Kuzul

The women’s race is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m., while the men compete beginning at 11:45 a.m.

The men’s team is ranked No. 15 in the country and will face three other nationally ranked programs in the field.

No. 7 Northern Arizona, No. 9 Colorado, No. 10 New Mexico and BYU make this regional one of the most competitive.

Because of BYU’s performance two weeks ago at the Pre-National meet, the men are guaranteed of advancing to the Nationals regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s race.

BYU is led by Mountain West Conference champion Miles Batty, who head coach Ed Eyestone says is one of the top runners in the nation. We caught up with coach Eyestone this week and got his thoughts going into this weekend’s race…

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Does Carl Crawford have a future in Detroit?

I love baseball’s offseason.  There is always plenty of speculation and there is never a shortage of rumors.  Also, because baseball has no salary cap, there are always more options for each player and that makes it a lot more fun for the fans.  While Cliff Lee to the Yankees seems like a match made in heaven hell, there is always a chance he’ll return to Texas or sign with a team like the Washington Nationals.

The Tigers had a lot of cash come off of the books this season, which could make them major players in the free agent game.  The club has already locked up Brandon Inge and Jhonny Peralta to two-year deals, but there could be plenty of money left to spend.

Carl Crawford is considered one of the top, if not the top, offensive talent on the market.  The Tigers have been connected to Crawford in some rumors already, so let’s shake this thing out and see just how good the guy really is.

Crawford has nine big league seasons under his belt, and each of them was spent with team that drafted him, the Tampa Bay Rays.  He debuted back in 2002 and has racked up nearly 1,500 hits since.

The bulk of Crawford’s value is tied to his speed.  He is routinely among the league leaders in triples and stolen bases.  He also covers a ton of ground in left field, making him above-average defensively.  Crawford has led the American League in steals four times and in triples four times, including this past season.  His career batting average is .296.

That all sounds pretty good, but Crawford is not without a weakness.  He is not the most patient hitter at the plate, something Tigers players have struggled with over the past ten years or so.  Crawford has a career on-base percentage of only .337, which is typically not good for a top-of-the-order bat.  To put things in perspective, Ramon Santiago had an OBP of .337 last season.  Just saying.

That being said, Crawford has done a much better job of getting on base over the past two years.  From 2009-2010, Crawford reached base at a .360 clip, a very good number.  It is possible that some credit for his lower totals and for his recent upward tilt are due to the quality of team for which he played.

Crawford turned 29 this past August, so a five-year deal for him seems realistic.  Do the Tigers want to be in that bidding war?  If the Yankees or Red Sox get involved, it’s possible that a five-year deal could net Crawford $90M or so.

Can you picture Crawford and Austin Jackson patrolling the outfield of Comerica Park for the next few years, though?  I can’t see many balls falling in anywhere with that much speed out there.

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I saw a post on mlbtraderumors.com today stating the Cubs are interested in moving Kosuke Fukudome this offseason.  That won’t be easy, given the $13.5 million in 2011 salary Fukudome has coming to him under the last year of his contract.

Nonetheless, the article notes that the Cubs were able to move clubhouse-cancer Milton Bradley last offseason and actually get something out of the deal, so anything is possible.

One such possibility might be a trade for the Giants’ Aaron Rowand.  Rowand has $12 million coming to him in each of 2011 and 2012, the last two years of the five-year, $60 million deal he signed before the 2008 season.

If each team is willing to essentially pay the remaining contract of the player they signed in the first place, there could be a deal here.  The Giants would get one year of Fukudome at the price the Giants would have paid Rowand, and the Cubs would essentially get Rowand for free in 2012.

Rowand has more power than Fukudome, at least over the course of their respect major league career, and Rowand might benefit from playing his home games in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.  Rowand’s got some good will in Chicago left over from his days with the White Sox, and he’s also a better defensive centerfielder than Fukudome.

Fukudome’s one great offensive attribute is his ability to get on base.  Through his three major league seasons, he has a .368 on-base percentage, compared to Rowand’s .335 career OBP.

I’d much rather have Fukudome and his likely higher OBP than Rowand in 2011, so my suggestion may be nothing more than wishful thinking.  However, both teams are looking to move these players, if only to go in a new direction, so it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility.

