Clayton KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKershaw No Hits the Rockies

Clayton Kershaw tossed one of the most dominant games in Major League history. A no hitter is historic in its own respect, but to strikeout 15 batters with just over 100 pitches is unheard of. This no hitter is the second for the Dodgers this season after Josh Beckett's no-no against the Phillies in Philadelphia. I have compared Kershaw to Sandy Koufax plenty of times, and here is a side by side video of the two pitching.

Kershaw's no hitter would have probably been a perfect game if it were not for a Hanley Ramirez error in the 7th inning which allowed Cory Dickerson to reach base. Other than that base runner, Kershaw did not allow any others. Here is a video of every play of the game announced by the legendary Vin Scully.

Kershaw's stats are going back to where they usually are after a hiccup early in the season. His ERA sits at 2.52 and his WHIP sits at 0.92 with 86 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched. He also holds a 7-2 record. It appears he is on his way to yet another sub 3.00 ERA season, maybe even another sub 2.00 ERA season. You can expect Kershaw to compete for the All Star Game start with Cueto, Wainwright, Teheran, and Hudson.

Rockies and Athletics Exchange Anderson for Pomeranz

Brett Anderson looking tough

The second biggest story of the Winter Meetings on Tuesday was the exchange of Brett Anderson for Drew Pomeranz and Chris Jensen. This trade is the even for both sides as Anderson is going to be 26 and has the potential to do so well, but is consistently injured and Pomeranz also going to be 26 has the same potential to do well, but has not showed it. Pitching in Colorado has its challenges as it yields more home runs than the average ballpark.

 Anderson has peaked at 175 innings pitched in a season which was his rookie year and has only pitched more than 100 innings pitched in his sophomore season. Anderson does hold an ERA of 3.81 over 450 innings pitched, so there is success in his career. Pomeranz has 136 innings pitched in his career and his lowest ERA is 4.93 in 2012 where he pitched 96 innings. Unlike Anderson, Pomeranz has found barely any success at the Major League level, perhaps joining a winning team and pitching in a bigger ballpark will help him. Anderson will have to stay healthy in order to help out the Rockies in 2013.

Ellsbury, Morneau, Saltalamacchia Sign. Fowler, Gentry, Lindblom, Bell, Smith Gregerson Traded

Jacoby Ellsbury in his new uniform

The biggest news of yesterday's busy day was the signing of Jacoby Ellsbury. The New York Yankees signed the All Star Jacoby Ellsbury to a colossal 7 year $148 Million deal. Ellsbury will join an outfield with Brett Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki probably making the best defensive outfield in the MLB. Ellsbury has had some fluctuation in his stats from year to year, but he has been someone consistent. He has put up a .297/.350/.439 slashline for his career, and has one dominating season under his belt. Ellsbury has led the league in stolen bases 3 seasons and has a 162 game average of 55 stolen bases. With an average annual war of 3.9 and assigning $5 Million to each win above replacement Ellsbury seems to be worth the deal. Johnny Damon is a similar player to make the transition from the Red Sox to the Yankkes via free agency, and he saw some success. Damon's average home run totals increased from 14 to 19.25 per season. That is a 37.5% increase. If the same can be said for Ellsbury, who has an average home run total of 15 home runs per season, you can expect him to hit about 20 home runs a year in Yankee Stadium. Combined with his speed and defense, Ellsbury will be an impact player for the Yankees, although his signing most likely takes them out of competition for Cano.

Justin Morneau

In the wake of Todd Helton's retirement the Rockies signed slugging first baseman Justin Morneau to a 2 year $13 Million deal. Morneau was traded to the Pirates mid season and was a big help for getting them to the post season. He hit 17 home runs last year playing most of his games in the spacious Target Field, and has a career average of 22 home runs per season.   Morneau is still relativley young at 32, but has battled some injuries the past few seasons, only playing 150 games total between 2010 and 2011. The Canadian born Morneau will slot in very nicely in the Rockies lineup which is projected to be Gonzalez, Tulowitzki, Morneau, Cuddyer, for a 3-6. The home run numbers are expected to rise for Morneau playing in Coors field.

