Quality free agents remain on the market

Pitchers and catchers have reported, full roster workouts begin tomorrow. However, several top names remain on the open market, enough to field a pretty decent team all on their own.

Starters

Bengie Molina, C - 2-time Gold Glove winner/2-time World Champion

Troy Glaus, 1B - 4-time All Star/World Series MVP/1-time World Champion

David Eckstein, 2B - 2-time All Star/World Series MVP/1-time World Champion

Joe Crede, 3B - 1-time Gold Glove winner/1-time World Champion

Bobby Crosby, SS - Rookie of the Year

Garret Anderson, LF - 3-time All Star/All Star Game MVP/1-time World Champion

Ryan Church, CF

Jermaine Dye, RF - 2-time All Star/1-time Gold Glove winner/1-time World Champion

Bench

Willy Aybar, 1B/2B/3B

Cristian Guzman, 2B/SS - 2-time All Star

Joe Inglett, 2B/LF/RF

Julio Lugo, 2B/SS/3B - 1-time World Champion

Jose Guillen, LF/RF

Starting Pitchers

Pedro Martinez, RHSP - 8-time All Star/3-time Cy Young Winner/1-time World Champion

Kevin Millwood, RHSP - 1-time All Star

Doug Davis, LHSP

Jeremy Bonderman, RHSP

Jamie Moyer, LHSP - 1-time All Star/1-time World Champion

Bullpen

Jarrod Washburn, LHRP - 1-time World Champion

Dustin Nippert, RHRP

Scot Shields, RHRP - 1-time World Champion

Bob Howry, RHRP

Bobby Seay, LHRP

Scott Shoeneweis, LHRP - 1-time World Champion

Brendan Donnelly, RHRP - 1-time All Star/1-time World Champion

Truth be told, a good many of these players are nearing the end of their playing days. More than likely, former All Stars like Pedro Martinez, Garret Anderson and Jamie Moyer are done. However, the fact that players like Troy Glaus, David Eckstein, Willy Aybar and Doug Davis haven't found jobs is surprising. It'll be interesting to see if a few of these guys find their way into a camp as Spring Training gets going and injuries begin to crop up.

U.S. Embargo On Cuba Hurt The Wrong People

In 1960, the U.S. embargo on Cuba probably seemed like a good idea. They had Russian missiles pointed at the U.S. (of course, the U.S. had missiles in Turkey pointed at Russia but let's not get bogged down here) and Kennedy had everyone freaked out that communists were preparing to take us all out. They could barely feed themselves but they were on the verge of world domination? Sure John, sure.

Aside from ensuring a nation of people would be forced to live in abject poverty for now more than 50 years, the embargo also robbed many talented Cuban-born baseball players from ever being able to ply their craft against the best of the best. Major League Baseball has had it's share of All-Star caliber Cuban players. Who knows how many have never made it off the island.

Starting Pitchers

"Lefty" Tiant (1920's-1930's) - Former Negro League All-Star and father of Boston Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant. Struck out Babe Ruth while winning 2 exhibition games between Negro League and MLB All-Stars. Rumored to have invented the Screwball pitch. Played parts of 17 seasons in the Negro Leagues before returning to Cuba.

Luis Tiant (1964-1982) - 3-time All-Star and all around bad ass on the mound. Won 229 career games including 2 more in the 1975 World Series. In 1968, Tiant set the modern AL record for Earned Run Average (1.60). Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk once said Tiant, "If I could have one guy on the mound in a big game, it'd be Luis Tiant."

Dolf Luque (1914-1935) - Won 197 career games over 20 seasons with the Reds, Giants, Robins, and Braves, including one season of 27 wins in 1923. Helped the Reds and Giants to World Series Championships in 1919 and 1933.

Mike Cuellar (1959-1977) - 1969 AL Cy Young Award Winner. Won at least 20 games 4 different times, 185 wins for his career. 4-time All-Star was part of arguably the greatest 4-man pitching rotation in baseball history, when in 1970 he, Jim Palmer and Dave McNally each won at least 20 games.

Livan Hernandez (1996-current) - Considered one of the better clutch pitchers of the last 25 years. As a rookie, led the Florida Marlins to the 1997 World Series title, winning 2 games. 166 career victories while leading the league in innings pitched 3 consecutive years.

Relief Pitchers

Camilo Pasqual (1954-1971) - 174 career wins over parts of 18 major league seasons. Led the league in strikeouts, complete games and shutouts 3 separate times. 5-time All-Star.

