Very minor notes: Games underway for farmhands

Roy Halladay's five-inning appearance with the Triple-A squad yesterday highlighted the Phillies' second full slate of minor league games.

Doc reportedly put in 80 pitches of work in front of a large crowd of aspiring Major Leaguers, allowing four runs (three earned), on seven hits and a walk. The bigger news for our purposes is that the players have divided into groups, providing some early indication of where these lads could play this season. It's a crowded field in the high minors and will become even more jammed once the Phillies finalize their 25-man roster. Chris Frey, Tyson Gillies, Jeremy Slayden, Mike Spidale, Cory Sullivan, Steve Susdorf and Rich Thompson are penciled in to the Triple-A outfield picture, and it's a similar situation with the infield and pitching staff. Without getting into too much granular detail, I'll defer to the minor league minutiae, Phuture Phillies, which provided the official list of workout groups last week. There, you'll find a whole list of new, international signings, including Group 2 outfielder Sabastien Boucher, who was signed out of the Can-Am League. For spring training game recaps, check out the official BlueClaws Blog.

Today: Lee.

Comments

[NEPP]

6 weeks is too long for Spring Training...they should cut it down to 4.

[bullit]

162 games is too many for the regular season...they should cut it down to 150.

[clout]

awh: Lubanski was a pretty good prospect 6 years ago. He's a local kid (Lansdale).

He was drafted out of HS in the 1st round, 5th overall, because he was relatively cheap.

He was a big strong lefty with projectible power and decent speed. He had a bit of a strike zone management problem initially, but scouts figured that would improve with experience.

That never happened, although he did show slight improvement the past 2 seasons.

And, except for an outlier season at High Desert (Hmmm, sound familiar?), his power never developed either.

He did have a .899 OPS at hitter-happy Las Vegas last season, but I'd take that with a huge grain of High Desert salt.

He's still only 26, so continued improvement in strike zone judgment could yield a bench job at some point. He's certainly worth a Triple A flier.

[clout]

I didn't realize Slayden was making a comeback.

[Andy]

So, basically, if Lubanski learns the strike zone better he could be Rizzotti in left field?

[lorecore]

Gillies to triple A? Did I miss something?

[bay_area_phan]

Not just Slayden but also future Phillies 3rd baseman Moose Mattair.

[Jbird]

Tyson Gillies is slated for AAA? He didn't exactly tear it up in his 26 games for Reading. That'd be an impressive jump.

[Emmett]

Gillies is a smooth talker though just ask the Clearwater sheriff's dept.

[awh]

Andy, I don't get the feeling that Lubanski has quite the power that Rizzotti displays.

I only brought his name up on the last thread because 1) the Phils were reportedly inquiring about Jay, a LH singles hitter, and Lubanski, another LH hitter with marginal power, had just been released.

It seems to me that IF Lubanski can give you most of what Jay can [I'm speculating - I don't know], then why not try to bring him in and see what he has.

After looking at his MiL stat line, and reading clout's scouting report, I'm a little surprised the Fish just gave up on him.

Seems to me a guy like him can at least provide some depth. Then again, who else do the Fish have in their system, and did Lubanski have even a prayer of ctacking their MLB roster?

[NEPP]

I wouldn't object to them cutting the season back to 154 games personally. That way the WS would be mid October instead of end Oct/early Nov like its been lately.

[bay_area_phan]

awh: Is there any reason in the world to believe that Lubanski could give you most of what Jay can? Lubanski has never played in the majors, has hit .20 pts lower than Jay in the minors, and is purely a corner outfielder.

[NEPP]

Lubanski went to KKHS in Norristown. Its a pretty good Catholic HS actually.

[awh]

NEPP, I'm OK with 162 games. I just wish they'd bring back the good ol' doubleheader they had years ago. If each team played 6 of them (1/month), they could shorten the regular season by a week.

It would also lead to some very interesting scenarios as to how managers set up their pitching staffs and how those same pitchers were handled.