Of course, if the Giants decide to re-sign postseason superman Cody Ross, the Giants won’t need another rightfielder, the position at which Fukudome would be most valuable.  There’s always left field, but with another overpaid veteran, Mark DeRosa, coming back from injury next year and possible re-signings of Aubrey Huff and/or Pat Burrell, there isn’t a lot of room there either.

In other Giants-related news, the Nationals just released former Giant and still right-handed reliever Tyler Walker.  Walker had a fine 3.57 ERA with good ratios in 24 games and 35.1 innings pitched for the Nats in 2010. Walker didn’t pitch more because he hurt his shoulder and didn’t pitch in the majors after June 19 of this past season.

Walker was popular during his time as a Giant, so if his arm is healthy again in the spring (he’s 35 next May, so we’ll see) and no one else signs him this offseason (quite likely), don’t be surprised if the Giants invite him to Spring Training for a shot at one of their low-cost, bottom-of-the-bullpen slots.

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In maybe the saddest day since the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals, first basemen Adam Dunn has filed for free agency.

The franchise’s (only counting the years in D.C.) best-ever hitter wanted to stay with the team.  The powers that be with the Nationals, however, didn’t want to spend the money to keep him.

For a moment let me address ownership.

You are the No. 4 team here in D.C.  The Redskins rank way above all else, then come the Capitals (for now), the lowly Wizards and then you.  The last part might be generous, the D.C. United might draw more attention (I doubt it though).

If you want to move up that latter, and with the Wizards’ struggles it is possible, but you’re going to have to win first.  Stephen Strasburg is out until the very earliest next September so, there go the ticket sales there. 

Bryce Harper is at least two-to-three years away from being able to come up to the MLB level and make a difference.

So what else have you got for the public?

Exactly. If you want to compete with the Phillies and the Mets, you’re going to have to spend money.  You’re in a large market that will sell-out your stadium if you are winning. 

The Capitals are a perfect example of that.  I used to go to Caps games, buy a cheap ticket and walk up to the glass.  Now I’m lucky to even get a ticket, and they’ve added seats this year.

So, Nationals, I’m pleading with you, please rethink letting Dunn walk and sign him, and while you’re at it, kick the tires on Cliff Lee and any other free agent that can help you now and in the future.  Take a page out of the Yankees‘ play book.  There is a reason why they have 27 championships.

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In Major League Baseball there is an unwritten rule that you don’t upstage the World Series by announcing trades or free agent signings (a rule ignored by Alex Rodriguez and his agent Scott Boras in 2007).

However, this afternoon I received a quirky email from the Washington Nationals.

It was in regards to their Halloween Pumpkin carving contest. 

The team has already selected three finalists and are asking fans to vote.  The motivation for voting (because honestly you need one when comes to selecting the best carved pumpkin) is a game-worn Adam Dunn Jersey.

To be honest it would be in bad taste to offer a prize from a fan favorite player that you have no intentions of re-signing (but at the same time this is the same franchise that sold millions of Stephen Strasburg jerseys last season and are now switching to new style of jerseys so everyone can repurchase one).

So this prize gives me hope that the Nats will open up their wallets and re-sign the slugger, who, if the price is right, wants to stay aboard this sinking ship of a team (note, I wouldn’t have typed that last line had Strasburg not gotten hurt).

So this may be an unintentional sign from the franchise that they are going to put forth an effort to keep Adam Dunn a National, or they’re just cleaning house on all things Dunn to make room for the bargain basement player they sign to replace him.

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You might not know it, but Javier Vazquez has been one of the most dominant pitchers in Major League Baseball since 2000.

He has pitched for the second-most innings with 2,320.1 innings, and is second in strikeouts with 2,122.

Vazquez cost the Yankees $11.5 million with the most awful year of his career this season: 10-10, 5.32 ERA, 157.1 IP, 32 HR.

With the Atlanta Braves in 2009, he was fourth of the National League Cy Young Award voting. He looks to regain that form by rejoining a rebuilding National League team, perhaps the Washington Nationals.