Orlando Hernandez (1998-2007) - Livan's older brother, "El Duque" unfortunately arrived in the majors several years too late. Pitched most of his career in Cuba and is widely viewed as one of the top 3 Cuban pitchers of all time. Won 41 games in his first 3 seasons pitching for the New York Yankees and compiled a lifetime 9-3 record with an ERA of just 2.55 in 7 career playoff series.

Jose Contreras (2003-current) - Another pitcher forced to pitch much of his prime in Cuba. Contreras was an All-Star in 2003 and helped the Chicago White Sox to the 2005 World Championship.

Sandy Consuegra (1950-1957) - Pitched 8 seasons (mostly as a long reliever) for 4 teams. Led the AL in winning percentage in 1954, also making the All-Star team that season.

Diego Segui (1962-1977) - Played 15 years for 6 different teams, including the AL Champion Oakland A's in 1975. Led the AL in ERA (2.56) in 1970.

Danys Baez (2001-current) - 114 career saves including 41 for Tampa Bay in 2005, a year in which he also made the All-Star team.

Catcher

Joe Azcue (1960-1972) - Played 11 seasons for 6 different teams, making the 1968 All-Star team with the Cleveland Indians. For his career, Azcue threw out 45% of all attempted base stealers.

Mike Gonzalez (1912-1931) - Largely a backup, Gonzalez played 1042 career games over parts of 17 seasons. An excellent defensive catcher who threw out 46% of all attempted base stealers for his career.

First Base

Rafael Palmeiro (1986-2005) - A 4-time All-Star, Palmeiro is one of the greatest hitters in MLB history. Raffy retired with the Hall of Famer-caliber numbers of 3020 hits, 569 home runs, and 1835 runs batted in.

Second Base

Tony Taylor (1958-1976) - 1960 All-Star with the Chicago Cubs, Taylor had 2007 hits and 234 steals over the course of his 19-year career.

Cookie Rojas (1962-1977) - Awesome range at second base, Rojas led the league in fielding % 3 times. Rojas was a 5-time All-Star.

Third Base

Tony Perez (1964-1986) - Currently the only Cuban player in the Hall of Fame, Perez is remembered for being one of the finest run producers (1653 career rbi) of his era. The 7-time All-Star played in 4 World Series, helping the Reds to a championship in 1975.

Zoilo Versalles (1959-1971) - 2-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner won the AL MVP Award in 1965 when he led the league in runs, doubles, triples and total bases.

Short Stop

Bert Campaneris (1964-1983) - In addition to being a wizard with the glove, Campaneris could flat out fly on the base paths, leading the league in steals 6 times, retiring with 649 for his career. Won 3 world titles while a member of the Oakland A's.

Leo Cardenas (1960-1975) - The smooth-fielding short stop was a Gold Glove winner in 1965. Cardenas also made 5 All-Star teams and had 1725 career hits.

Left Field

Tony Oliva (1962-1976) - The 1964 Rookie of the Year isn't often thought of when people think of the greatest hitters of all time. This is a huge oversight as from 1964-71, Oliva was a dominant as any player in baseball, averaging 22 home runs and 90 rbi, while leading the AL in hitting 3 times. During that same stretch, Oliva was voted to 8 consecutive All-Star teams.

Tony Gonzalez (1960-1971) - A quality all-around player with a great glove (led all outfielders in fielding % 4 times), Gonzalez hit .286 for his career, including a .357 batting average in his only playoff appearance in 1969.

Center Field

Minnie Minoso (1949-1964/1976/1980) - A 7-time All-Star, Minoso started his career in the Negro Leagues playing for the New York Cubans. Led the AL three different times in triples and stolen bases, in addition to winning 3 Gold Gloves.

Right Field

Jose Canseco (1985-2001) - When his head was right, the 6-time All-Star was one of the scariest combination of power and speed baseball has ever seen. Canseco won the 1986 AL Rookie of the Year award, then won the 1988 AL MVP, becoming the first player in baseball history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season. Injuries forced Canseco to miss roughly 5 full seasons of his 17-year career, yet he still retired with 462 home runs and 1407 runs batted in.

Jose Cardenal (1963-1980) - A lifetime .275 hitter, Cardenal had 1913 hits and 333 doubles over the course of his career.

