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American League Catchers

National League Catchers

American League First Base

National League First Base

American League Second Base

National League Second Base

American League Third Base

National League Third Base

American League Shortstop

National League Shortstop

American League Left Field

National League Left Field

American League Center Field

National League Center Field

American League Right Field

National League Right Field

American League Starting Pitchers

National League Starting Pitchers

Not many players in the history of baseball had as unpredictable a career as John Smoltz. Usually a
starting pitcher stays such throughout his career, or if a player becomes a dominant closer one year, it is
impossible to change them from that role. Smoltz would be the ultimate exception to this rule. In short,
Smoltz was a pitcher, not to be defined by silly words like starter, reliever or closer. He pitched where
the team dictated they needed him most, and that is what makes his story special.

In his new book, written with Don Yaeger, Starting and Closing: Perseverance, Faith, and One More Year,
Smoltz tells the story of how he became the person that pitched so well for so many years. Very early on
in the book, Smoltz establishes a few facts. One of these facts is that he always believed that he could
win at whatever he did. The second fact is that he didn’t really care how he became the best
or how he won; just that it happened. Essentially, he didn’t care what records he held, or how the game
ended up on his side, as long as when it was over, he was victorious.

One of the main points of Smoltz’s book is to explain why he decided to come back for one final season
after having to miss an entire season due to undergoing Tommy John surgery. He points out that to this day,
the question he is asked most by people, whether it be in the line at a movie theater or on the set of
a television baseball show, is why after he had already had a career so many people would be pleased
with, he put himself through an extremely difficult rehabilitation program to come back for one more
season.

The short answer that Smoltz provides to this question is simple. He tells them, “Why not?” An answer
that is in some ways both easy and hard to argue with. On one hand, one could argue that Smoltz had
enough money in the bank to last him for a life time and had already had a lengthy and successful
career, so there was no reason for him to push himself to get back out there. On the other hand,
someone could look at this and wonder why anyone would want to stop doing what they love to do
when they still have something left in the tank.

Smoltz explains the different layers that made his decision to come back for that last season easy. He
blatantly states that there was no thought in his end that if he played another year and had another
significant boost to his numbers that he could perhaps bolster his argument to get into the Hall of Fame.

Many times, hearing that the love of the game is the reason for playing is hard to take from players who
are making millions of dollars to play catch on a diamond. While this isn’t to say that the feeling would
not apply at all to Smoltz, he certainly attempts to make a compelling case for his love of the game being
the main driver for him to continue on.

The book is a rather quick read and the story of Smoltz’s career unfolds itself in a very informal
memoir type of a fashion. This would be an interesting read for anyone who followed Smoltz through
his career or has a significant interest specifically in the mindset of pitchers. Smoltz is the only player in
modern history who was dominant both as a starter and as a closer, and this uniqueness is illustrated
throughout the book. Not only do readers learn the story about him on the mound, but they learn
about the passions he has off of it as well such as golf and faith.

The 304 page book retails for $26 and will be out in hardcover this month. The book is published by
William Morrow, An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.

Overall Rating: 2.75/5

With two Silver Sluggers and an Most Valuable Player award, the Texas Rangers’ Josh Hamilton has always been one of baseball’s elite, but his on-field injuries and off-the-field substances have limited his potential throughout his career.

However, you’ve probably heard that 2012 is a completely different story. Through his first 30 games, the Rangers’ outfielder has amassed a whopping 18 home runs and 41 runs batted in, with an eye-popping .402/.457/.873 slash line.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock recently, you probably also heard about Hamilton’s power surge last Tuesday night, when he teed off on the Baltimore Orioles for four home runs, eight RBIs, and 18 total bases at Camden Yards. With only 16 four-HR games in Major League Baseball history, the feat ranks among perfect games (21) and unassisted triple plays (15) as one of the most rare achievements in baseball. With that being said, how much luck was involved in Hamilton’s epic night?

