Quite a number of interesting free agents this off season. At least in my opinion.
From the unfortunate World Series champions, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui are free agents. Apparently only one witll stay. From what I understand Johnny Damon had a good year with the Yankees. I have liked him since the 2004 Red Sox, I also like Johnny as I base my batting stance somewhat off his! So I would not mind seeing him as a Blue Jay (note: I no longer root for the Red Sox, I was happy to see them beat the Yankees, etc, but now I root against the like the Yankees). Not sure how likely that would be though. They did sign Millar, however he is quite a different player.
I just found out Vladimir Guerrero is a free agent. If the Jays are to compete, again, I would not mind seing him a Jay, however again, I don't think it is too likely.
Jason Bay is a free agent, and he would be a nice fit in Toronto, being Canadian, not to mention leaving the Red Sox as well.
Speaking of Toronto, it should prove interesting to see the direction they go in. Rod Barajas is a type B free agent, and Michael Barrett has already been released as a minor league free agent. Seems like a good chance that Barajas may return.
The Jays claimed 2B Jarrett Hoffpauir off waivers, so I don't type A free agent think Marco Scutaro will return.
In the NL, some interesting free agents include Matt Holliday, Pedro Martinez, former Blue Jays Carlos Delgado and Orlando Hudson, and Rick Ankiel.
Not quite Hot Stove worthy, but looks like Roy Halladay will be on the move, surprise surprise, looks like it could be to the Yankees or Red Sox. I am leaning toward the Yankees, as then he would be reunited with Burnett again. I'm sure that will not help his fan club, at least those not too fond of the Yankees, as the case would have been for Johnny Damon.
Speaking of Hot Stove, looks like the term is actually "Hot Stove League", and it did indeed come from a stove that is hot from the late nineteenth/early twentieth century. Since baseball is played during warm months, seems people gathered around a hot stove to discuss baseball.
Full Hot Stove Report at mlb.com
2009 Free Agent Tracker
Showing posts with label pedro martinez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pedro martinez. Show all posts
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Greatest Catch in World Series History
Bottom six, one out, Johnny Damon at the plate, Cliff Lee on the mound. Johnny Damon pops out softly to pitcher Cliff Lee. The greatest catch in World Series History!
Seriously though, it was pretty funny how Cliff Lee caught it, very nonchalantly as one Tim McCarver put it. I wonder how the international feed described it. He made it look unbelievably easy, and that was a soft pop just barely to the left of the mound, as viewed from behind home.
Other tidbits: Second left handed player to hit two home runs in a World Series game, Chase Utley, first was someone by the name of Babe Ruth, October 11, 1923.
11 of last 12 World Series have been won by the team that won game one. Currently the streak is six consecutive.
Josh Beckett was the last pitcher to pitch a complete game shutout in the World Series (October 25, 2003 at old Yankee Stadium). Cliff Lee almost became the newest. Still, CG 6H 1R 0ER isn't bad!
Of note, not the World Series, but the White Sox had a great pitching ALCS against the Angels in 2005, winning four consecutive after losing the first, all with complete game pitching performances. They all gave up earned runs, the least belonging to Mark Buehrle in game two. Game three, Jon Garland, 2ER, game four, Freddy Garcia, 2ER, game five, Jose Contreras, 3ER.
Despite the Yankees being in the WS, I think this should be a good entertaining series. Of course I am rooting for Matt Stairs and the Phillies. Former Expo Pedro Martinez starts tomorrow against A.J. Burnett. That should be a hum dinger of a matchup! Moreso because of Pedro 'who's your daddy' Martinez!
Seriously though, it was pretty funny how Cliff Lee caught it, very nonchalantly as one Tim McCarver put it. I wonder how the international feed described it. He made it look unbelievably easy, and that was a soft pop just barely to the left of the mound, as viewed from behind home.
Other tidbits: Second left handed player to hit two home runs in a World Series game, Chase Utley, first was someone by the name of Babe Ruth, October 11, 1923.
11 of last 12 World Series have been won by the team that won game one. Currently the streak is six consecutive.
Josh Beckett was the last pitcher to pitch a complete game shutout in the World Series (October 25, 2003 at old Yankee Stadium). Cliff Lee almost became the newest. Still, CG 6H 1R 0ER isn't bad!