Albert Belle And A Case For Kissing Ass

Albert Belle was, by most media accounts a complete asshole. During his baseball career, he threw a baseball at a fan after the fan made fun of Albert undergoing rehab for alcoholism, hit a trick-or-treater with his truck after catching him egging his house, attacked a fan in the stands after said fan yelled racist slurs at him, and was suspended for 7 games after being caught using a corked bat.

But what never seemed to get reported was all the good Belle did over his career, including his participation in the Black on Black Crime Commission, the United Way, and the Albert Belle Charity Golf Outing, the last of which Belle put together to pay for scholarships for kids in need. While Belle could have used these moments of charity to improve his public image, he instead chose to keep such things quiet, preferring to keep his charitable donations private, saying, "I don't get excited talking about myself. Guys such as Sandy Koufax, Joe DiMaggio, and Steve Carlton did not interview, and it was no big deal. They were quiet. I am also quiet. I just want to concentrate on baseball. Why does everyone want to hear me talk, anyway?"



Belle's inability to 'play the game' cost him a great deal with the media, who took every opportunity to make him look MLB's ultimate villain. Even after Belle was forced into early retirement due to a history of issues with an arthritic hip, they continued to hold a grudge. Several members of the media even made a point of admitting that, despite Belle's overwhelmingly dominant career, they would do whatever they could to ensure he would never be voted into the Hall of Fame.

"Sorry, there'll be no words of sympathy here for Albert Belle," wrote New York Daily News' columnist Bill Madden after Belle's retirement. "He was a surly jerk before he got hurt and now he's a hurt surly jerk....He was no credit to the game. Belle's boorish behavior should be remembered by every member of the Baseball Writers' Association when it comes time to consider him for the Hall of Fame."

Make no mistake about it, Albert Belle is not the only jerk to ever play Major League Baseball but, for whatever reason, was buried by the mass media like no other player before him. It is here where I'd like to take a look at Belle's career alongside several other players already a part of the Hall of Fame. Taking into account the fact that Belle was forced to retire while still statistically in his prime, I've invoked the so-called 'decade of dominance' theory which many HOF voters put forth when voting for several players whose careers were cut short due to injury and/or other factors. This concept was most recently employed in 2001 for Kirby Puckett, the Minnesota Twins all-world player whose career ended prematurely after being beaned with a pitch, forcing him into early retirement.

Ralph Kiner
From 1946-53, Ralph Kiner was the most feared hitter in baseball. During this stretch of 8 seasons, Kiner averaged 41 home runs and 111 RBI. However, Kiner's production fell off sharply and, during his final two seasons in baseball saw his home run average drop from 41 to 20, while his run production dropped from 111 to 64. Dramatic, to say the least and after 1955, Kiner was out of baseball. The Pirates slugger is an interesting comparison in that he displayed similar power numbers as Belle:




However, as you can also see Kiner was nowhere near the overall player Belle was as he averaged 21 doubles and .279 batting average per season to Belle's 38 doubles and .298 average over a similar 10-year span.

In 1975, Ralph Kiner received 75.4% of the vote and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Robin Yount
Yount played 20 years of pro ball but it is easily argued that half of it was spent being little more than a middle of the road player. From the years 1974-79 and then from 1990-93, Yount averaged 8 home runs, 58 rbi and just a .264 batting average. During his 'decade of dominance', Yount, from 1980-89 averaged 17 home runs, 82 rbi and a .305 average while winning 2 MVP Awards. Throughout his career, Yount was a marginal defender with decent speed (271 career steals) but really only had 3 truly spectacular, HOF-like seasons. His career was one of longevity, one in which he displayed good-not-great talent over the course of two decades. But even just using his 'decade of dominance', his numbers don't even compare to Belle's:




The number don't lie: Belle was not only equal to Yount as a hitter, but far surpassed him as a run producer.

In 1999, Robin Yount received 77.5% of the vote and was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Kirby Puckett
Arguably the greatest center fielder of all time, Kirby Puckett sadly saw his career cut short after a pitch hit him in the head, ruining his vision. Puckett might actually be the most perfect player with whom to compare Albert Belle in that he was still in his prime at the time of his retirement, having putting together a very good line of .314/.379/.515 with 23 home runs and 99 RBI. From 1986-95, Puckett hit .324, led the league in hits 4 times, and won 2 World Series Titles. He was a 10-time All-Star, a plus defensive player who won 6 Gold Gloves and a team leader.




While Puckett's career average was significantly higher than Belle's, most his other offensive numbers are either similar or markedly lower than the former Indians great. And though no one would even consider Belle in the same league as Puckett defensively, the same sort of deference must be given to Belle's run production prowess.

