‘Chard Goes Yard

I think a lot of Mariners’ fans will see that Joe Borchard hit his fourth home run yesterday and start cursing Bill Bavasi’s name. However, if you take a closer look, you’ll realize that Borchard isn’t hitting well at all. I mean…he’s horrible. Seriously, I’m not going to mourn the loss of a guy who’s hitting .209/.321/.388. And really…would you rather have Matt Thornton back?

Other ex-Mariners of note…

Ken Griffey Jr.:             .245/.291/.489 through 94 AB for the Reds

Alex Rodriguez:            .291/.393/.547 through 179 AB for the Yankees

Omar Vizquel:               .309/.411/.442 through 165 AB for the Giants

Jason Varitek:               .232/.331/.377 through 138 AB for the Red Sox

David Ortiz:                  .271/.357/.564 through 181 AB for the Red Sox

Jeff Cirillo:                    .382/.424/.509 through 55 AB for the Brewers

Scott Spiezio:               .303/.406/.506 through 89 AB for the Cardinals

Randy Winn:                 .280/.355/.440 through 193 AB for the Giants

Miguel Olivo:                .258/.297/.475 through 120 AB for the Marlins

Rich Aurilia:                  .263/.330/.495 through 99 AB for the Reds

Mike Cameron:            .246/.333/.325 through 126 AB for the Padres

Justin Leone:                 .307/.394/.530 through 166 AB for the Portland Beavers

Triple True!

According to SABR’s awesome triple play research, the triple play that the M’s hit into last night was only the 4^th 4-3-5 triple play in baseball history and only the 5^th ever to take place in the Metrodome…

Last night, two probable first-rounders were battling for my attention. UW ace Tim Lincecum was pitching what could be his last college game and Jackson High’s Travis Snider was playing OF at Safeco Field in the 4A state championships. UW was fighting for a remote chance to get into the College Baseball World Series, but Jackson High in Mill Creek, WA is ranked #2 in the country. Not only do they have Snider, who is projected to go in the middle of the first round of the draft, but they have a pitcher named Cam Nobles -- another top prospect from the area.

I chose to go to Safeco Field and watch Jackson take on Tahoma. There was a pretty good crowd (about ¾ full in the lower level between the bases), but it was very poorly organized. The game started an hour later than it was supposed to and they only had one concession stand open. I waited in line for a hot dog for about 45 minutes. But, enough about that….let’s talk about baseball!

Listed at 6’0”, 220 lbs., the term “brick shithouse” was coined for Snider. It’s obvious why he used to be a running back for his high school football team…the kid’s a beast. Baseball America’s scouting report says that he’s a “below-average runner and fringe-average defender due to his modest throwing arm.” However, what I saw was a kid who is pretty fast -- especially for his size -- and one who is always hustling. He hit two groundballs last night and was sprinting to first base each time -- even sliding headfirst to try and beat one of the throws. And, twice last night, Snider took an extra base when Tahoma wasn’t paying attention. I can’t really think of an MLB player that Snider reminds me of, but I think he’ll be good. There’s talk that he’ll almost certainly be moved to 1B or DH as a pro, but I think with his work ethic and attitude, he could be a left fielder.

                           from Snider's MySpace page

I didn’t see much of Snider’s defense because Nobles was spectacular. He pitched a complete game (7 innings) and struck out 14! They weren’t running the radar gun, but he looked to have good heat and was embarrassing Tahoma hitters with his curveball.

                               from Nobles' MySpace page

Heading into the season, Baseball America ranked Nobles as the 80th-best prep in the country. However, he didn’t make their recent Top 200 list for draft-eligible players. It’ll be interesting to see where Nobles goes in the draft. Although Nobles has a commitment to UW, I don’t think signability will be a concern. On his MySpace page, he said, “My goal is to play professional baseball and hopefully this year me and Snides will be signin’ a fatty contract for some team.” Snider wants to play as well. On his MySpace page, he said, “Wssup wit it? I'm a baseball player and student at Jackson High School. Next year I’m about to play baseball at Arizona State unless I get drafted into the league. I’m just doin’ my thing, trying to get up out the place I came from. Trying to fatten my pockets and start a career in the one thing I have wanted to do with my life. Play in the big leagues.”

