By DjackESPN: "The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed on a six-year contract extension with center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, sources confirmed to ESPN's Jim Bowden. News of the agreement was earlier reported by the Tampa Bay Times, which said the deal could be worth over $50 million. Kiermaier, 26, hit .246 with 12 home runs and 37 RBIs last season for the Rays. What he might lack in power, Kiermaier makes up for in with his defensive metrics. The winner of two consecutive Gold Gloves, Kiermaier led all center fielders last season with a defensive WAR of 3.0." Kevin Kiermaier lands a solid long term extension with the team that drafted him, the Tampa Bay Rays. Kiermaier is a relic theses days, a player that's sole value is being a defensive force. Kiermaier without a doubt is the best defensive center fielder in all of baseball. His reaction time, his ability to track the ball while in full sprint, and his incredible ability to make insanely athletic plays are what makes him a guru with a glove. Even though he takes away a significant amount of hits with the way he plays the field, are his offensive numbers bad enough to make him a liability in the lineup?
Rays signed Kiermaier to a 6 year extension, so obviously they're sold on him being their center fielder for the foreseeable future. He'll probably also be their lead off hitter, except the thing is he's not much of a hitter. If he can keep his OBP above .330, his average around .260, and steal 25+ bases this could be an all time signing by the Rays. I mean the Yankees are paying Jacoby Elisbury more than double for the same offensive production and less defensive production, so the Rays could've done much worse. By DjackThe wild redhead with the flowing locks of fire is no more, Clint Frazier, has chopped the locks in preparation of joining the New York Yankees. For as long as I can remember the Yankees have had the clean-cut policy that George Steinbrenner started way back when, and I've never questioned it once. Sure it seems to be a little overbearing and outplayed, but when the Yankees keep a tradition alive that's worked for so many years, why change it. Sure, having beautiful flowing hair is every baseball players dream, you know what else is every baseball players dream, playing for the New York Yankees, so it's no surprise Frazier was willing to man up and shave off his mane. Here's the photo the Yankees sent out of Frazier getting his head shaved this morning: Couple things about this picture. One, it doesn't look like he's shaving his head, or even cutting his hair as short as George would've liked. It looks like he's just cutting it to the point of the fan not being able to notice he's got longer hair, he's simply just cutting off the back flow, at least that's what it looks like from this picture. It may just be an early shot into the process, so who knows, we'll have to wait until we see him with his hat off at some point today. Regardless, I respect the steps he has taken regarding his hair. When he was first traded to the Yankees he made a statement by sending out this picture to social media: Unfortunately for Frazier, his definition of a haircut and the Yankees were vastly different. He still had flow it just wasn't nearly as long and the media kept bringing it up, and it was beginning to become a distraction. What does Frazier decide to do, put the whole thing to rest by getting it chopped off. Good man, showing early into his tenure here he's got the juice to make it in New York. He knows he's here to be a baseball player, not a flow icon. I'm sure he would've loved to be both, however that's just not in the cards when your playing for a franchise that eats, breathes, and sleeps winning World Series trophies.
By DjackYesterday, I wrote a blog about David Price going to get the 2nd opinion and how the Red Sox are about to run into shit luck the rest of the season(Read Here). Well, the exact opposite happened, by some miracle David Price got out of this situation unschathed. Usually, whenever you go to see Dr.James Andrew for a second opinion it means one thing, your arm is fucked. David Price though, he just needs 7-10 days rest and he'll be all better. Red Sox, once again kick me in the nuts as they've done so often recently.
