A little over a year ago things were looking sunny for Brandon Laird.  He was fresh off an MVP season in the Double-A Eastern League thanks to a .291/.355/.523 line (.383 wOBA), 47 XBH, 23 HR, 90 RBI [...]

Source: http://www.yankeeanalysts.com/2012/02/brandon-laird-forgotten-infielder-38669

Lefty Gomez Lefty Grove Carl Yastrzemski Frank Robinson Juan Marichal

Cash says move is likely more for ’13 as opposed to ’12.

— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) February 22, 2012

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Baseball is almost upon us.

For those who don’t follow hockey or basketball, spring training is a very exciting time.

And for Yankee fans all over, they can’t wait for the Bombers to return to the Bronx to kick off the 2012 season.

Pitchers and catchers have reported, and the position players will follow suit to report as well to Tampa.

On Wednesday, the Yankees made another move to ensure their bullpen has more depth to it in 2012.

According to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, the Yankees have signed former closer  David Aardsma.

Yankees sign former SEA closer David Aardsma to $500k MLB deal.

— Mark Feinsand (@BloggingBombers) February 22, 2012

Aardsma’s deal is for $500,000 and is a major league deal, not a minor-league one, so it looks like Aardsma is expected to be on the team when he returns from injury.

Aardsma missed the entire 2011 season recovering from Tommy John Surgery back in July of 2011.

Before the surgery, Aardsma had two fine seasons as the Seattle Mariners‘ closer.

In 2009, he was 3-6 with a 2.52 ERA with 38 saves in 71.1 innings.

In 2010, he was 0-6 with a 3.44 ERA with 31 saves in 49.2 innings.

With Joba Chamberlain still recovering from Tommy John Surgery, the loss of Luis Ayala to free agency, Hideki Okajima failing his physical and being released and Pedro Feliciano likely out until September, the Yankees could use a few more reinforcements in the bullpen.

Cory Wade will return after having a solid 2011 season and the team will have Clay Rapada, Ceasar Cabral and Manny Delcarmen all fighting for bullpen spots in spring training.

The back end of the bullpen is pretty well set with Rafael Soriano, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera geared for the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

But I like the signing of Aardsma. He’s a hard thrower whose fastball is right around the 94-95 miles per hour range and can strike a lot of guys out in big spots.

Plus, if he’s healthy and recovered from the surgery, he could really give the Yankees another quality arm in their bullpen.

I think this will be one of those under-the-radar, but really quality signings for the Yankees when the 2012 season hits.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1076289-new-york-yankees-sign-former-closer-david-aardsma-for-bullpen-depth

Willie McCovey Lou Gehrig George Brett Hank Aaron Harry Heilmann

Now that Burnett is speaking from his embarrassing exile in Pittsburgh, it’s become clear—at least to me—that delusion played a role during his tenure in pinstripes as well.

A.J. Burnett is speaking out and, in doing so, has actually managed to blame the Yankees for his poor performance while with the team. Burnett claims that Yankees tinkered with him too much and therefore it messed up his delivery, mechanics or his psyche.

Burnett has conveniently managed to avoid blaming himself for anything—hence the delusion.

Personally—as a Yankees fan—I always assumed he was just another headcase that could not handle New York. It happens—just ask Javier Vasquez. One would be hard pressed to blame Burnett if that were the case.

However, Burnett’s problem was not that simple.

To be fair to A.J. Burnett—before I light him up at the end of this article—he is partially correct. The Yankees made a few monumental mistakes when it came to Burnett and his time in New York.

Yes, they signed him to a ridiculous contract, one which Burnett lacked the ability to live up to.

Yes, the Yankees’ poor planning forced Burnett—a fourth or fifth starter at best—to attempt to exceed his threshold of talent in order to step up and assume a mantle—that of a number two starter—which his ability would not allow. 

Do the Yankees have this overinflated opinion of their organization in that they believe they have the ability to fix anyone and make them better just because they don the pinstripes?

Yes.

But at the end of the day, Burnett—and Burnett alone—is the one that could not even meet his own mediocre standards of a career .500 pitcher.

Was he tinkered with too much, as he contends?

Yes.

Is that a bad thing? Not when you spend nearly 90 million dollars and have the right to at least expect .500 ball and fail to get it.

Was that the reason for his poor performance?

No.

Burnett’s excuses—aside from being one-sided and laughable—appear to make it sound as if he was some kid fresh out of the minors, still impressionable and one that was taken advantage of by the big, bad Yankees of New York.

The man was a seasoned veteran—an adult.

His argument has some weight—not much, but some—but the real problem with Burnett and his time as a Yankee can be found simply by looking in the nearest mirror.

Someone needs save A.J. Burnett from his own deluded opinion of himself and his abilities in order for him to simply live up to his average standard from this point forward in his career.