I’ll be watching…

On Wednesday, the NFL's "competition committee" decided that running back Reggie Bush couldn't wear #5 for the Saints, like he did at USC. Bush will now change to #25 because, according to the Washington Post, "[r]unning backs are required to wear numbers between 20 and 49. Since 1973, the only major change was made last year, when receivers were allowed to wear numbers in the teens because teams were running out of 80s in large part because of an increase in wide receivers and tight ends on rosters."

Why is this even an issue? And, what does it have to do with competition? I mean, why does it really matter if Bush wants to wear #5?

Sure, there are still some patterns within baseball for certain numbers being linked to certain positons. Infielders generally wear lower numbers, outfielders are oftentimes in the 20's and many pitchers wear numbers in the 40's and 50's. But, I'm glad that Josh Towers is allowed to wear #7 while another pitcher, Barry Zito, sports #75. It doesn't matter that Brandon Watson has #00 on his back, Casey Blake has #1, David Dellucci has #2, Reed Johnson has #3 and Tony Batista has #77. This shouldn't be an issue for the competition committee, because it doesn't affect the competition at all!

Oh well...just another reason why baseball is better than football!

Usually when I go to a ballgame, I'm pretty traditional. To start things off, I like getting a hot dog or sausage (outside the stadium of course!). I'll get some grilled onions or peppers on there and then sometimes put some mustard on it -- never ketchup!

One of the great things about Safeco is that you can bring in your own food. Whether you want to make some sandwiches or just buy a hot dog from one of the vendors on Occidental, you can bring in as much food as you want. If you're willing to walk a little ways for your food outside the stadium, I recommend Matt's Famous Chili Dogs down on Pier 52.

Drinks are more limited. According to the M's Web site, "No bottles, cans or outside beverages (including water/ice) are permitted in Safeco Field. Exceptions are made for guests with medical needs, baby bottles and unopened, soft-sided, single-serve containers (such as small milk cartons, juice boxes, etc.). Guests may bring in empty plastic sports bottles and fill them at any of the 75 drinking fountains located throughout the ballpark." However, I have a question about what qualifies for "medical needs." Are alcoholics allowed to bring in their own booze?

If you're trying to save money, it's a good idea to bring in your own food. However, once you're in the stadium, you have a lot of options. You can eat burgers, Mexican, Italian, Thai, Korean, sushi, barbeque, or Ivars. Although the prices can be brutal, there's a good variety and occasionally I'll stray from the traditional hot dog and get a burger, phad thai, a pork sandwich or some clams and chips.

As far as snacking goes, I try to bring in my own peanuts, kettle corn or candy. Garlic fries smell a lot better than they taste or feel the next morning and I'd rather pierce my eyelid with one of the skewers than pay $8 for five strawberries on a stick! If you want to bring in your own snack, I would like to recommend the best caramel corn ever. I was walking down University Way ("The Ave") during the UW street fair this weekend and there was a booth where they were passing out free samples of, what they called, the "best caramel corn in the world." So, I took a little cup and continued to walk down the street. Half a block later I realized that it was, in fact, the best caramel corn in the world and I stopped, went back, and bought a bag. I'm hooked!

Finally, here are a few things that I think could be improved about food inside Safeco…

-Add a real Starbucks! Um…hello…this is Seattle! Put a real Starbucks at Safeco! One where the baristas can make more than two different drinks!

-Bring back those little chocolate malts from the Kingdome days! Damn, I miss those things…

-Dicks! Kidd Valley sucks. I hope when their contract runs out, Dicks comes in and bids for a spot at the Safe. Wishful thinking, I know… (but probably less wishful than trying to get a White Castle west of Minnesota!)

Damn, all this talk about food is making me hungry! What do you like to eat at a ballgame?

