Results tagged ‘ American League ’
Episode 39 – Season 2 – Over/Under: Battle For The Golden Jock
Three Up, Three Down is back at it for the Season 2 premiere, and what a better way to kick off the new season than with the 2nd Annual Battle for the Golden Jock. We’ll pick our Over/Under winners for the year and see if KP can defend his title.
Feel free to play along and let us know how you did!
Stay tuned in the coming weeks because we’ll be back in the swing of things with more podcasts and blog posts all season long.
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Grade That Trade! Royals Trying to Bolster the Rotation Edition
We have our first, legitimate off-season trade (Diamondbacks-A’s-Marlins swap was technically before the World Series ended), folks! In a move that proved the Kansas City Royals are serious about shoring up their starting rotation, they traded a minor league pitcher to the Los Angeles Angels for right-hander Ervin Santana on Tuesday.
Let’s break it down:
Royals Get:
SP Ervin Santana
Cash
Angels Get:
RP Brandon Sisk (Triple-A)
The Angels were expected to either trade Santana before the deadline for his $13 million option was up, or to trade him. They went with the latter and came away with a decent haul. You can never have enough bullpen depth, especially lefties. In Sisk, Los Angeles receives a young, impressive southpaw.
According to multiple scouting reports I read, Sisk has a great K to BB ratio, a 2.60 ERA in his minor league career, and averages 10 K/9. It looks to me like he projects as a lefty specialist in the Major Leagues, but a good one of those is invaluable.
Santana had been wearing out his welcome in Los Angeles anyway – the 29-year-old never lived up to his full potential in an Angels uniform, though he had flashes of brilliance. A no-hitter in 2011 helped keep him in favor for another season and a half, but for the $13 million price tag, he was easy trade bait.
For the Royals, this is a great pick up. I couldn’t find a figure on how much of the $13 million the Angels are picking up in the deal, but I’m assuming it’s going to be around $5 million at least to make it affordable for the smaller-market Royals. [UPDATE: The Angels sent just $1 million along with Santana, meaning the Royals are responsible for $12 million - very surprising to me. Severely limits KC's ability to test pitching market in free agency.]
Some dummy picked the Royals as a fringe playoff team in 2012 (okay, it was me) because I fell in love with their offense. Nothing has changed as far as the lineup is concerned; I’m still incredibly impressed with Billy Butler, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Alcides Escobar, Salvador Perez, and Alex Gordon. But what really killed the Royals this year was the pitching staff.
After trading away Melky Cabrera for Jonathan Sanchez before the season (oops), they made up for it partially by swinging Sanchez to Colorado for Jeremy Guthrie. He looked good for the Royals down the stretch, and kind of fits the mold like Santana. That is, a righty starter in his prime with dominant stuff that hasn’t quite put it all together.
The Royals are apparently going to let Guthrie test the free agent market, but I personally think they’d be smart to bring him back. He pitched well in Kansas City after coming over mid-season, and would pair nicely in the middle of the rotation with Bruce Chen and Santana.
With plenty of payroll room now that they declined their option on closer Joakim Soria (replaced admirably by Greg Holland), the Royals can spend a little bit on another starter. This blogger thinks they should try to make a play at Kyle Lohse.
I like the offense and bullpen in Kansas City, but I’d like to see them shore up the rotation even a little more. On paper, Chen, Santana, Luke Hochevar, Luis Mendoza and Chris Volstad is nothing to get excited about. But with Will Smith and Jake Odorizzi just waiting to claim permanent spots in the rotation (they might even win spots in Spring Training) and Felipe Paulino and Danny Duffy expected back from Tommy John in the second half, this rotation might be better than people expect in 2013.
Now, the Angels mostly got rid of Santana to clear up cap space to re-sign Zach Greinke. They’d also like to trade Dan Haren to clear even more room, and I’m sure they are exploring options for that right now. As an Angel fan, you’d have to like a top three of Greinke, Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson.
But, after signing Wilson and Albert Pujols to mega-deals before last season, the Angels were a major disappointment, finishing third in the AL West. They need to do something to fall back into favor with the fan base. No matter what, you have to expect the Angels will be gunning hard to make amends and reach the playoffs in 2013.
That being said, I think both teams made out evenly in the trade. Because question marks loom for both rotations, I’ll put them each around a B+, with room to move up depending on the rest of the wheeling and dealing the respective GM’s do.
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Episode 32 – Cardinals, Tigers, and Giants! Oh My!
Three Up Three Down is back to break down all the postseason action! We discuss our favorite Division Series and who we think will take the Championship Series all the way to the World Series. Not only that, Mapes turns the tables in our “Defend Yo Self” segment where the guys back up their Rookie of the Year and Cy Young picks. Let us know what you think!
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to the podcast!
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Twitter: @3U3D
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Enjoy!