Let’s break down each of his long balls:

Home Run No. 1: Hamilton started his off the fireworks with a bomb off of Orioles’ starter Jake Arrieta in the top of the first. The 79-mph curveball stayed up over the leftmost third of the plate, a meatball for the left-handed Hamilton considering it was thrown by a right-hander. The baseball traveled a mere 404 feet, barely escaping the center-field wall and Andruw Jones’ outstretched glove. Move the walls back a yard, and Jones could have hauled it in. According to ESPN’s online Home Run Tracker, this tater had “just enough” to escape Camden Yards, but would not have left any other ballpark under standard weather conditions. However, MLB Advanced Media recorded a 6-mph breeze blowing to straightaway center field at first pitch, which gave the ball some extra lift over the fence. Conclusion: Lucky

Home Run  No. 2: Hamilton’s second dinger also came off of Arrieta in the third inning, but unlike the first, there was no question about this one. The right-hander’s 93-mph sinker wound up in nearly the same location as his first offering, but Hamilton redirected the faster pitch 387 feet into the left-center bleachers. Clearing the fence by a whopping 23 feet, ESPN’s database claims that it would have left 26 of the 30 stadiums in the Majors. In other words, only the offense-killing confines of Petco and Marlins Park might have kept this one in the yard. Conclusion: Legit

Home Run No. 3: After doubling off the wall in right-center field, Hamilton slammed another home run to left-center field. Again, the offering (a 78-mph slider from left-handed rookie Zach Phillips) was on the outer third of the plate, but hung up in the zone, easy pickings for a red-hot Hamilton. Number 3 ended up in nearly the same spot as Number 1, landing 406 feet from home plate. With the wind continuing to blow toward center field, Jones jumped but had no hope of snagging it. ESPN estimates that the breeze added six feet to this shot, turning an easy can-of-corn into Hamilton’s third dinger of the night. Conclusion: Lucky

Home Run No 4: Ex-Texas Ranger reliever Darren O’Day was Hamilton’s final victim. For a fourth time, the pitch (another slider clocking in at only 83 mph) landed in Hamilton’s wheelhouse, giving him another opportunity to show what he can do with off-speed pitches landing on the outer third of the plate. Number 4 traveled 425 feet to left-center, so far from numbers 1 and 3 that Jones could only give a half-hearted jog across Camden’s outfield. The wind actually knocked a foot off this long ball’s distance, but this one would’ve left 87 percent of Major League Baseball parks anyway (ESPN). Kudos to Orioles’ manager Buck Showalter for not ordering an intentional walk, but at this point, Hamilton was so locked in that he could have hit one out even if it was two feet off the plate. Conclusion: Legit

With four juicy outside pitches and a strong wind to work with, Hamilton clearly caught some breaks last Tuesday night. Achieving this feat during a night game probably made things a bit easier. Hamilton is historically a poorer hitter during day games, batting .260 versus .332 during night contests from 2009-2011. But does a .402 hitter really care what time he takes his hacks? It’s interesting to consider the factors behind his epic performance, but it can’t take away from Hamilton’s ability with the bat.

His otherworldly start makes for a more enthralling off-season, when he will be the top free agent on the market.

The Factor12 Rating (F12) is an analytic measurement utilizing league average performance to compare the value of all MLB pitchers on 60ft6in.com.

Jered Weaver (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(1) Jered Weaver retains the current top spot on the Factor12 Top12 in 2012 with a 32.589 rating.  The Los Angeles Angels right-hander continues to pitch superb baseball compiling a 1.60 ERA and 0.79 WHIP over his first seven starts of the season.

(2) Jake Peavy has regained his 2007 NL Cy Young form.  The Chicago White Sox hurler has pitched outstanding baseball over his first seven starts of the season.  Peavy has thrown 52.33 IP/ 35H/ 11ER/ 7BB/ 44K while posting a 1.89 ERA and 0.80 WHIP.