Greg Reynolds is a junior pitcher for the Stanford Cardinal. In high school, Greg was a talented quarterback and pitcher. The big right hander is having a great season for Stanford (4-4 with a 3.45 ERA and 83 strikeouts and only 25 walks through 102.2 innings). Entering the 2006 season, Reynolds was named the 16^th-best college junior by Baseball America and BA’s Jim Callis recently predicted that Reynolds would be selected 4^th overall in the upcoming draft. Reynolds is very competitive on the mound and features a fastball in the low-90s with a much-improved breaking ball. Greg was generous enough to answer some questions for me via e-mail.

First off, can you please talk about yourself a little bit? Tell everyone where you grew up, a little about your youth baseball career and what made you choose to attend Stanford instead of signing with the Phillies out of high school.
Ok well, I grew up in Pacifica which is located on the northern California coast, and is just south of San Francisco. I started playing baseball when I was about 2 years old mostly because I watched my 4 older brothers play ever since I was a young child. I played for Pacifica National Little League and, conveniently, the field that I played on was only a 2-minute bike ride from my house. Because the field was so close to my home, I was always found hanging around the field, watching games or chasing foul balls.

My decision between Stanford and signing a professional contract was not easy. It was a dream come true for me to have the opportunity to play for Stanford. The campus is only a short, 35-minute drive from Pacifica, which allows my family to attend most of my home games. But when I was drafted by the Phillies, I had to choose between attending a very prestigious university/athletic program and a chance to start what had been my life-long dream. It definitely wasn't easy, but after talking to my family, I think it was easy to see that a person would be a fool to pass up the opportunity of getting a degree from Stanford. I have always valued my education and I wasn't going to waste all my hard work from high school that propelled me into the position to go to Stanford.

You had the opportunity to play in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the past two summers. Please tell me about that experience.
Playing in the Cape Cod Baseball League is an experience I consider to be one of my most memorable times of my life. You get treated like royalty out there. Everyone comes to the games and the fans are awesome. It creates such a great atmosphere to play baseball. Not to mention the fact that you get to meet so many great players from other colleges around the nation. I still talk to at least 6 or 7 of the guys on my team, and I consider them to be some of my closest friends.

This last summer was especially fun because I was able to attend a workout at Fenway Park. The Boston Red Sox invited a bunch of players from the league to come out and take batting practice on the field and throw a few bullpens in front of their scouts.

What has been the most memorable moment in your baseball career?
My most memorable moment was pitching at Baylor in the Waco Regional last year. It was about 95 degrees with about 93% humidity and we faced an elimination game against the CWS-bound Baylor Bears. I got to start that game and I turned in one of the best performances of my life. I pitched into the 12th inning, only giving up 3 runs and striking out 10. I came out for the12th and gave up a leadoff home run which ended the outing for me. I came away with such a great memory and even though we lost, I will never forget it.

In high school, you were also heavily recruited as a quarterback. What schools wanted you to choose football over baseball?
As a quarterback, I never got the same recognition that I did as a pitcher. But there were a bunch of schools that were interested in letting me play both. Probably the biggest school that had sincere interest was UCLA, but the firing of their head coach ended the recruiting process for football. After that, I never caught the eye of many other big schools.

What player have you played with or against that makes you say, "That guy is going places!"?

I've had the opportunity of playing with many great baseball players at Stanford and in the Cape. The one guy that makes me say, "This guy is going places" has to be Jed Lowrie. I played with Jed for two years at Stanford and I just loved watching how smooth he was. He has a sweet swing from both sides of the plate, and he has great hands in the infield. Another player worth mentioning is Brad Lincoln from the University of Houston. I played with him this summer and he can do it all. He was absolutely lights out on the mound this summer, and he's also a great hitter. He has to be one of the best two-way guys in the nation.

On a related note, who is the best hitter you've faced?

Last year, I faced Jacoby Ellsbury from Oregon State (who was selected by the Red Sox in the first round of the 2005 draft) and he was definitely one of the toughest hitters I've ever faced. He has great discipline at the plate and never gets caught cheating up there. Not to mention he'll hit just about anything you throw at him.