Price may not need the surgery, but something is wrong, and whatever it is as long as it causes him to pitch less effectively I'm perfectly okay with it. Something tells me this won't be the last we hear about Price's elbow this season, and something also tells me it'll come up as an excuse early into the year when he doesn't meet expectations. Red Sox fans may have won the battle this time, somehow getting lucky enough to get past Dr.James Andrew second opinion without detrimental news to the organization, however this war is far from over. 3/2/2017 David Price Getting 2nd Opinion on His Elbow is the Beginning of the Red Sox DownfallRead NowBy DjackThe regular season is a month away and the Red Sox downfall has already begun. The Red Sox are coming into this season with enormous expectations, with the addition of Chris Sale this offseason the Red Sox are officially in World Series or bust mode. David Price, who they signed to a huge contract the prior offseason, is the second best pitcher behind Chris Sale in the Red Sox stacked starting rotation, now it looks like Price could miss some serious time. Anytime a pitcher goes for a 2nd opinion the outcome is never a good one. If Price is out for an extended period of time that would be a big blow to the Red Sox rotation, obviously, however it would not be a devastating one. If Price has to miss the entire season that could be a very painful blow, he's a pitcher they'll definitley miss come September and October.
Price was awful at the beginning of last season, he had just signed a monster deal with the Red Sox, and then he looked like he was going to turn out to be a Carl Crawford like signing. It took a little longer than Red Sox fans might've hoped for, but Price eventually got back to his old ways beginning to dominate for the most part towards the end of last season. Here's why the Red Sox fan base shouldn't freak out too much. Let's say worst case scenario Price is out for the year. The starting rotation will then be Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, Drew Pomeranz, Steven Wright, Eddy Rodriguez, that's still a damn good staff. Also, I know I said the Red Sox will miss Price in October, will they really though? Price has been awful in the postseason throughout his career, he's 2-8 with a 5.54 ERA, he's certainly no Curt Schilling in the postseason. I really don't think this injury will be all that detrimental to the Red Sox regardless the outcome, although I do believe it's a sign of things to come for this season. The Red Sox have very very high expectations this season, and I don't think they're made for the hype. A lot of young talent on this team, a few savvy vets as well, a premiere pitching staff, and a lights out closer, what could possibly go wrong. Seems like the Red Sox got a lot going for them, a lot to be excited about, but you still got to play the games. Let's see if the rotation lives up to hype, let's see if the young guns can continue to progress at astonishing pace, let's see if the vets can continue playing at a high level, and let's see if you can bring home another championship. Oh wait, lets not forget... David Ortiz is gone. Have the Red Sox won a World Series post-curse without Ortiz? No, they haven't for those of you that don't know. David Ortiz was the Red Sox kryptonite to the curse, and now that he's gone the Red Sox will never be the same. Question it all you want, you'll begin to see it with your own eyes soon enough. Let the bad luck begin, well, it kinda already has. By DjackHere we go again, it's a month before the season and it already looks like David Wright is going to miss some time to start the season. It is now being reported that David Wright has a shoulder injury and is headed back to New York where he will workout/rehab for the remainder of spring training. The hope is he will be back for the start of the regular season, yet I don't think anyone is gullible enough to buy into that. Wright will miss the first two weeks of the season minimum and end up playing 3 to 4 games a week for the entire season, that's best case scenario. If this injury snowballs into something bigger and he starts missing more and more time, is it then time for Wright to call it quits?
Wright has a serious spinal stenosis diagnosis, a debilitating effect on the body, and the preparation he has to put into getting onto the field everyday is twice as much as what anyone else has to do. He's doing all of this to get his one shot at glory, he deserves it too, he wants to give the World Series run one more shot, and that's exactly what he is doing. He was on the Mets when they were garbage all those years, he stuck around, took less money, was a true Met through and through, and now he feels like he deserves to be paid back with this opportunity to play for a World Series with this exciting team the Mets have. Will Wright be detrimental to their hopes at getting to a title, though. Wright couldn't throw a baseball at spring training before his shoulder injury, he was so god damn awful they wouldn't let him be seen throwing in public, that's when you know it's bad. How can you play third base and not be able to make that throw, he won't be able to play the position without killing his team defensively. Wright should retire after this season regardless of what happens, how long can he realistically put himself through this, giving the Mets anywhere from 50-70% of the player you used to be, and that's when he can actually stay on the field. Wright has every right to take one more season of handicapping the Mets, and trying to get the World Series ring that he definitely deserves, but to keep coming back would just end up hurting the Mets more than it could help. Regardless of what happens this season, I say this will be David Wright's last season in the MLB. |
Details
AuthorDjack- Chief editor Archives
April 2018
Categories |