A.J. Burnett seems to forget that prior to coming to New York, he was a career .500 pitcher with a slightly overweight ERA.

Burnett is the perfect definition of someone trying to make a stellar career from one spectacular season while ignoring the majority of what is simply an average career at best.

One season of 18 wins is just that…one season. Burnett needs to get over that and stop drinking his own Kool-Aid.

Burnett actually believes he is better than his numbers indicate and that is the real problem with this cat. He’s the kind of pitcher that wants to stay in the game after being spotted 13 runs while giving up seven.

Burnett forgets that he was considered an above-average pitcher with “nasty” stuff that either he could not harness completely or one that was betrayed by an offense that simply failed to support him with runs—each excuse dependent upon whom one asked.

By all accounts, Burnett seemed like a pitcher that could benefit from being on a team with a great offense, a decent rotation and one that had an excellent pitching coach that could bring out his best.

The Yankees—at the time he signed with them—fit that description.

However, over the course of his career in pinstripes, hope and promise gave way—as they often do—to reality.

Burnett was, is and always will be exactly what his career numbers indicate. 

Despite the offense, despite the talents surrounding him on the mound and in the clubhouse, A.J. Burnett was, is and will always be a career .500 pitcher with nasty stuff that he—and he alone—could not consistently harness.

In Pittsburgh, Burnett has the chance to simply pitch without major expectations. 

He has the chance to relax without needing to be a savior. He is pitching for the Pirates, whose fanbase does not expect him to be Cy Young, nor do they expect the team to win the World Series every year. 

None of that will matter if Burnett continues to live in denial about his ability.

He could be a winner in Pittsburgh, but no matter what success he may find there, it will always be tempered with the fact that it’s a smaller market in an easier league. It does not matter what numbers he posts above his career numbers; Burnett’s legacy is already etched in baseball stone.

Burnett needs to come to an understanding that while in New York, the Yankees did indeed make the road he had to travel a little more bumpy than necessary, but the reality of Burnett is that he himself was, is and always will be the problem.

Until Burnett stops living in this fantasy world where he believes he is better than his numbers indicate, his time in Pittsburgh will be just as hard as it was in New York.

Burnett must come to grips with the reality of his skills versus the legend he has created for himself in his mind.

I hope he does well in Pittsburgh, but until he gets over himself and accepts his role for his failures and stops blaming everyone else around him, I expect his poor performance tour to continue.

I understand that Burnett might be currently embarrassed about being traded from the Yankees to the Pirates—the equivalent to trading in a Rolls Royce for a Moped—and that he might be ticked off about being traded for two low-tier prospects.

However, that is no excuse for casting blame on an entire organization—one that continued to give him chances—for his own failings.

Burnett simply does not get it.

I doubt he ever will.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1076575-new-york-yankees-aj-burnett-is-living-in-a-deluded-fantasy-world-of-denial

Zack Greinke Carl Crawford Tim Lincecum David Wright Grady Sizemore

With the 2012 season just around the corner, the time is now to take an obligatory look at who might be hitting the market this winter. These guys are in their contract years, meaning they could be in for career years in order to make themselves some more money.

Today, we’ll be looking at the pitching crop of the 2013 free agent class.

Keep in mind that this list does not include pitchers with 2013 options. You will not find Dan Haren, James Shields or Joakim Soria on here.

This list will rank the 20 best pitcher who are certain to be free agents. Please note that they are in no particular order.

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Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1075505-mlb-free-agency-early-look-at-th-20-best-pitchers-on-the-market-next-winter

Frank Robinson Juan Marichal Warren Spahn Pie Traynor Roberto Clemente

For the time being, that is.

“San Francisco’s rotation won a World Series,” Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers said Tuesday. “Ours hasn’t done that yet.”

True. But his starters are closing the gap. And very soon, the Giants’ tenuous edge may disappear altogether.

After all, the Diamondbacks – not the Giants – are the defending division champions. San Francisco fans argue a healthy Buster Posey would have changed last year’s outcome. That may be. But Arizona’s resurgence in 2011 – while sudden – was not a fluke. In fact, the franchise is better positioned now than at any other time since winning three division titles and one World Series between 1999 and 2002.

The Diamondbacks have one of the sturdiest starting staffs in baseball, with Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, Trevor Cahill and Joe Saunders coming off 200-inning seasons. Of the group, only Saunders is older than 27. Kennedy won 21 games last year and finished fourth in the NL Cy Young Award voting – ahead of all the San Francisco stars.

Cahill is the newcomer, having arrived with reliever Craig Breslow from Oakland in a December trade. Cahill admits to losing focus and pitch command during a 2011 season in which his ERA swelled to 4.16, but Towers believes the right-hander’s hard sinker will translate into ground-ball outs at hitter-friendly Chase Field. And Towers trusts the bromide that moving from the American League to National League can shave a pitcher’s ERA by half of a run.