What is a specific part of your game that you are working to improve?
Currently, I am working on the command of my two-seam fastball. I want to be
able to locate it on both sides of the plate while still keeping the same sinking action.

How much time does your commitment to baseball take each week? How
do you keep up with classes? Will you complete your Public Policy degree?
Playing baseball at Stanford takes up a lot of my time, as I’m sure it does with any other student athlete. I'm up almost every morning at 7a.m., either lifting weights or running. After that, I usually have class around 9 or 10a.m. Usually I'm done by 12, then I eat lunch and practice usually starts at 1. I get back to my room around 5:30 and eat dinner. Then I do a little school work and go to bed. It’s a vicious cycle. I've actually changed my major to economics which is really tough and time consuming.
It’s hard to stay caught up with school work, especially when you're traveling so much. You just have to dedicate time and make sacrifices to ensure that you don’t get too far behind. I will probably be able to finish my degree right on time. Basically it all depends on the draft and if I leave after this year. If so, I will have to come back to school during the fall of ‘06, ‘07, and possibly the fall of ‘08 to completely finish my degree.

What is your conditioning regimen during the season and during the off-season? Is it difficult to maintain a healthy diet while you're in school?
In the fall, I usually run about 5 times per week and lift weights about 3 times per week. Basically, I want to be in the best shape of my life heading into the start of the season. Then when I get into the season, I cut down to running 3 times per week, and lifting twice a week. During the season, I just try to maintain what I achieved in the off-season. It is definitely difficult to maintain a healthy diet during the season. Most of the time you're so hungry because of how busy you are every day. I think everyone is guilty of a declining diet during their season.

Tell me a little about your lucky necklace. What does it look like? Why is it lucky? How long have you worn it?

My lucky necklace is gold and it is actually a pendant of Saint Christopher. My brother bought it for me as a graduation present from high school. It is supposed to protect me and I have worn it ever since I got it, so I guess it’s been over three years. I haven't taken it off yet and don’t plan to!

THE LIGHTNING ROUND…

Who is your favorite MLB team?
San Francisco Giants

Who is your favorite baseball player?
Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens

What is your favorite movie?
“Wedding Crashers,” “Bull Durham” and “Old School.”

What is your favorite band?
Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin

What is your favorite food?
In-N-Out Burger

I went to the ballgame tonight and it was a blast. I’m not going to write an extensive recap, but I do have a few things to say and a few pictures to share…

-Felix was awesome. He actually looked like Felix out there! Granted, it was against the D-Rays, but everyone has to be ecstatic with his performance. 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K? I’ll take that every time!

-Yesterday Beltre went 2-4 and tonight he went 2-4. When was the last time Beltre had back-to-back multi-hit nights? June 24th and 25th, 2005!

-Reed's catch was sweeeeeeeet! Too bad it happened too late to make it on Baseball Tonight's "Web Gems." Not that it really matters. The bigger issue here is that Reed should be playing everyday!

Apparently the scoreboard operators don’t know that Felix has switched numbers…

Oh, and I think I was sitting by David J. Corcoran…

RANDOM NOTES FROM THE DAY…

-Major league players can get rid of the new drug policies if they don't have a new labor contract by August 1^st. This could be interesting…

-MLB has approved the use of pink bats for Mother’s Day. More than 50 players, including Mark Teixeira, David Ortiz, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Adam Dunn, Marcus Giles, Manny Ramirez and Kevin Mench, will be using the bats to help raise money and awareness for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Awesome!

-Harold Reynolds just said on Baseball Tonight, “The Angels look old, they really do. You start looking at this team and they’re getting old, quick. It reminds me of the Mariners a couple years ago when all of the sudden they started getting a little bit older, right in front of your eyes.” Except…the Angels actually have a good farm system to keep the cycle going, when the M’s really didn’t. Thanks Pat Gillick.

-And this final note is just random. I was reading Rob Neyer’s Big Book of Baseball Lineups last night before going to bed. For some reason I was looking at the Twins’ chapter and saw that Neyer put David Ortiz on two Twins teams…“Homegrown” and “Biggest Busts.” Wrong and wrong!

