Tag / Nationals

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He Gone!

IMG_0892
The countdown on Dayan Viciedo’s time with the White Sox started ticking last Wednesday when he was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for the re-signed Gordon Beckham.  The Viciedo era officially came to an end yesterday when he was waived for the purpose of giving him his release.

Viciedo defected from Cuba in 2008 at the age of 19, and that November he signed a 4 year deal with the White Sox.  He spent the 2009 season in Double A Birmingham and moved to Triple A Charlotte for 2010.  He spent some time with the big league club in 2010, making his major league debut on June 20 against the Nationals.

He returned to Triple A in 2011, until Carlos Quentin went down with an injury in late August.  Viciedo returned to Chicago, this time to stay.  He became the everyday left fielder in 2012, putting up decent, if underwhelming numbers.  Viciedo became a bit of a conundrum in 2013, as his average improved slightly, but his power numbers decreased.

Viciedo was slated for a platoon role with Alejandro de Aza last year, until Avisail Garcia’s shoulder injury opened up a spot for him.  By the time Garcia returned, de Aza was in Baltimore and Viciedo had left field all to himself.  He was unable to capitalize on the opportunity, though, as his average and OBP fell to a career lows.

As Rick Hahn remade the White Sox roster over this off-season, Viciedo appeared to be the odd man out.  With Melky Cabrera signed to play left field and Adam LaRoche on board as DH, Viciedo would have been relegated to backup duties.  Now, he will try to continue his career elsewhere, hopefully with better results.

Viciedo’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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No Place To Sit

B7lCcWaCcAAeiq8To the surprise of nobody not wearing blue and red-colored glasses, the Cubs announced yesterday that the rebuild of the bleachers, being done to support the new video boards and outfield signage that is key to the renovations of Wrigley Field, will not be complete by opening day.  Or anytime soon after.

The current plan, announced during the Cubs Convention, is for the left field bleachers to be ready by the May 11 game against the Mets, the start of a 7 game homestand.  The right field bleachers are not expected to be open until late May.  While they are not part of the renovations, the center field bleachers will not open until the left field portion is available, due to safety concerns.

Assuming they meet the new deadlines, there will be 15 games, including the nationally broadcast opening night game against the Cardinals, that will be without any bleachers whatsoever.  If the right field bleachers open for the Memorial Day game against Nationals, that would mean the Cubs will play 22 home games, over 27% of the season, without their full capacity.

Season ticket holders in the bleachers will be given the option of getting a refund for the missed games, getting credit for future ticket purchases, or relocating to the main seating bowl.  Single game tickets will not be sold for those 15 games.

by jim

Soriano Calls It A Day

alfonso-soriano-wallA year and a half after being traded by the Cubs, and months after being released by the Yankees, Alfonso Soriano announced his retirement yesterday, saying he’s lost the passion for the game.  After coming up to the big leagues with the Yankees in 1999, Soriano became a regular in 2001 and an all-star the following year.  He was traded to Texas in 2004 as part of the Alex Rodriguez deal.  After 2 seasons with the Rangers, Soriano headed to the Nationals, where he was moved from second base to left field.

Soriano signed an 8-year contract with the Cubs prior to the 2007 season and helped lead the team to back-to-back division titles in 2007 and 2008.  Unfortunately, the Cubs were swept in both division series and, as the team started to unravel in the next few seasons, injuries and time started to take their toll on Soriano.

As new leadership came in and the Cubs started to rebuild, Soriano and his $18 million contract no longer fit with the team’s needs.  After some aborted moves in 2012, thanks to an ill-advised no trade clause attached to his albatross of a contract, Soriano finally agreed to a deal in 2013 to go back to the Yankees.  The reunion was short lived, however.  Despite losing Alex Rodriguez for the season due to a steroid suspension, the Yankees found they could do without Soriano’s production in July.

The end of the season also brought about the end of Soriano’s Cubs deal, making him a free agent.  Rather than subject himself to the open market again at age 38, where he was unlikely to find much of a deal, he’s decided to call it quits.

Soriano’s numbers in a Cub uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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by jim

BBWAA Award Predictions

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersThe Baseball Writers of America have announced the finalists for their awards for the just completed baseball season.  It is a good bet that few of my original predictions for the winners will be accurate.  Hopefully, these new predictions will be slightly better, especially since I’ll have a 33% chance of being right.