The bottom line is this: Belle, despite his sometime toxic attitude towards both the media and unruly fans, deserved far more consideration than the 7.7% and 3.5% of the vote he received in 2007 and '08. I find it more than a little ridiculous that Hall of Fame induction in the modern era apparently not only hinges on how great a player was, but equally-so on how much ass they kissed.

I'm pretty sure Ty Cobb & a headless Ted Williams just crawled out of their graves and gave us all the finger.

All-Time Pittsburgh Pirates (Single Season, Positional)

I may end up doing several of these things. Why? Why not? Baseball is a talking sport and everybody knows that everybody loves lists. Here goes:

Catcher
Jason Kendall (1998): In his third season behind the plate for Pittsburgh, Kendall led all catchers with a .327 BA while stealing 26 bases and making his second All-Star Game.

Honorable Mention
Manny Sanguillen (1971): Drove in 81 runs and batted .319, making his first All-Star Game. Also hit .379 against Baltimore, helping the Pirates to the 1971 World Series Championship.

First Base
Willie Stargell (1973): "Pops" was the de facto leader of the World Champion 1979 Pirates but his 1973 season remains his finest. Stargell led the NL in doubles (43) home runs (44), RBI (119), Slugging % (.646) and OPS (1.038).

Honorable Mention
Kevin Young (1999): Largely forgotten player due to his unassuming nature, Young had several quality seasons with the Pirates in the late 90's, most notably his '99 campaign where he compiled a line of .298/.387/.522 while hitting 41 double, 26 home runs and 106 RBI and stealing 22 bases.

Second Base
Freddy Sanchez (2006): Last seen helping the San Francisco Giants to their first World Title, Sanchez had his best season as a pro in 2006 when he led the league in doubles (53) and hitting (.344), making his first All-Star Game.

Honorable Mention
Bill Mazeroski (1960): Won his 2nd of 8 Gold Glove awards while hitting a pedestrian .273, but will forever be remembered for his bottom of the 9th game-winning home run in the World Series against the powerhouse New York Yankees.

Third Base
Pie Traynor (1925): Hit .320 with 14 triples and 106 RBI, leading the Pirates to the World Series Title (where he batted .346).

Honorable Mention
Aramis Ramirez (2001): Largely known for several all-star seasons w/ the Chicago Cubs, Ramirez had a huge year for the Pirates in '01, where he hit an even .300 w/ 40 doubles, 34 home runs and 112 RBI.

Short Stop
Honus Wagner (1900): Hall of Fame player is arguably the greatest short stop in baseball history. A career .328 hitter, Wagner had his finest season in 1925, leading the league in hitting (.381), slugging % (.573), OPS (1.003), doubles (45), triples (22) and total bases (302) while stealing 38 bases and driving in 100 runs.

Honorable Mention
Arky Vaughan (1935): Led the NL in hitting (.385), OBP (.491), Slugging % (.607), OPS (1.098) and walks (98) while making his 2nd All-Star Team.

Left Field
Ralph Kiner (1949): From 1946-53, no one hit for more power or was a more feared hitter than Kiner. In 1949, the slugger put together his finest season, clubbing a league-leading 54 home runs w/ 127 RBI while also leading the NL in walks (117), slugging % (.658) and OPS (1.089).

Honorable Mention
Barry Bonds (1992): Say what you will about all the steroid allegations, Bonds must still go down in history as one of the top 4 or 5 players in history. During his final season in Pittsburgh before signing a massive free agent deal with the Giants, Bonds led the league in runs (109), walks (127), OBP (.456), slugging % (.624) and OPS (1.080), winning his 3rd Gold Glove and his 2nd of a record 7 MVP Awards while becoming a member of the 30/30 club (34 home runs + 39 stolen bases) for the 2nd time.

Center Field
Brian Giles (2000): Giles put together a very nice 15 year career, 5 of which he spent with the Pirates. In 2000, Giles made his 1st All-Star Team, hit .315 and led the team in doubles (37), triples (7), home runs (35), RBI (123), walks (117), OBP (.432), slugging % (.594), OPS (1.026) and total bases (332).

Honorable Mention
Lloyd Waner (1929): All-Star player had his finest pro season in '29, hitting .353, driving in 74 runs while leading the league in at-bats (662) and triples (20).