IMHO it might lead to a newfound or rediscovered appreciation for long relievers.

[J. Weitzel]

Gillies will be in Double-A. Same as Aumont. I think they get the higher-ceiling guys like that time with experienced players, similar to non-roster MLB invites to prospects.

[NEPP]

If I ran things, the following would occur:

1. Revert to 154 game season
2. Eliminate or reduce Interleague play
3. Eliminate Unbalanced schedules so we get to see NL West and Central teams more
4. No WS games in November EVER
5. No WBC Participation until its moved to the Fall after the WS.
6. Int'l Draft
7. Salary Cap and Floor.
8. Eliminate both Fl franchises and move them to real baseball cities. Move one to Brooklyn (NYC can support 3 teams easily) and the other maybe to Charlotte or Rayleigh or even Portland.

[awh]

bap, beats me, but you obviously are either suffering from reading comprehension problems again, or you've go a bug up your a** about something this morning. I really don't understand what you're challenging me about.

"The Fish just released OF Chris Lubanski.

Anyone know anything about him, and is he worth pursuing if Jay can't be had?

Posted by: awh | Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:36 AM"

What part of "if Jay can't be had?" is so hard to understand.

"It seems to me that IF Lubanski can give you most of what Jay can [I'm speculating - I don't know],..."

Ummm, what's so hardabout "I don't know" to understand?

What part of "He's still only 26, so continued improvement in strike zone judgment could yield a bench job at some point. He's certainly worth a Triple A flier.
Posted by: clout | Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 11:06 AM" is so hard to understand?

Sheesh.

[awh]

NEPP, I agree with most of that except I'd do it a little differently:

No Salary Cap or Floor

Completely Eliminate Interleague play

Modify unbalanced schedules ( I like that teams play more in their divisions - otherwise, what's the point of the division?)

Lastly - and it's radical - I'd pry the Dodgers away from the McCourts and relocate THEM back to Brooklyn (the hysteria in NY would be tremendous) and

Sell Chavez Ravine to the A's and move them there (you could fund a new ballpark in Brooklyn with the proceeds) and

Re-allign the NL divisions with Brooklyn in the NL East

East:

Phillies
Dodgers
Mets
Nats
Fish
Pirates

Central:

Cards
Braves (Atlanta is actually further West than Pittsburg)
Brewers
Cubs
Reds

West:

Giants
Astros
Rockies
DBacks
Padres

This reinvigorates the cross state rivalry with the Pirates that somewhat existed in the '70s

Puts 2 NL teams in NY again - rivalry city

Puts 2 AL teams in the SoCal market creating a cross town rivalry there

Solves OAK's stadium problem

Leaves the Bay area to the Giants (who I would make pay for the priveledge)

Leaves the Al divisions intact but puts OAK in a much more competitive position

Finally - WGAS about the Dodgers/Giants rivalry. If MLB really cared about traditions instead of money, they wouldn't have done half the crap they've done.

[J. Weitzel]

Portland couldn't support baseball.

[NEPP]

***Completely Eliminate Interleague play

Modify unbalanced schedules ( I like that teams play more in their divisions - otherwise, what's the point of the division?)

***

I would also be okay with this version of it. I like that there are divisional rivalries but I really dont care for playing the Orioles & BlueJays every damn year. I'd rather see NL teams more.

[NEPP]

***Portland couldn't support baseball.***

I was just tossing cities out there that have been suggested before. Tampa and Miami simply aren't baseball cities. NC would probably support a team as its a pretty upcoming area with a growing population even with the recession. Move one there and the other to NYC.

[awh]

NEPP, agree.

[NEPP]

FWIW, Portland falls right between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati for Metropolitan area size. #23 overall for the US.

[Colin_K]

I'd like to keep the games against the O's purely for selfish reasons...I live a half hour away from Camden Yards!

