Although it is much more uncommon to see tattooed athletes in Major League Baseball when compared with the NBA or the NFL, there are still a number of players who sport the ink.
From players covered in body art, such as Ryan Roberts of the Arizona Diamondbacks, to the players who are a bit more tame with their tats, I’ll compose a team of these players if they played on the same team.
Position by position, this is what the tatted team would look like:
We’re getting closer and closer to the 2011 season ending and the free agency period for baseball to begin.
In my last article, I did a history of the top 10 worst free agency signings for the Yankees.
The ones I reviewed were of recent history.
This will be the complete opposite of that.
This one will be the top 10 best free agency signings in recent history for the Yankees.
Since 1995, the Yankees have missed the playoffs only one time, won the American League East division title 11 times, appeared in seven World Series and won five championships.
A lot of that has to do with the Yankees making the right moves to land free agents.
This list was a lot harder to put together because of who was an actual free agent and who got traded.
For example, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Paul O’Neill, David Cone, John Wetteland and Cecil Fielder were all results of the Yankees making trades and won’t be on this list.
Nope, this is strictly free agency moves.
It’s so difficult for New York Yankees fans to realize that the Steinbrenners’ team lost to the Detroit Tigers because the Tigers outplayed them.
Fans, egged on by the media, blame Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher and C.C. Sabathia for the end of the Yankees’ season. Almost no one not in Detroit has given the Tigers the credit they deserve.
The Tigers, a gritty, gutsy team, split the first two games at the Yankees ball park. The fact that the first game was suspended by rain changed the series.
Baseball’s best pitcher, Justin Verlander, and the Yankees’ best pitcher, Sabathia, were forced out of the game. Instead of facing each other in the first and fifth games, they started against each other only in Game 3.
The second game, as is often the case in a best-of-five, was the key. The Tigers got to Freddy Garcia for two runs in the first and for two more in the sixth when they knocked him out of the game.
Max Scherzer held the Yankees scoreless through six innings. A shaky Joaquin Benoit and an even shakier Jose Valverde made the ninth inning Detroit run produced by Brandon Inge and Don Kelly stand up when the Yankees scored twice in the ninth.
Despite the poor weather conditions, Valverde retired Robinson Cano to end the game. It wasn’t Cano’s fault that he didn’t win the game; Valverde won the battle—he deserves the credit.
Brandon Inge, Don Kelly, Billy Martin, Mark Lemke and Billy Hatcher (I am not differentiating playoffs and World Series performances) can’t compare to Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Gil Hodges or Jose Canseco with respect to talent, but some major leaguers rise to the occasion.
The Yankees won the fourth game by a big score. They won many games by blowouts during the season, which inflated their statistics.
In a deciding Game 5, journeyman Don Kelly and Delmon Young each hit solo home runs in the first inning to put the Yankees into a hole from which they never escaped. Kelly took advantage of the ball park.
Were those home runs A-Rod’s fault? Were either Teixeira or Swisher to blame?
Sabathia gave up the run that won the ALDS for the Tigers. It was his first relief appearance after 421 starts. When Casey Stengel explained his success to “his writers,” he emphasized that he wouldn’t ask a player to do what he couldn’t do.
Max Scherzer was fantastic. Doug Fister, probably the acquisition that made the Tigers a genuine pennant threat, did well. Benoit and Valverde were excellent.
Verlander didn’t dominate the way he was supposed to, but the Tigers had enough to win. That’s all it takes.
In 2011, it is popular to blame high-priced players, especially Yankees, for their teams’ failures when they have a bad series. That has some validity, but baseball is a team game.
It is impossible to predict a five-game series. When the Yankees lose three out of five games during the season, it is quickly forgotten. When a star slumps, there is usually time for recovery.
That’s not true in the playoffs.
The Tigers were simply the better team. They won. The Yankees didn’t lose.
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CC Sabathia is heading into a very interesting period in his life. A September pennant race will give way to an October quest for his second World Series ring as a member of the New York Yankees. Win or lose, what comes next will be intriguing as well.