Right Field
Roberto Clemente (1966): When it comes to Clemente, measuring his greatness cannot be done so using only statistics. Sure, Clemente was an offensive and defensive force and, in 1966 won the NL MVP Award and a Gold Glove while driving in 119 runs, but Clemente's mark on the world extends far beyond baseball. In 1972, after participating in various humanitarian efforts, Clemente attempted to assist a post-earthquake Nicaragua by offering plane loads of aid. After learning the first three planes sent had seen their shipments seized by the corrupt Somoza government, Clemente traveled with the fourth plane, hoping to ensure delivery to those in need. Unfortunately, Clemente's plane crashed just after takeoff in Puerto Rico, killing all passengers aboard.

Honorable Mention
Paul Waner (1927): Lloyd's older brother won the 1927 NL MVP Award while leading the league in games (155), hits (237), triples (18), total bases (342), RBI (131) and batting average (.380). Waner also hit .333 in a losing effort against the Yankees in the '27 World Series.

Dave Parker (1978): Yeah, I know I'm adding an extra mention here. It's gotta be done. Dave Parker was a 'man' and in 1978 was the most feared player in baseball. The "Cobra" had a silly statistical season, winning a Gold Glove and an MVP Award while drilling 30 home runs and driving in 117 runs. Parker also led the league in batting average (.334), slugging % (.585), OPS (.979), total bases (340) and, as if enough proof hadn't been offered to indicate how feared he truly was, intentional walks (23).

Oakland's Billy Beane staying busy

Oakland GM Billy Beane has been a busy man early on this off season. After winning the rights to Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma, Beane & Co. then turned their eyes toward improving Oakland's less than stellar offense.

On Wednesday, Beane swung a deal with the perpetually rebuilding Kansas City Royals for veteran outfielder David DeJesus. The 30-year old DeJesus is coming off an injury-plagued season during which he compiled a batting line of .318/.384/.443 over the course of 91 games. DeJesus is a plus fielder with good range and figures to play left field for the A's with Rajai Davis manning center and Ryan Sweeney in right. DeJesus is an obvious upgrade both offensively and defensively over Gabe Gross, who hit just .239 with 25 rbi in 105 games.

In the deal for DeJesus, Oakland sent Kansas City 23-year old Vin Mazzaro and 22-year old Justin Marks, both pitching prospects with decent ceilings. Mazzaro figures to vie for a rotation spot next season.

After upgrading the outfield, Oakland then snapped up third baseman Edwin Encarnacion off waivers from Toronto. The Blue Jays will receive no compensation for losing Encarnacion however, with the third baseman coming off a season during which he hit 21 home runs (in just 96 games), odds are good he would've received a decent raise over the $5.1 million he made last season.

The Encarnacion move is a curious one as he doesn't appear to be an upgrade over last year's third baseman, Kevin Kouzmanoff. Both have similar power numbers and hit for around the same average, while Kouzmanoff is clearly a more well-rounded fielder. While I suppose it's possible Oakland will offer arbitration to both players, one wonders where they'd both play. A platoon situation would not appear to be part of the plan as neither player hits right-handed pitching particularly well.

Oakland is said to not be done looking for upgrades to their offense, including rumors of heavy interest in Florida Marlins second baseman and 2-time all-star Dan Uggla, who most recently turned down a 4-year contract extension reportedly worth $48 million.

Oakland on the verge of adding MORE pitching?!?

An obvious team strength may be about to get another boost as it appears the Oakland A's have won the bidding for the rights to negotiate with Japanese star pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma.


Arguably the second best pitcher in Japan (after the ridiculously dominant Yu Darvish), the 6'3", 170 pound, 29 year old right-hander has posted a record of 49-24 with an ERA of 2.70 over the last four seasons with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Iwakuma has a 3/4 delivery and is a fastball/slider/two-seamer/forkball pitcher with extreme ground ball tendencies. With Oakland sporting one of the best fielding infields in baseball, this would appear to be a perfect fit.

The former Pacific League MVP did suffer some injury issues in late 2006 into 2007, which forced him to learn a new way to pitch in an effort to relieve some of the stress on his arm. Prior to the injury, his fastball came in around 94-95. It now rests at 90-91 but is not seen as an issue as he has such fine control over all his pitches.

Oakland will now have 30 days during which time they retain exclusive negotiating rights to the pitcher. Since Japanese teams don't post players without understanding they'll likely lose them, the negotiations should move forward without much issue.

Most scouts believe the pitcher projects as either a decent 3rd or solid 4th starter in the big leagues.