Of note, not the World Series, but the White Sox had a great pitching ALCS against the Angels in 2005, winning four consecutive after losing the first, all with complete game pitching performances. They all gave up earned runs, the least belonging to Mark Buehrle in game two. Game three, Jon Garland, 2ER, game four, Freddy Garcia, 2ER, game five, Jose Contreras, 3ER.
Despite the Yankees being in the WS, I think this should be a good entertaining series. Of course I am rooting for Matt Stairs and the Phillies. Former Expo Pedro Martinez starts tomorrow against A.J. Burnett. That should be a hum dinger of a matchup! Moreso because of Pedro 'who's your daddy' Martinez!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Former Expos in the 2009 Postseason
A little late, but better late than never.
Staring with the Angels who won in walk off fashion thanks to Jeff Mathis' double. Now the Angels are only down 2-1, whereas the Dodgers are down 3-1 with Jimmy Rollins' double.
Of course Vladimir Guerrero is there, he hit a two run homer in the bottom of the sixth. Juan Rivera and Maicer Izturis are still there too.
For the Phillies, Pedro Martinez is there, as is Matt Stairs, who had a pinch hit BB, which ended up as the winning run in the form of pinch runner Eric Bruntlett.
On the Dodgers end, Guillermo Mota.
For the teams already eliminated, The Twins had Orlando Cabrera, and Carl Pavano.
The Rockies had Matt Herges and Jim Tracy. Although Tracy only served as a bench coach under Felipe Alou. He also managed some Montreal farm clubs, Harrisburg, and Ottawa in 1993, 1994 respectively.
In Boston, although Jason Bay never played for the big club, he was drafted by the Expos in 2000. He went in the 22nd round, 645th overall. He played with Montreal affiliates from 2000 to 2001. Including the Vermont Expos (Single A short season).
I believe that is about it. I may have missed someone, possibly a coach that may have been with Montreal at some point.
Staring with the Angels who won in walk off fashion thanks to Jeff Mathis' double. Now the Angels are only down 2-1, whereas the Dodgers are down 3-1 with Jimmy Rollins' double.
Of course Vladimir Guerrero is there, he hit a two run homer in the bottom of the sixth. Juan Rivera and Maicer Izturis are still there too.
For the Phillies, Pedro Martinez is there, as is Matt Stairs, who had a pinch hit BB, which ended up as the winning run in the form of pinch runner Eric Bruntlett.
On the Dodgers end, Guillermo Mota.
For the teams already eliminated, The Twins had Orlando Cabrera, and Carl Pavano.
The Rockies had Matt Herges and Jim Tracy. Although Tracy only served as a bench coach under Felipe Alou. He also managed some Montreal farm clubs, Harrisburg, and Ottawa in 1993, 1994 respectively.
In Boston, although Jason Bay never played for the big club, he was drafted by the Expos in 2000. He went in the 22nd round, 645th overall. He played with Montreal affiliates from 2000 to 2001. Including the Vermont Expos (Single A short season).
I believe that is about it. I may have missed someone, possibly a coach that may have been with Montreal at some point.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
A couple former Expos player hero role for the Mets (Mets ripe with Expos)
On Wednesday May 28th, Fernando Tatis doubled in the bottom of the 12th to bring in the winning run, not to mention the tying run immediately before that. A few innings prior to that, in the bottom of the 9th, former Expo Endy Chavez hit a solo homer to tie the game at 5 and send it to extra innings. The Mets were down 5-4 before Endy's homer. They were then down 6-5 in the 12th. David Wright walked, Carlos Beltran singled (David Wright to third), and the Fernando Tatis doubled to left, winning the ballgame for the struggling Mets.
Fernando Tatis spent three years with the Expos, 2001 - 2003. Montreal being his third MLB team. He started off in Texas, then went to St. Louis. He was dealt along with Britt Reames to the Expos for Dustin Hermanson and Steve Kline. He was granted free agency at the end of the 2003 season. January 6, 2004, he was signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and then released March 24. Two seasons went by with no playing time in the majors. He was then signed by the Orioles November 25th, 2005. He played in 28 games for Baltimore in 2006, only starting 11 fielding, and 4 as a DH. At the end of the 2006 he became a free agent. He was then briefly with the Dodgers (minor league contract) before the season started in 2007. He then signed a minor league contract with the Mets in 2007. He played the entire season with the triple A New Orleans Zephyrs. Opted for minor league free agency at the end of 2007, only to be re-signed by the Mets in early 2008. More on the re-signing later.
