

The outpouring of reaction to the story continued as ample reporters, columnists and athletes put in their two cents on a moment that really served to invigorate the soul. 

Now it may be a tad “kumbaya” to say, but I don’t care. There is so much cynicism and negativity found nowadays in tweets and YouTube comments and the multitude of social-media spheres. However, on one day in November, we were all fans of one superhero. 

The Giants’ mascot is now safe and free to rouse the baseball crowds again once the season starts. I have no idea what the Penguin and the Riddler were thinking, because they had to know all their dastardly plans would be thwarted. 

Because the adorable little Miles has a way of fighting all that stands in his way.

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Jarrod Saltalamacchia is your value item of the 2013 free-agent catcher market.

Any team prone to clipping coupons or value hunting would do well to take a gander at the Red Sox backstop.

MLB Contributor Gabe Zaldivar breaks down one of the premier catchers on the open market at the moment, and at 28, he is clearly one of the rare players at the position with looming upside.

Here is our quick look at all the particulars regarding the catcher who is coming off a career year. While he has his issues on defense and with the bat, it’s clear that talent at this position is at a premium.

Saltalamacchia is one player who has proved his ability to get better on both sides of the plate, all while producing home run power.

The offseason is just getting started, and there will be a wealth of teams bandied about in the interim. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts on a captivating catching market.

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Sasquatch hunters would lose their minds if they happened across Fenway Park. The men of the 2013 Boston Red Sox own some of the gnarliest beards in baseball, and it’s about time we settle the argument of who has the best. 

I mean, seeing as how these players went through all of the trouble and weeks (hours when it comes to Jonny Gomes) to grow these things, we might as well judge them. 

From the scraggly to those who would make The Most Interesting Man in the World happy, we have you covered. 

Never before have a group of men been so lauded for merely not shaving. It’s time to celebrate laziness and superstitious playoff facial hair. 

We will also give you a non-baseball comparison of the first thing we think of when we see each beard. Feel free to play along. 

Now let’s see those mugs. 

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