Which AL Central first baseman is currently hitting .383/.424/.683 with nine doubles and nine home runs?

Jim Thome? Nope.

Thome’s been awesome - hitting .298/.460/.723 with four doubles and 12 HRs. But, he’s also making $14,166,667. My mystery man is only making $4,237,500.

Chris Shelton? Wrong again.

A former Rule 5 pick, Shelton started the season on a tear. He’s hitting .308/.380/.701 with six doubles and 10 longballs. And he’s only making $365,000.

Give up?

That’s probably because this is a trick question. The “player” putting up that line is actually two players - Ben Broussard and Eduardo Perez of the Indians. They’ve been platooning at 1B and have been crushing the ball. Will it hold up? Probably not - both are playing over their heads right now and a regression to the mean is inevitable. But, it just goes to show that the Indians are a very well-run franchise and platoons are awesome!

Yesterday, I showed you the raw data trying to figure out where prospects come from. I went through Baseball America's 2006 Prospect Handbook, charting where all 902 prospects came from (college, high school, international, etc.). However, not all prospects are created equally. So, I decided it would also be interesting to look at just the Top 100 prospects (as defined by Baseball America) and see if there is about the same distribution. Here is a PDF of where BA's Top 100 prospects come from...

Prospect Pie 2.pdf (37.6 KB)

As you can see, 48% of the Top 100 prospects come out of high school. Of the 902 prospects in the book, only 31% are from high school. How do the other categories compare? Let’s see!

So, more guys coming out of the high-school ranks are listed in BA’s Top 100 prospect list, but more prospects, overall, come out of D-I colleges. This makes sense. We know that college players are the safer bet to make it to the majors - but high school guys oftentimes have the higher ceiling.

The Junior College and Community College numbers still surprise me. There’s a lot of good talent coming from very small schools. Many of the JuCo guys are draft-and-follow projects (which I’ll look into later), but still…it’s pretty impressive. Don’t believe me that there’s good talent coming out of junior colleges? Tell that to the pride of Maple Woods Community College – Mr. Albert Pujols.

While flipping through my Baseball America 2006 Prospect Handbook and thinking about the upcoming MLB draft, I got to wondering, ‘Where do prospects come from?’

“We come from France!”

Um…not so much.

But seriously, where do prospects come from? I could probably find a breakdown somewhere online. But sometimes, I just like to get down and dirty and do the work myself. It’s fun and I think I learn more that way. So, I spent several hours going through the book, page-by-page, and tallying the results of where all 902 prospects in the book (30 prospects per team X 30 teams + Justin Upton and Mike Pelfry – who weren’t signed when the book was released) came from. The results surprised me. See for yourself…

 Prospect Pie.pdf (39.51 KB)

As you can see, 66% come from high school and D-1 colleges. That’s not really what surprised me. The numbers that surprised me were the numbers for Junior College guys and players from the Dominican Republic / Venezuela. I expected the numbers for the Latin American players to be a bit higher, and I didn’t think the JuCo guys would be the third-largest group.

This post is to just get the raw data out there for you to see. I plan to do a few more posts that will break this down a little further and look a bit more closely as to where prospects are coming from.

A couple things to note for clarification…

-A few players were NDFA (non-drafted free agents), so I just looked at where they came from and lumped them in with that class. For example, Vinny Rottino was signed by the Brewers as a NDFA, but he came from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, so he was put into the group of Division III players.

-The “other countries” category includes the following: Australia (8), Taiwan (5), Columbia (4), Cuba (4), Curacao (3), Korea (2), Netherlands (2), Panama (2), Japan (1), & Mexico (1).