Endy Chavez started off with the Royals, at least where he started playing, as he was signed as a non drafted free agent by the New York Mets in 1996. The rest will look better in points than in sentences (okay maybe sentences and paragraphs!).
Four years, or five seasons later, after playing in the Mets farm system, he was selected by the Kansas City Royals from the Mets in the rule 5 draft.
2001 was split between double A, triple A, and the big club, the Royals, where he saw his MLB debut with them May 29th, 2001, in Texas. For the trivia nuts, he started the game in CF, grounded out in his first AB to third base, fielded by Ken Caminiti. Of interest, Carlos Betran was with KC at the time, he was leading off that game, his fourth year with KC. Thus former teammates reunited. Endy's next AB was his first hit, a single to left.
He was claimed off waivers by two teams (Detroit December 20, 2001, and New York Mets February 1, 2002) before being claimed off waivers by Montreal February 22, 2002.
He was then traded from the Washington Nationals to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Marlon Byrd, May 14, 2005. He was granted free agency at the end of the 2005 season (December 21, 2005)
Two days later he was signed by the New York Mets to a one year contract. (End of Endy Chavez timeline!)
The very next day, Thursday May 29, Claudio Vargas, the former Expos pitcher earned the victory in his start, going 5.2 innings. He gave up 4 ER, but had enough run support for the win.
Claudio Vargas (RHP) started his MLB career in Montreal after being drafted by the Florida Marlins. He danced around the Florida Marlins minors until being traded by the Marlins along with OF Cliff Floyd, IF Wilton Guerrero (yes, Vlad's brother) and cash to Montreal in exchange for RHP Carl Pavano, LHP Graeme Lloyd, IF Mike Mordecai, RHP Justin Wayne, and a player to be named later (RHP Donald Levinski, August 5, 2002).
For the last part of this post relates to the blog post title in brackets. With Endy Chavez, Fernando Tatis, and Claudio Vargas, as mentioned above, that makes three former Expos who played with the Expos. One of whom started their playing career in the majors with Montreal (Vargas).
With the acquisition of catcher Brian Schneider, and outfielder Ryan Church, that brings the total former Expos to five. They were acquired November 30, 2007 in exchange for outfielder Lastings Milledge. The total that started their careers in Montreal is at three, as both Schneider and Church began in Montreal.
That is the end of the current 25 man roster, but counting the full 40 man roster, Pedro Martinez, and Moises Alou can be included. Orlando Hernandez, as I have mentioned before in this blog spent the entire 2003 season with Montreal playing a grand total of 0, yes, zero, innings. He was injured the entire season. At least he surely got to spend time with his brother, Livan. It might have been a good deal had he played, otherwise the Expos lost Bartolo Colon for next to nada (Sorry Rocky!).
So all in all, 8 players with the Mets now were once with the Expos, 3 of which started their careers in Montreal (not counting draft choices, and minors). Another trivia tidbit, Moises Alou started out in Pittsburgh, and was the 'player to be named later' in a deal that sent Willie Greene to Montreal, in exchange for Zane Smith. He was the player to be named later eight days after the initial trade. Moises only had two games with the Pirates, starting the second, going 1 for 5, and grounding into a double play. Another brief trivia tidbit, in his first MLB game (July 26, 1990) he came into the game replacing Barry Bonds in left! Oh and finally (yes), he joined his father in Montreal, who would eventually become manager.
So going back to mentioning the re-signing of Fernando Tatis. It is no coincidence that the Mets are ripe with former Expos, as Omar Minaya was with Montreal as GM (2002 - 2004) in between being with the Mets.
Oh, and today's game, May 31, Fernando Tatis drove in the game winning RBI to go ahead 3-2 with one out in the bottom of the eighth, after being down 2-0 most of the game. Wright doubled, and Delgado hit a two run home run to tie the game before that with no outs.