Sabathia has an option with in the seven-year, $161 million contract he signed following the 2008 season to opt-out following this season. That basically means the existing contract is over and he’s a free agent again.
With Sabathia in the midst of one of his best seasons and no reason to expect him to quit playing baseball at the end of the seven-year deal he’s currently in the midst of, it seems more than likely that he will take full advantage of this opportunity for both a raise and an assurance of guaranteed money beyond his mid 30s.
Sabathia already is the owner of the largest contract for any pitcher in MLB history. Cliff Lee might be a better pitcher, but no one is paid more than Sabathia.
The real question is, would he leave the Yankees and if he would, where would he go? Impending free agents such as Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder are restricted to what teams they can go to by their position. There’s no such thing as having “too many ace left-handed starters” though. Sabathia can probably count on being contacted by almost every team that thinks they could compete financially for his services, and that list is longer than many Yankee fans might think.
It all starts in Boston, of course. The Red Sox have experienced some real health issues with their starters this season. On top of that, it seems very unlikely that John Lackey will ever come close to fulfilling the lofty expectations set for him when he signed as a free agent in Boston. In spite of a number of big financial commitments, the Red Sox would be a major suitor for Sabathia.
Who else would bid on Sabathia? Philadelphia. Yes, they already have Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. Roy Oswalt may be done after this year, though. The Phils have already shown that you really can’t ever have too much pitching. If Philadelphia brass feels like the younger up-and-coming offensive players can shoulder the load of producing runs, then they may not be so gun shy in spending big to acquire yet another guy to keep runs off the board.
The Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and San Francisco Giants could all get involved as well.
For the Cubs, Sabathia would be the ace that Carlos Zambrano never really became. Sabathia is everything Zambrano isn’t. He’s a likable player with an easy going attitude that seems to please teammates, fans and his bosses. Contrast that with the abrasive and temperamental Zambrano, and he’d be the perfect way for a new Cubs owner to help fans and media forget about Zambrabo’s combative ways.
The Nationals have shown a willingness to over pay for a player they covet. Jason Werth’s deal last winter set that precedent. Would they covet Sabathia? Probably, although with Stephen Strasburg seemingly back and healthy the Nationals don’t really “need” an ace. Yet as a one -two top of the rotation Sabathia and Strasburg would be quite formidable.
The Rangers have a long and decorated history of not retaining top pitching. Should CJ Wilson depart as a free agent this offseason, then the Rangers would be in desperate need of a top starter.
Sabathia would fit the bill, but can the Rangers really expect him to want to pitch in a ballpark that favors hitters even more than Yankee Stadium? Would Sabathia want to subject himself to pitching in 100-degree-plus temperatures for the better parts of his future summers? Unlikely.
The Dodgers and Mets both have the big-market appeal, but currently lack the big money that usually accompanies it. It’s very unlikely that Sabathia would choose to remain in New York City but go to a team with a much greater chance of missing the playoffs. It’s also unlikely that the Dodgers will have the money to pay Sabathia.
The San Francisco Giants have a few things going for them. One is that Sabathia is from the Bay Area originally. Players returning to locations near where they grew up is not all that uncommon. The Giants also play in a division that seems to favor pitching.
The Giants also recently won a World Series and have a number of talented pitchers on their roster. The addition of Sabathia would place the Giants right back at the top of any discussion about serious World Series contenders.
In spite of a long list of potential suitors, it seems highly unlikely Sabathia will leave the Yankees. The Yankees provide Sabathia with just about everything he wants. He’s the arguably the most important player on the team. Regardless of whether or not the Yankees win a championship this season, Sabathia is an irreplaceable player on the roster.
There is no “ace” in the Yankees farm system and there aren’t any aces coming up as free agents anytime soon. Should Sabathia opt out of his current deal, the results are more than likely to be an extension of his existing deal and perhaps a small raise on an annual basis. The Yankees misread the market and missed out on Cliff Lee last offseason. They’ll make no such mistake this upcoming one.
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In every sport, the postseason is about match-ups.