(3) Gio Gonzalez has baffled opposing hitters in his last five starts.  The left-hander has thrown 33 IP/ 13H/ 3ER/ 10BB/ 35K.  Gonzalez would rank higher on the list if not for a poor first start against the Chicago Cubs.

(4) Stephen Strasburg continues to dominate on the mound.  The 23 year-old right-hander has pitched 44IP allowing two home runs, walking ten batters, and striking out an NL-leading fifty-one.  The Washington Nationals ace trails the top spot by just .989 points.

(5) Felix Hernandez continued his dominating start to the 2012 season pitching 8IP/ 1H 0ER/ 2BB/ 9K against the Minnesota Twins.  The 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner holds a 31.195 F12 Rating.

***The Factor12 Top 12 in 2012 through games on May 10th:

Related articles

• Factor 12 Leaders: Week 3 (baseballreflections.com)
• Factor 12 Leaders: Week 4 (baseballreflections.com)

Adrian Gonzalez photo taken from Zimbio via Google Images

A midst the massive failure that is the Boston Red Sox from the Fall of 2011 and though this point in the 2012 season, there have been a lot of fingers pointed and opinions formed. One point I heard being discussed on a Boston sports talk radio show over the weekend was asking why Adrian Gonzalez hasn’t hit for power since he dawned a Boston Red Sox jersey. All the talk was that with the new ballpark, that Gonzalez would be a lock for 40 home runs annually, since Petco Park had hampered his power production for his career thus far. We even saw pretty charts by ESPN measuring ballpark factors on some of A-Gon’s long fly balls in Petco being blasts in Fenway.

Theo Epstein essentially emptied out, for what it was at the time, the Sox farm to acquire Gonzalez on the condition that they could get an extension with him. And that’s certainly what they got when they inked a 7-year, $154MM extension to be the cornerstone of the Boston offense at 1B. All while knowing full well that Gonzalez had an issue with his right shoulder, his lead shoulder. The surgery was successful and Gonzalez went to put up a sparkling .338 batting average in 159 games. He even hit 27 home runs over the course of the season. Of course he faltered down the stretch during the Red Sox playoff run, but then again, who didn’t? Not to mention all the greef he has taken from fans and some media about his inability to come through “in the clutch”, which is an entirely different matter in itself (Mind you I don’t believe in “clutch” in baseball over a big enough sample size).

Now after reading a post by Fangraph’s Mike Axisa regarding Gonzalez’s power outage, which is quite clearly a real thing with the sample being almost an entire seasons worth of plate appearances (590), I’m starting to wonder if Gonzalez’s power is ever going to come back. With all of the statistical data backing up the fact that there’s an alarming drop off, there’s also hitting mechanics considerations to ponder.

First being Gonzalez’s approach, for which he is most known for. He has always been a guy known for his ability to drive the ball to the opposite field. Take into consideration that as a hitter you need to let the ball travel deep into the zone for this to be effective without getting out on your front side. Gonzalez was always able to do this prior to the injury with power because he let the ball travel deep and made up for it with his quick hands. He still has those quick hands and will likely hit for average as he always has, but with a front shoulder issue I don’t see him being able to take advantage of the Green Monster since your transfer power will be limited if you have a shoulder issue.

Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife

Secondly, and most importantly is how the shoulder problem actually comes into developing home run power. With Gonzalez having the issue in his right shoulder, the lead shoulder for a left handed batter, it’s cutting off his ability to finish strongly through his swings. That small extra bit of effort in the follow through, after you’ve already made contact with the ball is what gets balls over the fence or caught on the warning track for an out or as a double. He’s already creating torque in his core and through his legs, but his finish is quite clearly not driving the ball for home run power.