Episode 28 – So A Brewer And A Philly Walk Into A Bar…
This week’s episode is quick and to the point. We discuss a bit about instant replay, Stephen Strasburg’s Innings Limit, and give you your Fantasy Baseball playoff push pickups. May you win all of your leagues! We also touch on the surging playoff races as the Brewers and Phillies are closing the gap for the Wild Card quickly.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to the podcast!
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Enjoy!
The All-”You Don’t Know Me But You WILL” Team: American League
Yesterday, we posted our All-”You Don’t Know Me But You WILL” team for the National League. Pay attention, because those guys are the ones who will make you look like a genius in future fantasy drafts.
They are the ones who will be the next Giancarlo Stanton. The next Mike Fiers. Young guys that aren’t known to the casual baseball fan but are absolutely ripping it up in 2012 and show big flashes of potential for the years to come.
You’ll thank us later, when you can tell your friends that you knew who Josh Rutledge was before anyone else and knew he would be an All-Star. Here is our American League version of the All-Unknown team – one stud you probably haven’t heard of yet, at each position:
Catcher: Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals (.312/11/45 in 89 games)
I can do this because – well, let’s be honest – nobody really cares about the Royals outside of Western Missouri. That being said, you should know who Perez is. The 22-year-old will be a huge part of that offense in K.C. for years to come.
1st Base: Chris Carter, Oakland A’s (.274/12/31 in 48 games)
Here’s another case of “unknown-by-location.” If Carter was on the Red Sox or Yankees, he would be a household name. Luckily for A’s fans, he plays in Oakland and all he does is hit the ball very, very far. He will hit 30 homers some day.
2nd Base: Ivan De Jesus, Boston Red Sox (.273/0/4 in 23 games with Boston and LA Dodgers)
Clearly, this was a very weak position for our team. That being said, I watched De Jesus a lot in Los Angeles and he’s got all the makings of an above-average Major League infielder. If the BoSox develop him right, he could be a .300/25 steals kind of guy.
3rd Base: Alex Liddi, Seattle Mariners (.231/3/10 in 31 games)
The Italian-born prospect has absolutely lit minor league pitching up, and though he struggled a bit in his call-up, I fully expect stardom in the next few years. He’s blocked in Seattle by Rookie of the Year candidate Kyle Seager though.
Shortstop: Pedro Ciriaco, Boston Red Sox (.336/2/16/10 for 10 SB in 46 games)
I just feel ridiculous including a Red Sox player here, but considering they aren’t in contention and are getting less national attention, some people might night know about the fantastic job Ciriaco has been doing in Boston this season.
Outfield: Moises Sierra, Toronto Blue Jays (.284/2/5 in 24 games)
This is going to be the Toronto Blue Jays show in the outfield. Get used to it. And Sierra is finally getting a shot at playing full-time with super star Jose Bautista injured. This 24-year-0ld outfielder needs a little seasoning but could turn into a 20/20 player.
Outfield: Jarrod Dyson (.270/0/9/25 out of 28 SB in 87 games)
Dyson is not on the big league club for his power bat. He is a terrific defender who steals bases at will. Look at those base-swiping numbers; with a full-time gig, Dyson could legitimately steal 50 bases in his prime.
Outfield: Anthony Gose, Toronto Blue Jays (.183/0/2/10 SB in 28 games)
I know the stats aren’t very good. But he stole 70 bases twice in the minor leagues. Gose just turned 22 and the Blue Jays know they have a future star in him. Give him another couple of months against Major League pitching.
Starting Pitcher: Samuel Deduno, Minnesota Twins (5-2/3.72/1.50 in 10 starts)
Deduno went 7 strong against Seattle in his most recent start, allowing no runs, no walks and striking out 9. But one start isn’t why he’s on this list. He has filthy stuff. The elder statesman on this list at age 29, Deduno might be a late-bloomer in Minnesota.
Relief Pitcher: Sean Doolittle, Oakland A’s (30.2 IP, 45 K, 3.23 ERA, 1.21 WHIP in 28 appearances)
Doolittle is doing a lot in Oakland for that magical Wild Card run they are attempting to make. The kid is only 25 and all he does is strike people out. A lot. Doolittle could be a future closer if he gets a little more sink on his breaking ball.
You’ll thank us when these guys become rich and famous and awesome in the next few years. Did we forget anyone? Snub your team’s young star? Let us know in the comments below, but remember it’s unknown players. So don’t yell at us for omitting someone like Will Middlebrooks or Manny Machado. Thanks!
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- Jeremy Dorn (@Jamblinman)
Episode 21 – Shots On Me
This week we do a few quick hits on the post All Star Game series’ around baseball and look forward to the ups and downs of the second half. Hope you enjoy it and keep listening!
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to the podcast!
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Enjoy!
Friday the 13th Special – Episode 20
We touch all the bases in this episode with All Star recaps, first half awards, and our predictions for what will happen in the second half. Tune in, especially if you like fish, because there’s a lot of talk about Trout.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to the podcast!
or use this link to download on iTunes
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=508049520
Twitter: @3U3D
Facebook: Three Up, Three Down
Enjoy!