Drew Stubbs is a junior centerfielder for the University of Texas Longhorns. Drafted by the Houston Astros in the third round of the 2003 draft, Stubbs instead decided to attend the University of Texas. During his time there, the five-tool player has shined. Viewed as one of the best position players in this year’s draft class, Stubbs has achieved many great things during his time as a Longhorn – both on and off the field. He was named a freshman All-American by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball, and he played on Team USA that summer. During his sophomore year, Stubbs was Texas’ starting center fielder in all 72 games, and he hit .311/.484/.527 and the Longhorns won the College World Series. Stubbs again played for Team USA last summer and was named a pre-season, first-team All-American by Baseball America heading into the 2006 season. This year, Stubbs continues to shine, as he’s currently hitting .339/.438/.612. with 11 home runs and 19 stolen bases. In addition to his awesome power/speed combo, Stubbs plays excellent defense in centerfield and will almost surely be a first round draft pick this June. Drew took some time away from his busy schedule to answer a few questions for me, via e-mail. Here is what he had to say…

                   TexasSports.com

Hey Drew, can you please talk about yourself a little bit? Tell everyone where you grew up, a little about your youth baseball career and what made you choose to attend the University of Texas instead of signing with the Astros out of high school.

I grew up in Atlanta, TX.  It is a small town of about 6000 people in the northeast corner of the state. I began playing baseball when I was 6, and I have played every year since. I played in a local league until I was 13, and then I began playing select and traveled around. I wanted to go to Texas because I have always valued a college education. When the money didn't match what I was looking for, it was an easy decision.

You have had the opportunity to play for Team USA twice now. Please tell me about those experiences.

Team USA was a great experience. To be able to represent my country is one of the best honors I've ever had. I got to meet a lot of great guys from all over the country and was able to bond with them throughout the summer.

What was it like when your first baseball card was released? Did you collect cards when you were growing up?

I was very excited when my first card came out. I collected thousands of cards growing up and still have the majority of my collection, I believe. It was fun to see kids from my home town and other people I knew getting my cards and asking me to sign them.

What player have you played with or against that makes you say, "That guy is going places!"?

I have played with a few guys that made me feel this way.  Playing for Team USA, you see a lot of guys who get drafted really high. Alex Gordon was the 2nd overall pick last year and will be a great big leaguer. Ryan Zimmerman and Joey Devine have already made the majors. There are many more that have bright futures as well.

On a related note, who is the best pitcher you've faced?

I can't put my finger on a particular pitcher, but guys like Ricky Romero from Cal St. Fullerton, Mark McCormick from Baylor, and Philip Humber from Rice were all very tough.

What is a specific part of your game that you are working to improve?

I feel that as a baseball player, you can always improve in all aspects of your game. I'm not working right now on one particular part of my game, just on getting better overall.

How much time does your commitment to baseball take each week? How
do you keep up with classes? Will you complete your finance degree?

Baseball probably takes up at least 30-40 hours per week. It's difficult to keep up with school, but I have to set aside certain hours each day that are dedicated solely to that. I have actually switched my major to management, and I will be 2 semesters from graduating after this spring.

What is your conditioning regimen during the season and during the
off-season? Is it difficult to maintain a healthy diet while you're in school?

Conditioning during the off-season is more intense than during season. We work out four days a week and really hit the weights hard. During the season, we focus more on maintaining strength and keeping our bodies healthy. If you really try, it's not hard to keep a healthy diet. You just have to be selective of the foods you eat and not let yourself go for the fast food all that much.

What has been the most memorable moment in your baseball career?

My most memorable moment was definitely winning the College World Series.
That was something I have always dreamed of, and when it happened, I was in
disbelief.

Do you have any superstitions? If so, how did they develop? Also, can you
please explain why you wear #13?

I am not a superstitious person and try to avoid them. I wear #13 because
I was given it my sophomore year in high school for football.  Ever since, I
have worn it in both football and baseball.

THE LIGHTNING ROUND…
Who is your favorite MLB team?  

NY Yankees

Who is your favorite baseball player?

My ex-teammate, Huston Street, is my favorite.

If you make it to the big leagues, what pitcher would you most like to hit against?

Curt Schilling.

What is your favorite movie?    

“The Sting.”

What is your favorite book?

“The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown.

What is your favorite food?

Steak!

Check out some of the other interviews I’ve done…

Brandon Morrow, Shane Robinson, David Price, Jim Negrych, Micah Owings, Stephen Head, Warner Jones & Chris Getz.