It was reported that the Rays acquired Ryan Hannigan in a trade yesterday, but that turned out to be a 3 team with Heath Bell also headed to the Rays. Hannigan had a down year in 2012 with his batting average not cracking .200. Heath Bell will play for his 4th team in 4 years after what could be called a bounce back season. His ERA dropped from 5.09 to 4.11 after going from the Marlins to the Diamondbacks. With the signing of Juan Oviedo and the trade to acquire Heath Bell, the chances of Fernando Rodney returning to the Rays are bleak.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia

The Miami Marlins signed free agent catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to a 3 year $21 Million deal. Salty has been pretty productive for ta catcher during his time playing for the Red Sox. In 3 full seasons in Boston the backstop put together an OPS+ of 104 over those 3 seasons. His slashline of .244/.306/.437 slashline during his time in Boston is significant given his defensive capabilities. With this signing I think the Marlins are up to something especially with their reluctance to trade Giancarlo Stanton. Watch out for the Marlins in the trade market and the free agent market as they may be flying under the radar.

After trading Jemile Weeks for Jim Johnson the Athletics made another move by trading for outfielder Craig Gentry and right handed reliever Josh Lindbolm. With the departure of Chris B. Young the Athletics were in search for an outfielder and they went to Gentry who's game revolves and speed and batitng average. His career .280 batting average in two full seasons proves Gentry's capabilities. Lindbolm's ERA has steadily been climbing but the ballpark he has been playing in has steadily been getting smaller. Going from Dodger Stadium to Citizens Bank Park to Rangers Ballpark his ERA went from 2.73 in 2011 to 5.46 in 2013. Lindbolm's ERA will resort back to around 3.00 as he moves to the spacious Oakland Coliseum.

Luke Gregerson

The Athletics further added to their bullpen after getting both Lindbolm and Johnson by trading outfielder Seth Smith for right hander Luke Gregerson of the San Diego Padres.  Smith hovers around a .265 batting avage with an on base percentage .100 points higher. He gets on base, and hits for average power with an average of 14 home runs per season. Gregerson has been an extremely effective and healthy reliever in San Diego the first 5 years of his career by pitching 347 innings and holding a 2.88 ERA in his career and a 2.60 ERA in the past 3 seasons. The Athletics are seriously building an effective bullpen, possibly soon to be the best in baseball.

The Houston Astros made their first splash of the off season by trading for center fielder Dexter Fowler from the Rockies in exchange for pitcher Jordan Lyl

Dexter Fowler

es and outfielder Brandon Barnes. In his first 5 full seasons Fowler has a 103 OPS+ with an on base percentage of .367 staying consistent by year. He swipes an average of 17 stolen bases and hits an average of 7 home runs, which is pretty good for a lead off hitter. Fowler will set the table well for the Astros with Jose Altuve following him.  Lyles hasn't found much success with his consistent ERA over 5 in his first 3 seasons, which is mot expected to go down in Colorado where ERAs tend to inflate. Brandon Barnes will be 28 in 2014 and has also not found much success in his first full season. He hit 8 home runs with a .289 on base percentageand a 50% stolen base percentage. This trade was probably done to free up salary so I expect the Rockies to make another move either for a starting pitcher or an outfielder.

Highs and Lows

The Rockies are mile high and well, the Rays are at sea level. Both of these teams have the ability to succeed in 2013, but they might be repressed by the other teams in their division.

The Mile High Heros

The Rockies have one of the nicest 3-4 combos in baseball. That is Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki. They are two five tool players raking day in and day out, but there are six other players and the pitcher in that lineup.

1. S. Fowler CF      117 OPS+
2. R. Pacheco 3B    91 OPS+
3. L. Gonzalez RF   119 OPS+
4. R. Tulowitzki SS 111 OPS+
5. L. Helton 1B       87 OPS+
6. R. Cuddyer LF    99 OPS+
7. R. Rosario C       107 OPS+
8. S. Herrera 2B      69 OPS+

Pitching in the mile high city is not an easy task. Pitchers have been been plagued with high earned run averages for years. The Rockies have a rotation but is subject to change almost regularly due to repeated failure to succeed.

1. R. Jhoulys Chacin 4.48 ERA
2. R. Drew Pomeranz 4.93 ERA
3. L. Jorge de la Rosa 3.51 ERA in 2011
4. R. Tyler Chatwood  5.43 ERA
5. R. Christian Friedrich 6.17 ERA

In Colorado, games are closed by Rafael Betancort. He is one of the few pitchers who has success with the Rockies. He has posted a sub 3.00 ERA his passed two seasons and in 2012 recorded 31 saves. Rex Brothers is also in the pen. He has had some success in Coloardo, but that is basically all for the Rockies in terms of pitching.