First of all, with the stats he had with the Yankees, he probably won’t get more than a $4 million-per-year contract. The Nationals certainly will be able to get him even with one of the smallest budgets in the league.

Second, he will be 35 years old heading into next season.

A contending team certainly would not want a home run happy, aging pitcher with less guarantee than a younger arm.

The Washington Nationals are far from contenders, and they need a durable starting pitcher. However, will they want a pitcher with an ERA of five that wins 10 games a season? They’ll accept him gladly.

Vasquez himself stated interest in pitching in the Nation’s capital. Two words: perfect fit.

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Prior to suffering a season ending knee injury, the Washington Nationals’ Josh Willingham showed that he is the same player that he’s been over the past few years.  Just look at the numbers to see how consistent he’s been:

370 At Bats
.268 Batting Average (99 Hits)
16 Home Runs
54 RBI
56 Runs
8 Stolen Bases
.389 On Base Percentage
.459 Slugging Percentage
.304 Batting Average on Balls in Play

The power has been extremely consistent, though there are some concerns in the 2010 number.  His fly ball rate jumped to 48.8 percent after being between 41.1 percent and 43.3 percent over the previous four years.

So, while the HR/FB remained consistent (11.3 percent compared to a 13.8 percent career mark), he did get a few extra home runs out of his bat.  It’s fair to say that the number will regress some, but if he can finally stay healthy for an entire season he’s going to be in the 20 to 25 home run range.

The bigger concern is his home/road split.  Just look at the numbers:

Home – .294, 11 HR, 25 RBI, 32 R
Road – .242, 5 HR, 31 RBI, 22 R

His BABIP on the road was .268, compared to .321 at home.  It’s possible that he’s altered his swing for Nationals Park, but that’s probably not the case.  It’s simply that he was just luckier at home then on the road.  Considering that he wasn’t overly lucky at home, any improved luck on the road will mean big things for him.

The Nationals are a team that is building something.  They have young pieces to their lineup that have a ton of potential.  Players like Danny Espinoza and Ian Desmond (both of whom we’ll discuss in due time) are just making the lineup deeper and more potent.

Of course, Adam Dunn’s presence (or lack there of) will play the biggest role in things, but there’s a lot to like with that they are doing.  A healthy Willingham should slide back into the middle of the lineup, meaning plenty of opportunities to produce.

What would I expect from him in 2010?  Let’s take a look:

.271 (149-550), 25 HR, 80 RBI, 75 R, 10 SB, .313 BABIP, .378 OBP, .471 SLG

He’s always shown potential in his bat and, if he can stay healthy, there’s no reason to think that he can’t reach these numbers.  While they aren’t elite, don’t overlook the fact that he can help you across the board.

He’s coming off a year with 8 SB, so seeing him kick in a few certainly helps to separate him from the other lower-end outfielders that are available.  Don’t just ignore that fact.  He’s a better option for those in five-outfielder formats, but could hold low-end value in all formats if he remains healthy for the full year.

What are your thoughts on Willingham?  Is he someone that you would consider using in 2011?  How good do you think he can be?

Make sure to check out our 2011 projections:

Freese, David
Jaso, John
Morrow, Brandon

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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Right, it’s playoff time, and I’m making a quick post about a single-A catcher—deal with it. I made my Division Series picks at the final hour over on my twitter page (yea, I “tweet”) and also promised a post that evening—best unemployed writer, ever!

Anyway, there have been a fair number of negative things written about Nationals catching prospect Derek Norris. Here are comments by two of the industry’s most well-known prospect authors:

• Kevin Goldstein stated, “[Norris] became an on-base machine with little power” while giving him a mulligan due to injuries (I’ll touch on these later).
• Jason Gray wrote, “Norris will look to rebound from a subpar season in the Carolina League, where he hit .235 and slugged just .419.”

Truth be told, I actually thought there was more negative press about the 21-year-old. However, we still have two authors who walked away unimpressed with the power that Norris displayed in 2010.

Quick explanation: Keith Law wrote in a recent chat transcript that it isn’t uncommon for hitters to take a year to a year-and-a-half to recover their power stroke after a hamate injury. I have read that similar power-sapping can occur with wrist injuries. The hamate bone is, from my non-medical opinion, a part of the wrist, and as such, Derek Norris’ power-sapping should not have been too much of a surprise.