This was exemplified a year ago when the San Francisco Giants pitching staff neutralized the offensive firepower of the Phillies. The Giants beat the Phillies in six and rode their wave of momentum to their first World Series crown in the city of San Francisco.
In this article, I included the teams that would be in the postseason if the season ended today. I also didn’t include potential World Series combatants; you have to get there first.
The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are tied for first place in the American League East heading into their series-finale on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. The first pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. (ET) at historic Fenway Park.
Boston holds a significant 9-2 advantage over New York in the season series, including a 10-4 home victory on Saturday afternoon.
Lines makers expect a similar result in this one, placing Boston as a minus-155 home favorite due to the dominant pitching of Josh Beckett. The line reflects that he will not be matched up with CC Sabathia for the first time in four starts this year against the Yankees.
Let’s take a closer look at Beckett’s 2011 dominance of the Bronx Bombers.
Not since the late Early Wynn pitched for Cleveland in a comeback to win 300 games has there been a pitching staff with two starters who look like the monsters who ate Cleveland.
Bartolo Colon and C.C. Sabathia, in combined British stone, would be heavy enough to build Stonehenge. Colon’s kind public relations guys claim he is still under 275 pounds. Sabathia is in the same ballpark as his fellow Yankee starter, but he hides it better.
If you want super-sized stars, then these two pitchers are now rivals for the Tweedledee and Tweedledum award, Kirstie Alley’s former prize.
When will an enterprising dieting food company sign them up? They’d eat everything on the menu.
Over the offseason Sabathia was said to have lost 30 pounds. Well, he found it again with a Happy Meal or two. Kind hearts have suggested the pitchers have a metabolism problem. On the moon, they’d only weigh 50 pounds, each. Fortunately for them, stripes make them look thinner.
In Boston the weighty issues generally have been limited to the hamburger-munching habits of Big Baby Glen Davis, but if you wanted to make a sandwich with Baby between those Yankee pitchers, he’d look like lean ground beef.
If these guys were playing for Mike Shanahan, they’d be on permanent suspension. Someone should tell them that Refrigerator Perry played football, not baseball.
If we measured C.C. in liquid weight, Sabathia would likely top a million. We are told that 1000 cc’s equal 2.2 pounds.
No doubt Yankee haters will call Sabathia and Colon many names related to being overweight, just don’t call them late to the dinner table.
We think Red Sox trim boys like Jacoby Ellsbury and Josh Reddick would fit into one pair of Colon’s pants, though we are not eager to see such a feat accomplished on a Twitpic.
So far Charles Barkley has not weighed in on the issue of the Yankee avoirdupois, but the pitching staff provides fans with love handles to grab onto for the remainder of the season in case it turns into a bumpy ride.
Herman Melville wrote about whales and ended up in New York in his twilight years. The Yankees have clearly harpooned a few more Moby types.
We don’t want to criticize the Yankees too much because we all know the World Series doesn’t end ’til the Fat Man pitches.
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New York Yankees starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia enters Saturday’s start against the Boston Red Sox with a 16-5 record and 2.55 ERA. He leads the majors in wins and has allowed just seven earned runs over his last eight starts.
It’s not even an argument that the 31-year-old is the Most Valuable Player on his own team, as the club has won 18 of his 24 starts.
Some will simply argue that it helps to have the league’s second-best offense to supply ample run support. He’s certainly receive plenty this year, as New York has outscored opponents by a 145-74 margin in his outings.
From a betting perspective, Sabathia (+899) is No. 8 on the list of most profitable pitchers in 2011, a category that is led by Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay (+1288).
One of his greatest attributes in pinstripes has been generating wins away from Yankee Stadium, as the Bronx Bombers have posted a 36-16 mark in his last 52 road starts. That includes a 29-9 record when favored.
If New York happens to win the American League East division over the high-powered Boston Red Sox, voters can only really look in one direction, naming No. 52 as the AL’s Most Valuable Player.
The starting rotation is a major question mark heading into a potential playoff run and there’s no question who serves as the certifiable ace. His value will never be more evident come October.
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In 2010 Hunter Pence must have hit .345 with 43 home runs, 52 doubles, 125 walks, and 173 RBI.