[NEPP]

East:

Phillies
Dodgers
Mets
Nats
Fish
Pirates

The one cool thing about this division would be the ease of travel...all of them other than the Fish are bus/train trips instead of plane

[muchacho peligro]

Wait, you killed the Fish, NEPP. Or is that the Rays moving to Brooklyn and switching leagues?

Hoops. Ya heard?

[NEPP]

***Wait, you killed the Fish, NEPP. Or is that the Rays moving to Brooklyn and switching leagues? ***

Well, I killed them but awh wants to keep them around and move the Dodgers back to Brooklyn. If it were me, i'd move the Rays to Brooklyn and the Fish to somewhere like NC.

[muchacho peligro]

Right on...interested to ehar what you would imagine as the floor and cap of the current MLB landscape. Would your cap simply be the current luxury tax threshold?

[Edmundo]

"Lubanski went to KKHS in Norristown. Its a pretty good Catholic HS actually."

It WAS a pretty good...
It and Pius of Pottstown were combined into PJPII out near Limerick/Royersford. I'm sure those Conshy kids are digging the bus ride.

[Andy]

Last time I went to an aquarium those fools actually believed that Rays WERE Fish. Dummies.

[NEPP]

***Would your cap simply be the current luxury tax threshold?
***

I was thinking something like a $60-70 million floor and a soft cap around $150m (where the luxury tax would kick in)...but a hard cap of $175 million that you can't go over. With increased revenue sharing obviously.

[NEPP]

***It WAS a pretty good...***

LOL...My recollection was from the mid/late 90s. I didnt go there but I knew people that did.

[Lake Fred]

NEPP, the MLB brass could pretend they're the NFL brass and convert two weeks of pre-season games to regular season games. They could have an expanded roster (just like September) for those two weeks to allow evaluation of those few end of the bench slots. They could keep the same number of games, add an extra off day each month, and end the season a week earlier and thus keep the WS out of November.

[Old Phan]

"I'm OK with 162 games. I just wish they'd bring back the good ol' doubleheader they had years ago. If each team played 6 of them (1/month), they could shorten the regular season by a week."

Exactly. This would solve everything but the greed problem.

[Wayne]

That was last weeks workout group. There was a new one put out after the cuts. It has Gillies and Susdorf in Group 2 and Miller added to Group 1. The new Group 1 infield is Hanzawa, Kennelly, Bozied, Garcia, Rivero, and Rizzotti.

[awh]

OP, they could simply charge more for a doubleheader, or sell the tix separately.

Anything to shorten the season.

The interesting point about the 154 game schedule with doubleheaders is that the season still ended the last weekend in September, and usually didn't even BEGIN until April 15th.

Result: It warmed up a bit for fans and players before the season began, and the WS was over by the midlle of October.

Also, the games were played during the daytime, so even on cooler days in the fall the sun still shone on most of the action.

If Bud Selig really wants to improve the game for future generations, he should see to it that weekend playoff games, especially the WS, are played during the day. It would, IMHO, really help in the future because most little kids are in bed before the games end.

[awh]

NEPP, I'd actually be OK with keeping the NL Central at 6 teams adn moving teh Fish there.

East:

Phils
Mets
Dodgers
Pirates
Nats

Central

Cards
Cubs
Brewers
Reds
Braves
Marlins

[awh]

UH OH, Utley seeing a rehab specialist today.

Brookeover tweet.

Writeup here:

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillies_zone/Utley-visits-rehab-specialist.html

The dreaded "S" word is used.

[NEPP]

"Minimal progress"

and

"Can't field balls without the aid of a lawnchair."

Seriously? Just have the surgery already then.

[MG]

Lee looking pretty although you can just tell he is really working on tuning up his fastball location a bit. No way he throws 4 straight fastballs to Davis once the season starts and walks him.

Got this message. "72. Sunny. Slight breeze. Phils' game. Heaven."