Fernando Tatis spent three years with the Expos, 2001 - 2003. Montreal being his third MLB team. He started off in Texas, then went to St. Louis. He was dealt along with Britt Reames to the Expos for Dustin Hermanson and Steve Kline. He was granted free agency at the end of the 2003 season. January 6, 2004, he was signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and then released March 24. Two seasons went by with no playing time in the majors. He was then signed by the Orioles November 25th, 2005. He played in 28 games for Baltimore in 2006, only starting 11 fielding, and 4 as a DH. At the end of the 2006 he became a free agent. He was then briefly with the Dodgers (minor league contract) before the season started in 2007. He then signed a minor league contract with the Mets in 2007. He played the entire season with the triple A New Orleans Zephyrs. Opted for minor league free agency at the end of 2007, only to be re-signed by the Mets in early 2008. More on the re-signing later.
Endy Chavez started off with the Royals, at least where he started playing, as he was signed as a non drafted free agent by the New York Mets in 1996. The rest will look better in points than in sentences (okay maybe sentences and paragraphs!).
Four years, or five seasons later, after playing in the Mets farm system, he was selected by the Kansas City Royals from the Mets in the rule 5 draft.
2001 was split between double A, triple A, and the big club, the Royals, where he saw his MLB debut with them May 29th, 2001, in Texas. For the trivia nuts, he started the game in CF, grounded out in his first AB to third base, fielded by Ken Caminiti. Of interest, Carlos Betran was with KC at the time, he was leading off that game, his fourth year with KC. Thus former teammates reunited. Endy's next AB was his first hit, a single to left.
He was claimed off waivers by two teams (Detroit December 20, 2001, and New York Mets February 1, 2002) before being claimed off waivers by Montreal February 22, 2002.
He was then traded from the Washington Nationals to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Marlon Byrd, May 14, 2005. He was granted free agency at the end of the 2005 season (December 21, 2005)
Two days later he was signed by the New York Mets to a one year contract. (End of Endy Chavez timeline!)
The very next day, Thursday May 29, Claudio Vargas, the former Expos pitcher earned the victory in his start, going 5.2 innings. He gave up 4 ER, but had enough run support for the win.
Claudio Vargas (RHP) started his MLB career in Montreal after being drafted by the Florida Marlins. He danced around the Florida Marlins minors until being traded by the Marlins along with OF Cliff Floyd, IF Wilton Guerrero (yes, Vlad's brother) and cash to Montreal in exchange for RHP Carl Pavano, LHP Graeme Lloyd, IF Mike Mordecai, RHP Justin Wayne, and a player to be named later (RHP Donald Levinski, August 5, 2002).
For the last part of this post relates to the blog post title in brackets. With Endy Chavez, Fernando Tatis, and Claudio Vargas, as mentioned above, that makes three former Expos who played with the Expos. One of whom started their playing career in the majors with Montreal (Vargas).
With the acquisition of catcher Brian Schneider, and outfielder Ryan Church, that brings the total former Expos to five. They were acquired November 30, 2007 in exchange for outfielder Lastings Milledge. The total that started their careers in Montreal is at three, as both Schneider and Church began in Montreal.
That is the end of the current 25 man roster, but counting the full 40 man roster, Pedro Martinez, and Moises Alou can be included. Orlando Hernandez, as I have mentioned before in this blog spent the entire 2003 season with Montreal playing a grand total of 0, yes, zero, innings. He was injured the entire season. At least he surely got to spend time with his brother, Livan. It might have been a good deal had he played, otherwise the Expos lost Bartolo Colon for next to nada (Sorry Rocky!).
So all in all, 8 players with the Mets now were once with the Expos, 3 of which started their careers in Montreal (not counting draft choices, and minors). Another trivia tidbit, Moises Alou started out in Pittsburgh, and was the 'player to be named later' in a deal that sent Willie Greene to Montreal, in exchange for Zane Smith. He was the player to be named later eight days after the initial trade. Moises only had two games with the Pirates, starting the second, going 1 for 5, and grounding into a double play. Another brief trivia tidbit, in his first MLB game (July 26, 1990) he came into the game replacing Barry Bonds in left! Oh and finally (yes), he joined his father in Montreal, who would eventually become manager.
So going back to mentioning the re-signing of Fernando Tatis. It is no coincidence that the Mets are ripe with former Expos, as Omar Minaya was with Montreal as GM (2002 - 2004) in between being with the Mets.
Oh, and today's game, May 31, Fernando Tatis drove in the game winning RBI to go ahead 3-2 with one out in the bottom of the eighth, after being down 2-0 most of the game. Wright doubled, and Delgado hit a two run home run to tie the game before that with no outs.
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