Norris also suffered a minor concussion when he was hit in the head by a “96 mph fastball,” which Norris admitted took him a fair amount of plate appearances to bounce back from. This is something his month-by-month statistics show as this was the only full month where Norris posted an OPS under .830 (keep this number in mind for later). Even his playoff-shortened month of September had Norris posting an OPS of .865 (if my math is correct).

Of course, we don’t want to eliminate Norris’ month of June all together, but we can see that something might not have been right that month—and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that it had to do with his having just taken a fastball to the head.

Neither of which is the point. The point here is that Norris didn’t really have that bad a season. In fact, his power numbers as they are would suffice in the big leagues.

Consider where he would stand with those numbers at the show. These numbers I am speaking of are the end of season line of an .838 OPS and an ISO of .184.

Among catchers with 390 plate appearances (Norris had 387) there are 20 qualified catchers, five of whom posted an OPS higher then Norris’ .838, while six put up an ISO over Norris’ .184.

In other words, if Norris’ numbers translated cleanly to major league baseball, he suffered a serious hand injury and a concussion, and we’re still looking at a top-five or top-six hitting catcher in baseball. Keep in mind Norris is also putting in a conscious effort to be a better defensive catcher, something we all know a guy like Jorge Posada could care less about.

Derek Norris is one of my favorite prospects and should be one of yours, as well. Keep his name in mind over the next 20 months or so because he’ll be making a splash in Washington while Stephen Strasberg is making a push for his first Cy Young award.

Quick question, is the catcher position getting “deep?” There are a fair number of highly regarded youngsters that are already in the majors, and we should see another handful or so in the next year.

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Now that baseball’s version of LeBron James has signed his $10 million dollar deal,  the waiting game is officially over.

Late last week, Bryce Harper: SI cover boy, made his debut in the Instructional League.

There is not much that can be said that already hasn’t.

Harper is a phenom for now, and only time will tell if this new version of the “next big thing” can live up to all the hype.  

Why all the fuss? How about the home run display that he put on at Tropicana Field, launching home runs over 500 feet—or a .448 avg, 31 big flies, and 98 RBI while attending the College of Southern Nevada this past season.

Those you that have been following Harper, or the game itself, have seen or heard these stories numerous times.  Unfortunately, sports fans love these types of scenarios.

The pressure has been on Harper since before he was a teenager and all through high school, where he hit .626 with 14 homers and 55 RBI in his sophomore year. 

With all of that said, how did Harper do in his professional debut?  Obviously, he went 4-4 with four long balls…not quite. Harper went a pedestrian 0-for-2, which is probably not the worst thing that can happen.

Harper has been accustomed to success his whole life, yet baseball is game where failure is commonplace.

If Harper can deal with the scrutiny, the press, and the unbelievable demand for perfection, this 17-year-old should be just fine!

This article can be found on The GM’s Perspective

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I came across an article on AOL Fanhouse today about Washington Nationals’ super-prospect Bryce Harper that I found interesting.

AOL Fanhouse scout Frankie Piliere believes Harper is not ready for the very competitive Arizona Fall League.

For those of you not familiar with the Arizona Fall League, it’s a league for the some of the top prospects in the game. Some of their games are on the MLB Network, and they are worth the watch.

While Piliere sees some holes in Harper’s offensive game, he had this to say about the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 Draft: “His raw power is as good as I have ever seen in a player his age, his physical strength and maturity at the plate are beyond his years and he has a chance to be a very strong defender in right field… From what I saw this week, he is an elite talent, but an elite talent that has much to learn.”

So before the “bust” word comes out, I think we need to put this in perspective. Harper is still just 17 years old and has a lot to learn as he goes through his development.

Remember, he played at the College of Southern Nevada. It’s not like he was playing in the Pac-10 or SEC and facing elite competition at the college level. Going from the College of Southern Nevada to the fall instructional league is a massive difference.

Harper will be a very good major league hitter. He won’t get there next year or probably the year after. He will eventually get there, and when he does, he will be a force to be reckoned with.

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

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