[MG]

NEPP - This is one of the funniest paragraphs in a paper I have read in a long time:

"Amaro would not disclose the location of Utley's rehab visit, but said Utley has been making "minimal progress" in his bid to return. Utley, however, has not been able to run or field ground balls without the aid of a lawn chair."

If Utley just drinking a beer and shagging GBs that are in reach of his lawn chair at 2B?

[NEPP]

From what I'm reading, typical recovery time for non-surgerical treatment is "several weeks of rest" followed by "several weeks of rehab exercises". I dont know what they mean by several (is it 3-4 or 6-7?) but they also give an estimate of 3-6 months for the entire process.

That would mean basically around the AS break.

[Jack]

Utley will be out for an extended period of time, and it's been pretty clear from the beginning. This is a serious issue.

[MG]

Jo-Jo Reyes (not be confused with former terrible Mets' starter Anthony Reyes) with started for the Jays today and suddenly is getting serious consideration for the 5th starter spot.

Amazing thing is that suddenly Reyes was the dealmaker in the Gonzalez-Escobar trade last year according the the Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos. That really surprised me.

http://www.canada.com/sports/Next+start+could+litmus+test+Jays+Reyes/4455549/story.html

Reyes facing lineups with the DH in what looks like a loaded AL East offensively? Good luck with that.

[clout]

One of the reasons for postponing surgery on the condition Utley has is that surgery has a relatively low success rate, in the 70% range.

On another topic, did everyone see the shoutout that Halladay gave to Tuffy in today's DN?

[MG]

Meant Cards. Oh well. Reyes has looked 'okay' although he made a terrible pitch (fastball) that Vic just hit hard out of the park.

[MG]

Vic has quietly put together a nice spring. Yeah I know it isn't Clout Day but I would be interesting to see a short article on him about what he is working on this spring (e.g., bunting with Samuel) especially offensively at the plate. Does he approach things a bit differently knowing he will be either 1/2 in the lineup everyday?

[NEPP]

***One of the reasons for postponing surgery on the condition Utley has is that surgery has a relatively low success rate, in the 70% range.***

Yup...and the non-surgerical rehab ain't working either. Seems like this could be a problem for Utley.

[MG]

Lee's threw almost all fastballs/cutters today. Really nothing else. Just a tuneup.

[MG]

Barfield started at 3B today and made a really poor throwing error in the 4th. He just doesn't have the arm strength to play 3B. Really miscast there.

[Shawn]

Should of kept Carrasco!

[MG]

Richard Sandomir and Ken Belson detailed how the Wilpon’s best laid plans were wrecked by two vital, and unpredictable factors, the economy and fielding a winning baseball team.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/sports/baseball/10wilpon.html?_r=2&ref=kenbelson

Its even worse when you realize the Mets' borrowed $100M from MLB and are maxed out and had to take out over a $450M loan last through SNY and had real trouble last year with debt refinancing on last year. Wilpons also mind ending owing $1B in the Merdoff-related lawsuits too.

Wilpons are going to sell and it will be a controlling interest (and possibly the entire team) instead of the 25% stake they want to sell. Who in their right mind would take a minority stake in a team with this many financial issues and with a partnership who has serious financial issues himself.

Just a question of whether cash flow issues get so desperate with the Mets that they have to hold a fire sale at the trading deadline. I would say it is a pretty decent possibility at this point.

[MG]

Literally the team it might be most important for in baseball to get out to a good start is the Mets because they desperately need attendance & the dollars that come with it.

[mm]

As long as were playing armchair commissioner who also gets to tell billionaires what to do with their money :

The southeast just doesn't care about baseball(even the braves don't have that stellar of attendance).

You can't relocate the marlins now, they're getting a new stadium(which will still have dismal attendance) but that keeps them put.

I'd move the rays to Vegas and put them in the AL West. Stadium money would be easy. Night games only @ home.

No Salary cap, but salary floor (payroll has to be over amount x or you forfeit 50% of your revenue share)

[NEPP]

Vegas is a ghost town right now thanks to the recession.

