Jason Varitek set to retire

Longtime Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek is set to retire tomorrow after 15 years in the Majors. When Varitek was named captain in 2004, he became only the 3rd player to be made captain since 1923. Acquired from the Seattle Mariners along with Derek Lowe in what is called one of the best trades in Red Sox history, Varitek would come up in 1997 and spent the rest of his career with the team. Varitek won two World Series rings, hit 193 Home Runs and played in 1546 games.

R.I.P Greg Halman

Seattle Mariners outfielder Greg Halman was fatally stabbed to death early Monday and his 22-year-old brother was arrested as the suspect. Halman, 24, was a talented up and coming outfielder in the Mariners system and had appeared in 35 games last season while priming himself for an Opening Day roster spot for 2012. It’s a tragic end to a young mans life, and especially tragic to the Halman family and the Mariners’ organization.

Happy birthday Ken Griffey Jr!

Today is the great Ken Griffey Jr.’s 42nd birthday and I would like to personally wish Griffey a Happy Birthday and thank him for all the great memories over the years. Griffey was, is, and always will be my favorite player of all-time and I can’t wait for his Hall of Fame speech!

 

Ken Griffey Jr retires

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5244661

One of the greatest baseball players of all-time, “The Kid” Ken Griffey Jr. retired after 22 Major League seasons, spent with the Seattle Mariners, Cincinatti Reds and Chicago White Sox. Juniour Griffey amassed 630 career home runs, the 1997 American League MVP award, 10 Gold Glove awards (1990-1999) and the biggest “What if?” question in that being, “What if Griffey never got hurt?” Griffey was arguably the most dangerous hitter of this era and the most unluckiest. A sure first ballot Hall of Famer, Griffey should be a unanimous choice and will go in having done everything in the game except for winning a ring. Thanks for the memories Junior.

Darren

Griffey slept through PH opportunity

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5178137

Future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. had an odd DNP in an unspecified game last week. Apparantly the forty year old DH/OF was asleep in the clubhouse when manager Don Wakamatsu needed the slugger to pinch hit. Afterwards when pressed for answer, Wakamatsu was evasive and two unidentified players said he was asleep and has had trouble sleeping at home. Unfortuantely the slugger in the midst of an awful season, 0 home runs this year, and the Mariners need him to step up his game. We’ll see how this plays out and hopefully Griffey can get back on track.

Darren

Texas Rangers claim Ryan Garko off waivers

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/news/story?id=5047618

In a move to solidify their backup corner infielder spot, the Texas Rangers claimed Ryan Garko off waiver from AL West rival Seattle today and optioned Max Ramirez to AAA. Garko, a onetime Indians catching prospect, was vying for the backup First Baseman job in Seattle but was beat out by Mike Sweeney so he was placed on waivers. Now the Rangers will have a solid backup in case of Chris Davis having another big slump or any injuries. Nice pickup for the team.

Darren

My American League picks

First off i’m going to start off with the AL East due to the fact my favorite team resides there. This year will look alot different with fresh faces, but the same with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees battling it out for the top spot. For the Red Sox, it will be not only a case of getting back to the top of the division, but also getting new and familiar faces mixed back in the picture. With Victor Martinez in his first full season with the team, and newcomers Marco Scutaro, Mike Cameron, and Jeremy Hermida, the team will look to offset the loss of Left Fielder Jason Bay (to the Mets). For the Yankees, the losses off Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon, they will look to Curtis Granderson to pick up the slack. The other teams in the division, the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Rays, they will put up valiant efforts but in the end I believe only the Rays will come within 6 games of the two giants of the division. I believe the Red Sox come out on top for the main reason being pitching depth. With Josh Beckett and Jon Lester already entrenched in as Cy Young candidates, the Red Sox added John Lackey to the mix (a #1 on many other teams) and have young stud Clay Buchholz as well in the rotation. Top that off with either Tim Wakefield or Dice-K and you have a lethal rotation, not to add Papelbon, Ramirez, Bard and Delcarmen in the bullpen. The Yankees do have Javier Vazquez, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, but, questions with Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain I believe make the gap between the teams an extreme one.

In the AL Central, my original choice, the Minnesota Twins, lost closer Joe Nathan to injury and therefore lost in my opinion their biggest advantage over the competition. I think each team inproved in the offseason, even the lowly Royals and Indians, and this race will be a close and exciting one. The White Sox will have perennial Cy Young candidate Jake Peavy for the whole year, as well as 30-30 threat Alex Rios. The Tigers added Johnny Damon, and are shaping up to add an ace without making a transaction as Dontrelle Willis has looked outstanding this Spring. The Twins did add vets Jim Thome and Orlando Hudson and should will be in the race, but i’m goin with the Tigers to win the AL Central based on their explosive offense as well as what could be a top 5 pitching staff, especially if Dontrelle returns to form.