Hudson learned of the Cahill deal while on his honeymoon in Bora Bora and was so ecstatic that he sent out a celebratory tweet – without his bride’s knowledge. (“I even had to pay for the Internet,” Hudson said.) Towers’ reputation as a pitching guru contributed to Hudson’s enthusiasm for the deal. To be acquired by Towers is to earn membership in pitching’s Phi Beta Kappa Society.

“I hope he didn’t make a mistake,” Cahill quipped.

The appeal of the Diamondbacks’ rotation is equal parts quantity and quality – which is why they can outpitch the Giants. Josh Collmenter should retain the No. 5 starter’s role in which he excelled last year. Wade Miley, a left-hander who performed capably in seven starts last season, is an excellent insurance policy. Big arms Tyler Skaggs, Trevor Bauer, Patrick Corbin and Charles Brewer could arrive in the majors soon – perhaps this year.

Manager Kirk Gibson did his best to sound matter-of-fact in discussing the prospects’ throwing sessions Tuesday. But he couldn’t deny the optimism, either. “They’re good,” Gibson said. “They’ve prepared, obviously. You don’t want to get too excited. They threw the ball good. … We like our depth, our talent. I like our guys. That’s why they’re here.”

“What we have right now is good enough to win,” Hudson said, “but we have a line of guys ready to step in if someone goes down.”

The early spring news has had a much different tenor in the Giants’ camp, some six miles south: Tim Lincecum missed a Tuesday bullpen session due to a stiff back, while Ryan Vogelsong suffered a more serious back injury and is out for at least the first two weeks of spring training.

The Giants can ill afford to have Lincecum or Vogelsong – let alone both – at anything less than full strength. Both ranked among the majors’ top 10 pitchers last season in ERA, and the Giants don’t have the Diamondbacks’ depth to summon from the minor leagues.

Zack Wheeler was the Giants’ top pitching prospect one year ago, but he was traded to the New York Mets for Carlos Beltran in July. Then the Giants dealt left-hander Jonathan Sanchez to Kansas City during the offseason, removing a mercurial but talented arm from the rotation.

If Vogelsong is forced to begin the season on the disabled list – which is a possibility – then Barry Zito will become the No. 4 starter while the unproven Eric Surkamp (or a candidate to be named later) moves into the fifth spot.

In that event, the Diamondbacks would become the clear division favorites – if they aren’t already. They won 94 games last season – four more than the eventual world champion Cardinals – and are stronger now in the rotation, bullpen and lineup. During an offseason in which considerable talent flowed out of the NL, the Diamondbacks unquestionably improved themselves with Cahill, Breslow, reliever Takashi Saito and outfielder Jason Kubel.

This is also the team’s second full season under the hyper-focused Gibson, who last spring explained the proper technique to take out a catcher at the plate – by showing the players an old photo of himself pancaking Pat Borders.

“I don’t want to get carried away with last year, but it’s enabled us to come in with confidence,” Gibson said. “They learned how to focus. They know what to expect. Last year was all new. Things are much more, I guess, stable now. We know what we’re doing. We don’t have to spend as much time on some of the things we did last year. They embraced it during the season.

“They have an attitude of unfinished business. It was a fun year, yet we fell far short. They all understand it, the price it takes.”

Pitching is part of that price. And in that regard, the Diamondbacks are wealthy indeed.

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/d_backs_have_pitching_to_again_rule_west/10056238

Evan Longoria Prince Fielder Mark Teixeira Ian Kinsler Matt Holliday

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/red-sox/post/_/id/16664/video-will-bobbys-approach-work

Carl Hubbell Dave Winfield Jackie Robinson Ken Griffey, Jr. Al Simmons

The Miami Marlins are welcoming their pitchers and catchers, which means one thing for you, fantasy owners, the research is long overdue. 

If you are going to dominate your war room and take on all comers, it starts with identifying the sleepers before spring training uncovers what we already know. 

Sanchez is just one of a few players that will light up Rotisserie Leagues with solid and consistent play all season long. Fantasy baseball is the best game around and it’s players like Sanchez that make it a breeze. 

Here are some sleepers to target for late-round domination. 

Anibal Sanchez

The Miami Marlins have a high-risk, high-reward rotation. There are some volatile fireballers in the mix, some with durability issues. 

There is no doubt that Sanchez will have to play a big part of the Marlins pitching success in 2012. He will fight Ricky Nolasco and Carlos Zambrano for the No. 3 spot and is my favorite to win it by the end of spring training. 

The 27-year-old settled in at a 3.67 ERA and had 202 strikeouts. He is at the age where he should hit his high soon. Expect a boost to wins with a star-studded lineup giving him far more run support this season. 