[awh]

NEPP, Vegas is sucking wind.

I know they had discussed San Antonio and in the past. Big enough market?

[MG]

KK looks like he is throwing batting practice today. Everything is up and he's been hit hard. Lucky to have only given up 2 R.

[clout]

MG: KK is obviously not a major league pitcher. Just ridiculously lucky year after year.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

It'll never happen, but i'd rather MLB get rid of a team than try out another midsized market that probably shouldn't have one.

[clout]

Roy Halladay sez, "Make Mine Tuffy!"

"I like him," Halladay said. "I've thrown a lot of bullpens to him in spring training. He's a great receiver. He kind of knows what I do. Obviously I'm not going to ask Chooch to come in on the off day. He probably would have told me no anyway.

"[Goosewurst] works hard. He's always excited to do it. He wants to do it. So to have a guy who actually wants to be here and wants to help you and wants to do it -- on top of being a good catcher -- I'll take that any time."

[NEPP]

So, Chooch is the top in that relationship?

Interesting.

[Edmundo]

""[Goosewurst] works hard. "
I like the name Goosewurst.

[joe l]

I like the idea to get a team back in Brooklyn, but I'm not sure you could sell that by taking one away from LA, despite what everyone knows about their fans.

[Old Phan]

LA has very respectable attendance figures. Dodgers are not leaving any time soon.

[Lake Fred]

Goosewurst sounds like a gamey version of Liverwurst. Tuffy Goosewurst means that it was made from less than premium goose meat, making the goosewurst tough to chew.

[jro]

It's amazing that Tampa can't draw. They were terrible for years, finally turn the corner, win the pennant in 2008, have success since and people still don't care. Is there that much more to do in TB than to watch a young and talented team?

[NEPP]

From what I've heard, a big part of it has to do with a terrible stadium location for most of their fans. Though, from looking it up, its no worse than what I would easily drive to watch Phillies games when I lived in the Philly area.

[NEPP]

The Dodgers are LA now...you cant move them back. That's why moving the Rays would be interesting...give the AL East 2 teams in the same city. It would cut down on the Yankees dominance AND make for a great rivalry.

[GBrettfan]

This is a link to a piece about the early history of baseball, from NPR's Fresh Air. You can read it, or listen to an interview.

I thought it was interesting that early versions of baseball were played in Philly, NY, and Massachusetts - and that in the Mass. version, a runner did not have to stick to the basepaths but could run anywhere...Also that in transitioning to a game for men, not boys - and key to the growth of the sport - gambling was a big part of the sport.

You may already know this, or you may not. Check it out if you're interested:

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/16/134570236/the-secret-history-of-baseballs-earliest-days

2 weeks to Opening Day!!

[aksmith]

Just so everyone knows, yeah Las Vegas got hit pretty hard by the recession. But it's not exactly a ghost town. The new census puts us up to 4 congresscritters now. So, even with the recent downturn, we've gained significant population.

And any stadium built out here would have to be domed. Air conditioning is a must. And I'd bet a stadium would be easily built out here.

What will keep a team from ever being in Vegas is sports gambling. The fact that it exists now and nothing happens (aside from Pete Rose) means nothing. No commissioner is ever going to give his assumed stamp of approval on putting a team here. In any sport. Except maybe hockey, which isn't a real sport when it comes to revenue.

[bay_area_phan]

awh: It kinda looks to me like you were the one with the "bug up your *** this morning." You're the one who brought up Lubanski & you're the one who said that, if he can give you what Jay would give you, why not take a flier? So I asked: "Is there any evidence that he CAN," given that the two have almost nothing in common.

Seemed like a pretty reasonable, straightforward question to me. But I'll say no more on the matter.

[Heather]

Wow, people talking about St. Pius X and KK...

Blast from the past.

[NEPP]

On Vegas: It ranks #30 in population for Metro areas...just behind KC but ahead of San Jose (the A's rumored new home) Of course the Bay Area has a far greater population overall and San Jose has a small official "metro area" so its distorted.