Finally, in the AL West, the perennial favorites, the Angels, took big hits in the offseason and didn’t seem to counter them with big moves. Losing Chone Figgins to the rival Seattle Mariners, John Lackey to Boston, Vlad Guerrero to the rival Rangers, and also lost a couple non major parts. They did add Hideki Matsui who could turn out to be a bargain, but I don’t think they did enough to keep their status as the favorites. Now the Seattle Mariners on the other hand did. By adding Chone Figgins, the Mariners have the fastest 1-2 punch in the Major Leagues. Ichiro and Figgins can both steal 50 bases and hit .300 which will be huge for guys like newly added Milton Bradley, Ken Griffey Jr and Jose Lopez. The Mariners have a well rounded lineup and will look to jump out early on teams to win ballgames. With a deadly combo of Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee atop their rotation, this team has the favorites tag entering the 2010 season. The Rangers will be competing for the AL West crown as well. With the addition on 35 yr old Guerrero, the team gets an aging star who can still hit for power and someone who is patient enough to hit in the middle on the lineup with Josh Hmailton, Nelson Cruz and Michael Young. The biggest question with the Rangers, as always, is the pitching staff. Rich Harden was a nice addition, but will he give them more than 20-22 starts? Will CJ Wilson be able to adjust into being a solid starter? For those reason I believe they will once again falter late in the season and come up short in their efforts to win the AL West. I have the Mariners winning in a tight race.

My Picks look as such: AL West: Seattle Mariners AL Central: Detroit Tigers AL East: Boston Red Sox AL Wild Card: Yankees over Twins

Darren

Lee says “Foot’s fine”; Mariners favorites in AL West?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2010/news/story?id=4941885

After having foot surgery to remove a bone spur, Cliff Lee took part in a bullpen session on Wednesday and said afterward, “It wasn’t as sharp as I would like, but it’s the first time I’ve been off the mound in a little while, so I guess that’s to be expected,” Lee said after a conditioning run and 10 minutes of pitching. “I feel good. The foot’s fine. The body feels good, so now I need to get in shape and get off the mound more and catch up with everyone else.” This is great news for Mariner fans as well as terrible news for their AL West counterparts (Oakland,Texas, and the Angels). The 2010 Seattle Mariners are shaping up to be the favorites in the AL West. With key additions in Lee,Milton Bradley and Chone Figgins, Seattle will look to supplant the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as the #1 team in the division. The signing of Figgins too kaway the Angels leadoff man as well as gave them two of the most feared leadoff hitters in the game today (Ichiro of course being the other). With a healthy Bradley and Ken Griffey Jr, this team will be lethal top to bottom and with Lee and “King” Felix Hernandez at the top of the rotation, the Mariners should find themselves playing in the playoffs in 2010.

Darren

Randy Johnson to announce retirement

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=MLB&id=1528&sn=t

“The Big Unit” Randy Johnson is rumored to be announcing his retirement tomorrow afternoon after having a sure 1st ballot Hall of Fame career. For me growing up a big fan of Johnson its a bittersweet day. Til this day he was my 2nd fav player of all-time (behind Ken Griffey Jr.) and in my opinion he was the greatest left handed pitcher of all time. I really wanted him to have another chance at anothe rring but im satisfied to know he’s done everything in his career that a pitcher would want to do. In 5 years we will ready to hear the “Big Unit” speak at Cooperstown, and hopefully ill be there. Thank you for all the great performances Mr. Johnson.

Darren

MLB thoughts 6/26/09

-Man how good has the Pirates OF Andrew McCutchen been since being called up? We all knew he was a highly touted prospect and had a high ceiling, but who knew he’d have a stat line of this: .330 avg 1 HR 18 RBI .371 OBP .516 SLG .887 OPS and 3 SB? Andrew is someone the Pirates need to build around for the future and he should make quite a few All-Star teams in his career.

-Russell Branyan is currently tied for 4th in the AL in home runs with 18. For years Branyan has been known as a streaky power hitter who either strikes out,walks, or connects for a home run. A career .237 hitter, Branyan is hitting .301 with 18 HR 36 RBI a .401 OBP .602 SLG and 1.003 OPS. He is well on to reaching his career high of 24 home runs (2002 w/ Cle & Cin), and might make the All-Star team as a backup.

- Minnesota Twins pitcher Nick Blackburn might very well be the most underated pitcher in the American League. Most pitchers who dont rack up strike outs in the AL dont have alot of success because of lineups w/ DH’s. Blackburn only has a K:BB ratio of 41:26 but with his solid control and ability to change speeds, he has been the best pitcher on the Twins staff and has put his name out there for an All-Star selection. His line is 6-3 3.11 ERA 1.27 WHIP and 2 CG. For a guy who only makes $440,000, ill take those numbers any day.

Darren

-If you haven’t already, pick up Adam LaRoche in your fantasy leagues.  He has been notorious for great second half performances.  But, be careful if he gets traded.  A new ballpark and a new team could mess with the historical trend.  

-Good to see Joey Votto back.  Hopefully him and Jay Bruce can help the Reds contend to the end in that NL Central.  

Brad