American League

Most Valuable Player: Michael Brantley, Mike Trout, Victor Martinez

Mike Trout was my pre-season selection to win this award, and I think, for once, I might have gotten one right.  With Miguel Cabrera out of the picture, thanks to an injury-plagued campaign, Trout should bring home the award that many thought he deserved the past 2 seasons.

Cy Young Award: Chris Sale, Felix Hernandez, Corey Kluber

My initial guess of David Price obviously did not make the cut.  While Chris Sale is the sentimental choice around these parts, smart money says that Felix Hernandez will take home the prize.

Manager of the Year: Buck Showalter, Mike Scioscia, Ned Yost

Once again, I didn’t make any predictions for this award prior to the season.  Normally, I would go with Ned Yost, who led the Royals to the post-season for the first time since 1985, but if there is one thing the national media agrees on, it is how bad Ned Yost is as a manager.  My guess is that the award will go to Buck Showalter, who lead the Orioles to their first division title since 1997.

abreuRookie of the Year: Jose Abreu, Dellin Betances, Matt Shoemaker

Another award I didn’t predict prior to the season.  This one should be a no-brainer.  I would expect Jose Abreu to bring the award back to the south side for the first time since Ozzie Guillen in 1985.

National League

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2014 Predictions Revisited

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersBack in March, just as the baseball season was about to get underway, I made my annual predictions on who was going to win what.  Now that the regular season has come to an end, it is time to take a look back and see what, if anything, I got right.

American League

East: Rays

Well, not a great selection here, as the Rays finished 4th in the East.  Instead, the Orioles won the division for the first time since 1997.

Central: Tigers

It came down to the last day of the season, but the Tigers were able to hold off the upstart Royals and win the division for the fourth consecutive season.

West: Angels

Well, what do you know?  Year after year, I pick the Angels to win the division and year after year, they disappoint.  This year looked to be no different, but they caught fire just as the A’s started to fade, leading to their first divisional title since 2009.

Wild Cards: Red Sox, Rangers

Oof.  The Rangers, thank to injury after injury, finished the year with the worst record in the American League.  The Red Sox, fresh off a World Series title, were not too far behind.  Instead, the small market A’s and Royals took the wild card spots.

AL Champion: Tigers

Cy Young: David Price

MVP: Mike Trout

Only 1 of these still seem like viable choices.  The Tigers managed to get swept in the ALDS by the Orioles and David Price has little to no chance of bringing home another Cy Young Award. Mike Trout, meanwhile, is certainly still in the MVP conversation.

National League

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#210 – Jerry Owens

Jerry Owens

Name: Jerry Owens

Rank: 210

Position: CF

Years With White Sox: 2006-2009

Jerry Owens joined the White Sox organization in a February 2005 trade that sent Alex Escobar to the Nationals.  Owens earned a September call-up in 2006, making his major league debut on September 11 as a pinch runner in the White Sox victory over the Angels.

With the White Sox floundering in 2007, Owens got an extended look in the big leagues, and he did reasonably well, hitting .267 with 32 stolen bases.  A tear to his abductor muscle forced him to start the 2008 season on the disabled list, and he subsequently spent most of the season back in Triple A, appearing in only 12 games for the big league club.

In 2009, Owens again appeared in only 12 games for the White Sox, this time at the beginning of the season.  However, he only got 1 hit in his 12 at bats and, on May 2, he was released and, to date, he has never returned to the major leagues.

Owens’ numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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by jim

Our Long Nightmare Is Finally Over

dunnx-wide-communityWhat started with such promise back on December 2, 2010 finally came to an end today as Adam Dunn’s White Sox career came to an end when he was traded to the A’s.  Dunn was supposed to add some left handed power to a White Sox team that was predominately right handed, but wound up disappointing every one associated with the franchise for the last four years.

The White Sox first showed interest in Adam Dunn during the 2009 season, while he was playing for the Washington Nationals.  The speculation of a deal increased when Kenny Williams pulled the trigger on a deal that sent young pitcher Daniel Hudson to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Edwin Jackson, whom the Nationals were reportedly interested in as part of a package for Dunn.  However, Dunn balked at having to play designated hitter and, as the trade deadline passed, no deal was made.