Milwaukee is, by far, the smallest Metro area to have its own team at #39 overall.

[awh]

"...you're the one who said that, if he can give you what Jay would give you..."

Again, oh bapus misrepresentus, you have reading comprehension problems.

Go look at what I wrote. That's not accurate. Period.

If and when you can get it right I'll be happy to resume the discussion.

[Willard Preacher]

The only thing more uncomfortable than my own mancrush on Tuffy Goosewurst is clout's mancrush on Tuffy Goosewurst.

But it's far and away one of my favorite running bits of BL.

[MG]

Supposedly a bunch of owners were talking contraction again at the early parts of the initial CBA talks over the last week or so but it just isn't taken seriously.

Sure the owners would go to only have to split shared revenues only 30 ways instead of 32 but it just isn't happening. One thing though that is still up for discussion though is what happens to the A's. Really the only franchise right now that is a really strong contender to relocate.

[Willard Preacher]

And to be quite candid, on an off day during meaningless Spring Training games, I'd like to think that we'd actually see even MORE articles about the likes of Tuffy Gosewisch.

Whatever happened to Tim Spooneybarger, anyway?

[MG]

Wind blowing out today?

- 6 HRs were hit and Phils hit 4 including Martinez and Galvis supposedly with a shot. BAP will be pleased.

[MG]

Scout friend:

- With Utley a foregone conclusion to start the season on the DL, Martinez continues his push to make the club and has really been hitting the last week. Phils started Barfield today at 3B and he just doesn't have the arm to be able to play 3B as evidenced by a weak throw in the 4th.

He said he thinks Martinez has the slight edge right now for the simple fact that Martinez has more speed and versatility than Barfield who really only can play 2B/LF. Expects both guys though to get a ton of PT with the Phils probably making a decision by next weekend.

[A-Train]

Bud "no balls" Selig needs to eliminate the 5 off-days between playoff series. That would help get the WFS out of November.

[cut_fastball]

Clone Exxon (2B/3B) and we're set... sorry, dumb joke, fellas. Seriously, I can't wait to see how well we get out of the gate -- a .650 WP in April would make a lot of folks -- me included -- nuts about how great our pitching/ overall balance is, and how we're going to be alright for the long run.

[bay_area_phan]

awh: What I said you said: "if [Lubanski] can give you what Jay would give you, why not take a flier?"

What you actually said: "It seems to me that IF Lubanski can give you most of what Jay can [I'm speculating - I don't know], then why not try to bring him in and see what he has."

If you think my synopsis misrepresented what you actually said, it is you that has a reading comprehension problem. And now I'm really done with this topic. No one is interested in reading our silly p*ssing match.

[jr]

Who was it told me a couple of days ago that Martinez would not make the club? Are you rethinking? I still hope I'm wrong and he doesn't,but....

[MG]

jr - Multiple people did. I didn't think he had any shot to make this team either but frankly Barfield is pretty weak competition.

Doesn't change the fact that Martinez stinks and I expect to be a guy who hits ~.240 with a sub .300 OBP & and a sub .350 SLG pct. In other words, a useless offensive player with modest defensive numbers.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Was it Stark or Heyman today who tweeted something about a Scout telling them the Phils made a smart move with Martinez in the Rule V. Now DPatro..er MG's "Scout family friend" tells him similar. Hmm....

[craig_one]

heres my nice dream scenario.....

contract and abandon baseball in florida, move the athletics to brooklyn, & send the brewers back to the AL where they belong. i also advocate eliminating inter-league play - call me whatever you want, boys.

re-realignment would look like.....