Aroldis Chapman

The Reds pitcher will once again enter the season as a sleeper ready to bust out as an ace. I am confident he will actually live up to his promise this time around. 

The Chicago Sun-Times reports Dusty Baker will try to get the most out of his pitcher this spring. He will get a ton of time as a starter and will show that he can corral the heat and throw strikes. 

With another season of maturity, Chapman will go from wild thing to ace. 

Javy Guerra

We have two starters for the sleeper pile, but our favorite reliever to target is Dodgers pitcher Javy Guerra. 

The Dodgers will open up camp with Guerra as the closer, according to NBC Sports, and he should hold onto that title through the year. 

Guerra finished the season with a 2.31 ERA and 21 saves. He was nearly lights-out after relieving Broxton of his duties, saving 21 of 23 attempts. This is a budding closer that will deal you a bevy of saves. 

Follow @gabezal

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1075401-fantasy-baseball-sleepers-2012-anibal-sanchez-and-more-crucial-players-to-draft

Jim Palmer Cy Young Eddie Mathews Honus Wagner Paul Waner

Juan Marichal Warren Spahn Pie Traynor Roberto Clemente Harmon Killebrew

His intention was to gain weight, add some strength to his thermometer-thin body, maybe avoid the nagging injuries that have oft-interrupted his Cincinnati Reds pitching career.

So he hooked up with a nutritionist in Newport, Ky., Brian Wieferins.

In four weeks, Bailey went from 204 pounds to 227 pounds.

And it wasnt like I was eating at McDonalds, he said with a laugh. I was eating everything I could get my hands on, seven meals a day.

Six eggs for breakfast and two pieces of toast, he said. Fruit. Bunch of meat. Three sandwiches for lunch. The biggest steak I could find for dinner. Vegetables. It was a lot of fun.

And with every meal I had a milkshake, he added. It was pretty tough to do the first week, but I got used to it. He told me to eat until I couldnt eat anymore, but not to throw up or make myself sick.

I did it, put on weight, when I didnt think it could be done, said Bailey. Im at 225 right now and feel pretty good with it, feel really comfortable.

I dont feel any different, per se. I dont feel heavy when Im walking around or running, said the 6-3, 25-year-old right-hander, already in his sixth year of being in and out of the Reds rotation.

He was 9-7 last year with a 4.43 earned run average in 22 starts after missing the first month coming out of spring training with a shoulder impingement. And he was on the disabled list from May 28 to June 25 with a sprained right shoulder.

I know I dont feel heavy, if that makes any sense, he said of his added bulk.
It is kind of the theory that this might help me stay away from injuries. I dont feel this will hurt anything, hows that?

Bailey said Wieferins told him he could go from 207 to 218 or 222 in three weeks and Bailey said, No way. Then after four weeks I was at 227.

Literally, the first week was really tough, he said. Thats a lot of food per day. Once I got the routine down, it was pretty easy.

Of Baileys weight gain, manager Dusty Baker said, I didnt think anything about it. Only thing that matters to me is how he performs and if it is better and if he stays healthy with it.

Bailey, of course, is in competition for a rotation spot with newly acquired Mat Latos, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake and, maybe, Aroldis Chapman.

Chapmans immediate future is up in the air because the grand plan for him was foiled by a tired arm late last season.

Were going to stretch Chapman out to see, said manager Dusty Baker. We have to see if there is enough time to stretch him out far enough to be a starter. If there isnt time, or if there isnt quality, you can always back him up back into the bullpen.

We would have had an answer by now if things had gone according to plan Instructional League, Fall League, Puerto Rico. Things barely got through the Instructional League and early in the Fall League we had to shut him down. His arm wasnt ready to do that.

The Cuban Missile, who regularly touches 100 on the radar gun and sometimes reaches 105, was signed to be a starter but worked out of the bullpen as a set-up guy last year. In 50 innings over 54 games, Chapman was 4-1 with a 3.60 ERA with 41 walks and 71 strikeouts.

What happens if Chapman cant be stretched out? Will be return to the bullpen or be optioned to Class AAA Louisville to start down there?

It depends on our needs and Im not opposed to going with three lefties in the bullpen (Bill Bray, Sean Marshall and Chapman), not at all. Some of these decisions are mine, but not all my decisions only.

Without Chapman, the rotation would be all right handed but that doesnt perplex Baker.

I want the five best guys and if they are all right handed thats fine with me, said Baker. Id rather have a good right hander than a bad left hander in there.

Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/reds_p_bailey_bulks_up_to_prevent_injuries/10036894

Willie Keeler Pete Rose Robin Roberts Eddie Collins Lefty Gomez

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thescore/gettingblanked/~3/0jo9seaneSg/

Bob Gibson Brooks Robinson Steve Carlton Joe Medwick Nap Lajoie