Following the season, Dunn apparently came to terms with playing designated hitter, signing a four year deal worth $56 million with the White Sox.  As the 2011 season got under way, things looked to be off to a great start.  Dunn was hitting .286 with 1 home run, an opening day blast against the Indians, and 5 RBIs when he came down with appendicitis on April 6, a mere four games in to the season.  When he returned, things completely fell apart.

dunn095As the 2011 season went on, things started crumbling for the White Sox.  The relationship between Kenny Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen had worsened to the point of no return, and Dunn, their big free agent signing, had completely gone off the rails.  Despite missing time due to his appendicitis, Dunn managed to rack up 100 strikeouts before the end of June.  Continue reading →

by jim

2014 Predictions

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersThe 2014 baseball season is scheduled to officially kick off tonight, last week’s trip to Australia not withstanding.  For the fourth consecutive year, I’ve looked into the crystal ball to make my picks for the upcoming season.

American League

East: Rays

Central: Tigers

West: Angels

Wild Cards: Red Sox, Rangers

AL Champion: Tigers

Cy Young: David Price

MVP: Mike Trout

National League

East: Nationals

Central: Cardinals

West: Dodgers

Wild Cards: Braves, Giants

NL Champion: Dodgers

Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg

MVP: Jason Heyward

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All Time Team Records

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersAnother exciting baseball season is upon us, and it is time once again to look at the all-time team records for games that I have attended.  Some changes from last year:

– A horrible 2013 dropped the winning percentage for the White Sox 9 points.

– The Miami Marlins join the roster of teams I have seen in person

All-Time Team Records

TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
California Angels 1 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 12 2 0.857
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652
Philadelphia Phillies 10 6 0.625
Toronto Blue Jays 9 6 0.600
Chicago White Sox 220 187 0.541
Tampa Bay Rays 7 6 0.538
Colorado Rockies 7 6 0.538
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 15 13 0.536
New York Yankees 9 8 0.529
Chicgao Cubs 191 170 0.529
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by admin

A Party 100 Years In The Making

1922-Chicago-Cubs-UniformThe Cubs, headed up by Theo Epstein and Crane Kenney, put on a dog and pony show for their season ticket holders over the weekend, where Epstein gave updates on the on-field product and Kenney gave updates on the plans to rehab Wrigley Field.  I had planned on attending the session on Saturday at noon, but found myself unable to make it downtown.  However, it doesn’t seem as though I necessarily missed much that hasn’t been reported online elsewhere.

The big news coming out of the presentations was the plans for next season surrounding the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field.  A commemorative patch will be on the sleeve of the home jersey and the side of the cap.  There will also be a new road alternate jersey, based on those worn during the 1920s.  They gray jerseys will have “CUBS” across the front, in the same font as the 1922 jersey.  The lettering will be blue with a thin white outline, and the player’s number will be on the lower left in red with white outline.  Blue piping will run down both sides of the buttons and around the collar, while blue and white piping will be near the cuff of each sleeve.

There will be 10 straight weekend homestands dedicated to the 10 decades at the ballpark, beginning with the 1910s.  On Fridays of those homestands, the team will give a unique bobblehead honoring an individual or event from that decade.  On Sunday, the Cubs and the opposing team will wear uniforms from that celebrated decade.  Concession stands also will present decade-themed food.

While the 10 bobblehead giveaways could be awesome, the lack of night games on Fridays means that I will not have tickets to any of those games.  Depending on who (or what) it is, it may be worthwhile to make an extra trip for one or two of them.  The throwback games on Sundays could also be a good time.  The Washington Nationals are coming to town smack dab in the middle of the season, meaning they would have to be included as one of the 10 consecutive homestands.  Assuming the throwback uniforms they will wear are those of the Expos and not of the Senators, that game gets bumped up on the list of those I need to attend.

The season tickets for next year will move away from the Topps baseball card motif they’ve had the past two years and will have historic scorecards from the stadium’s history, not just for the Cubs, but for the Bears and Blackhawks as well.  If the last two years are any indication, they will be impressive.