I project 71 wins for the Rockies in 2013

David Price and his dog Astro. Astro has been in many commercials. 

The Tampa Bay Rays have a unique way of winning games. They do it on limited budgets. The only big name in their 2013 lineup is Evan Longoria. BJ Upton is with the Braves and Calros Pena is with the Astros. Longoria will be along side Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist to produce runs in 2013. You should expect to see super prospect Wil Myers sometime during the season.

1. R. Jennings CF    97 OPS+
2. L. Fuld LF          83 OPS+    
3. R. Longoria 3B  149 OPS+
4. L. Joyce RF        116 OPS+
5. S. Zobrist 2B       138 OPS+
6. L. Scott DH         101 OPS+
7. R. Escobar SS      75 OPS+
8. L. Loney 1B         73 OPS+
9. R. Jimenez C        83 OPS+

The Rays have an excellent pitching rotation, even with the trade of James Sheilds to the Royals. They are led by AL Cy Young Award winner David Price. Also there are high hopes and high expectations for Matt Moore in his second season.

1. L. David Price 2.56 ERA
2. R. Jeremy Hellickson 3.10 ERA
3. L. Matt Moore 3.81 ERA
4. R. Alex Cobb 4.03 ERA
5. R. Roberto Hernandez (Fausto Carmona) 5.25 ERA in 2011

Fernando Rodney didn't get enough Cy Young Award consideration. He pitched 74 innings with a 0.60 ERA. That is a crazy number and he record 48 saves. The Rays definitely have a good closer for the 2013 season. Usually the Rays find a few guys and they end up doing well out of the bullpen every year. It is the same way this year with the exceptions of Kyle Farnsworth and Jake McGee. Farnsworth had success with the Rays in 2011 and spotted a 4.00 ERA in 2012, but McGee sported a 1.95 ERA in 2013 dominating the American League.

I project 84 wins for the Rays in 2013.



 

Trading Places

Some trades took place today, no really big names were involved, but still exciting. One trade involved the Rockies and Royals. The two teams swap Jeremy Guthrie and Jonathan Sanchez. Perhaps a change of scenery will do well for these two struggling pitchers.

Guthrie traded for the second time this season

The Blue Jays and Astros conducted a 10 player deal that didn't involve any really big names as well. The Blue Jays will receive a trio of pitchers J.A. Happ, Brandon Lyon, and David Carpenter. The Astros will receive  Francisco Cordero, Ben Francisco, and minor league players Joe Musgrove, Asher Wojciechowski, David Rollins and Carlos Perez, and a player to be named later. 


The Orioles acquire Omar Quintanilla from the Mets for later considerations. This was to clear space for the return of Jason Bay. 


We expect a trades of Ryan Dempster and possibly Cole Hamels and Zach Greinke. The latter two are less likely because the Phillies offered Hamels 130 million over 6 years and the Brewers offered Greinke 100+ million over 5 years. 

The Colorado Rockies

The Rockies finished the 2011 season with a 73-89 record and They dealt Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians mid season. The Rockies have a decent lineup, but basically no pitching.

The Rockies have one of the best combinations in baseball. The Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez combo is one of the best in baseball. Tulowitzki hit 30 home runs and 105 RBI's with a .372 on base percentage. Gonzalez hit 26 home runs and 92 RBI's with a .363 on base percentage. Tulowitzki played all of his games at short stop and Gonzalez played all three outfield position. They are 2 five tool players and play important positions. Gonzalez and Tulowitzki are very valuable to The Rockies. Todd Helton had a .385 on base percentage with a .446 slugging percentage in 2011. Helton is proving that he can still compete at the age of 37.

The Rockies don't have any good pitching. Huston Street is now on The Padres and no longer on the Rockies. The Rockies lost a great pitcher when Ubaldo Jimenez went to The Indians mid season. They Rockies did trade for Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie is 32 and pitches about 200 innings every season. Although his ERA hovers around 4.00 he has the potential to be a good pitcher.

I don't think The Rockies can compete with The Giants, Dodgers and Diamond Backs in The NL West. They don't have the pitching and they're offense is useless unless they have decent pitching.