He also must have sucker punched the official scorer’s child.
Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why the Philadelphia Phillies (along with some other teams) were so intent on acquiring him.
The Phillies committed four prospects to acquire the former Houston Astros right fielder, including pitcher Jarred Cosart and first baseman Jonathon Singleton, the 70th and 39th ranked prospects in the country according to Baseball America (pre-2011).
Now, Hunter Pence is a very solid player. He is above-average at every aspect of his game, except for patience.
And, in defense of Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., Pence represents a significant upgrade over 23-year-old rookie Domonic Brown and is under team control through 2013.
But for two top prospects, as well as two additional prospects, the impact of a new player needs to be absolutely huge, such as transforming a borderline contender to a playoff team.
The Milwaukee Brewers’ 2008 trade to acquire CC Sabathia in exchange for top prospects Matt LaPorta, Zach Jackson, and Michael Brantley is a great example of this. The Brewers were in the hunt and would have been on the outside looking in if Sabathia hadn’t come to Milwaukee and gone 11-2 with a 1.60 ERA in 17 starts.
Upgrading right field in Philadelphia will not have that big of an impact —at least not in 2011.
The Phillies are already the best team in the National League. They’re already the odds-on favorite to win the World Series.
Unless Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee break each other’s left thumbs in a pregame arm-wrestling match, the Phillies will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
This trade doesn’t substantially change the likelihood of anything that could be influenced by the regular season.
Once you just get into the playoffs, anything can happen. Your odds of winning it all —whether you’re the 2001 Seattle Mariners or the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals —are basically one in eight, whether your right fielder is an established big leaguer or a roughly league-average rookie.
In a small enough sample of five or seven games, anything can happen. Alex Rodriguez can go 1-for-14. Chad Ogea can pitch like Cy Young.
That’s what makes October so great.
If the Phillies don’t win it all, it won’t have anything to do with any lack of production they might get from right field, but rather it will mean that their star-studded rotation imploded and Rollins, Victorino, Utley, and Howard all struggled mightily.
Look at the player they acquired to upgrade their outfield. Really look at him. This isn’t a big-time game changer.
This is Hunter Pence.
Pence owns a career on-base percentage of .339, one point lower than that of the immortal Roger Cedeno. In three full seasons, Pence has not eclipsed a .500 slugging percentage.
He’s a good player. He’s not a game-changer.
You don’t trade top prospects for the Hyundai Elentra of ballplayers.
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The July 31 Major League Baseball trade deadline is looming, and it is clear that the Boston Red Sox biggest need is pitching.
Rumors are swirling about a possible deal for Colorado Rockies ace, Ubaldo Jimenez.
At first glance, Jimenez would seem like a great piece to add to the first-place Red Sox, but when you look more into it, the deal becomes less and less appealing.
For one, the asking price for Jimenez is very high. The Rockies are asking for two to three top prospects from any team in return.
The Red Sox would have to clear out their farm system just to get Jimenez.
Jimenez also seems to be a shell of the pitcher he was in the first half of the 2010 season, when he was as dominant as a pitcher could be. His velocity is topping out in the low 90’s in 2011. He was hitting triple digits with some pitches in 2010.
In his last 38 starts, Jimenez is just 12-15 with a 4.17 ERA, including a 6-9 start this year with an ERA of 4.20.
Another thing against Jimenez is that history has shown that pitchers ERA’s jump when moving from the National League to the American League.
Before C.C. Sabathia was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008 he had a 3.83 ERA with Cleveland. Sabathia went on to post a 1.65 ERA in his time with the Brewers. When he jumped back to the AL with the Yankees, Sabathia’s ERA moved back up into the three’s.
It seems that there is just too much risk to be comfortable making a trade for Jimenez.
Maybe he is hurt. Maybe the first half of 2010 was a fluke. But the stats show that Jimenez is not a top of rotation pitcher—and is not worth the prospects that would have to be parted with in a trade.
The Red Sox best move at the deadline would be to pass on a deal for Jimenez. Let him be another teams’ problem.
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