ALE:
R-SOX
YANKS
ATHLETICS
JAYS
ORIOLES

ALC:
BREWERS
TIGERS
W-SOX
ROYALS
INDIANS

ALW:
MARINERS
ANGELS
RANGERS
TWINS

NLE:
PHILA
METS
NATIONALS
PIRATES
BRAVES

NLC:
REDS
CARDS
CUBS
ASTROS
ROCKIES

NLW:
GIANTS
DODGERS
D-BACKS
PADRES

[MG]

BB - He didn't say anything about Martinez being a 'smart move.' Just that he probably has the slight edge right now on the last roster spot.

Personally, I don't know how it is really that 'smart' in getting a guy who is a sub .250 AVG/.650 OPS guy and is an average defender at best. Even No-Hit was above average defensively at 3B and took the occasional BB.

[Unikruk]

What, no mention of the DH?

[GBrettfan]

I'm not a fan of the DH...but if we did have one, Utley could still play, maybe...

[Iceman]

awh- don't you remember that BAP thinks he shouldn't be held accountable on BL for what he says in past threads? In his mind, there is no archive. He can change opinions/facts whenever it suits his argument. It's a lawyer thing.

[Brett]

Depending on the severity of Marcum's injury, the Brewers might be looking to Blanton to fill some innings.

Anything attractive on their roster?

[davthom73]

This cryptic report in today's Inquirer -- "Backup catcher Brian Schneider has left the team for personal reasons. He will be away indefinitely." Whatever that means.

[awh]

Iceman, I know. Only a desperate, obfuscating fool would try to make the claim that removing the the modifyer "most of" in a sentence doesn't change it's meaning.

I appreciate the fact that you, at least, "get it".

bap, OTOH, being an arrogant law school grad(ass-u-ming you're right about the lawyer thing), thinks the other posters here are too dumb to make the distinction. I guess he deals with juries in CA all the time who probably 'are' too stupid to make the distinction and thinks it will work here. Such is his respect for your and others' intelligence.

[awh]

davethom, there's probably a personl family issue with which he has to deal, and out of respect for his privacy the team and beat reporters (who probably know) are keeping it to themselves.

I realize that the Phils are not always forthcoming about injury news, but in this case (a backup catcher) there's probably no smoke leading to fire.

[awh]

craig, not a bad dream scenario, and contraction would be nice for the level of competition (think about the Marlins' and Rays' rotations being distributed throughout MLB - maybe the Phils could wind up with either Price or Johnson to pair with Hamels in teh future), but I just don't think there's any way MLB wants to contract anymore.

OTOH, it does make some sense to put a 3rd team in NY. It worked well that way for years. The only reason the Dodgers and Giants moved in the first place was they couldn't get stadiums built where they wanted. The "master planner", Robert Moses basically forced their hands and they gave the proverbial middle finger to both him and NYC.

[cut_fastball]

Anyone hear Bill Conlin interviewed on WIP yesterday morning? Two things: I got a real kick out of how the esteemed Mr. Conlin had to shout over the jabber-mouthed Anthony Gargano to complete a thought requested by a question by said Mr. Gargano. Any journalistic pretense that "The Cuz" had was blown away by his awful clumsy interview.

The other thing was Conlin's insistence that Ben Fran has 25 HR/ 85 rbi potential as an everyday 5-hole hitter. Conlin cited Francisco’s good production with the Indians, hitting lower in the order. And here's the cool part. Conlin insisted that "Gentle Ben" was slugging the ball harder than Howard this spring. I would have loved to hear more, but he was shood off the air by the 2 WlP knuckleheads. Good stuff.

[st]

he wasn't shooed off the air. they both love him.

[EastFallowfield]

The seven sent to minor league camp: Stutes, Moss, Larish, Perez, Meyer, Worley, Galvis.

[awh]

"Anything attractive on their roster?"

Brett, sure there is, but probably not someone they'd be willing to give up for Blanton.

[awh]

cut, if given the same number of PA as Werth got last season BenFran definitely has the potential to get to 25/85 - if he had a career year.

He'd probably fall somewhat short of that. but Conlin is correct in one respect: BenFran will not be a black hole offensively in RF.