The shoulder surgery may have prevented further damage to the area, but it’s pretty unlikely that his power will return to where it was in 2010 before the injury and before the mega deal that Red Sox ownership committed to. He averaged 1 home run for every 26.48 plate appearances in 2011, and although a small sample size, Gonzalez has hit only 2 home runs in 143 plate appearances, an average of 71.5 plate appearances per home run thus far in 2012. Given the quality of hitters at the first base position, this will leave the Red Sox paying a lot of money for an average level of production.

I still can’t believe it. Premeditated, unwarranted, just disgusting. For those of you who haven’t heard, Cole Hamels recently launched a harpoon from the pitcher’s mound at rookie sensation Bryce Harper, piercing the slugger’s right shoulder and placing him on the DL indefinitely. The wound will likely keep Harper out for the rest of the season and sources are saying his future in baseball may be in jeopardy.

In light of the incident, Hamels has been reviled by both local and national media for such a reckless act of cowardice, and rightfully so – there is no place for such violence in Major League Baseb…

Wait, what? You’re saying Hamels just hit Harper with a pitch? Well still, it was probably gruesome. You heard what he said, there was clear intent – where’d he hit him, in the head? See, that’s what I thou- wait, in the back??? Hm - but I mean, it knocked him out of the game, right? I’m sure he was real banged up, no way he stayed in the game and felt healthy enough to steal home just minutes later, that obviously goes without saying.

Having worn out my use of the sarcasm font, I’ll cut to the chase: the entire Hamels-Hits-Harper situation has been blown way out of proportion. It’s baseball – pitchers occasionally throw at batters, it’s part of the game. Hamels, for whatever reason, wanted to knock the 19-year old off his high horse. Perhaps he was annoyed with the praise and attention the young player has attracted since his call-up, or maybe he took offense to Harper’s blowing a celebratory kiss at an opposing pitcher after a home run last summer - whatever it was, he decided to send a message, and that message was delivered right between the 3 and the 4 on Harper’s back, right where any coach tells his pitcher to hit a guy. No intent to injure, nothing scary – simply put, and I quote Hamels: “Welcome to the Big Leagues.”

And that’s where the problem started. There was no issue when Hamels hit Harper – sure you could claim it was intentional, but that was mere speculation. The situation escalated only when Hamels admitted to doing it intentionally. And why was he asked the question in the first place? Because it was Bryce Harper.

Had the target of his intentional bean-ball been anyone else, Hamels never faces that question in the first place, and thus, never admits his intent. But since the HBP victim just happened to be the rising face of America’s Pastime, a reporter ask Cole’s intent, and Hamels, perhaps himself caught up in the Harper media storm, is feeling big and decides to admit what we all already knew. “Welcome to the Big Leagues.”

He broke the code of the unspoken truth. “That one got away from me.” “You never want to put a runner like that on base.” “I just missed my spot inside.” These would have all sufficed as acceptable generic answers from the school of Belichick. Hey Bill, are you going light in practice this week since your opponent is 0-15? — “They’re a really good football team. We’re preparing like we would any other week knowing this is going to be a tough game.” It’s that easy. No more questions. But no – Cole came clean, and the baseball world is downright indignant, painting Hamels as a villain and tying the league’s hands when it came to suspension.

And it all could have been avoided. What Cole did on the baseball field is nothing out of the ordinary, but it was his handling of the situation that sent writers everywhere into a state of fabricated shock. Whether or not his motive is valid is a separate argument, but when it comes to plunking guys, the lefty’s execution was exemplary. Now if only his post-game interview discretion were as sharp, he wouldn’t be missing his next start.

As for Harper, the bar has officially been set for media coverage of his many “firsts,” and all this for a measly hit-by-pitch. I assume the attention his first home run garners will be enough to lure a jealous Brett Favre out of retirement.

SMALLS TALK Series
Foul Ball Etiquette
The One Ear Flap Helmet
O’s lose to college team – big deal?
Terry Francona on Baseball Tonight
The Curtain Call
Coolest park to hit a home run?
Top 5 Questions Heading into the 2012 Season
Would you want Manny on your team?
College Baseball’s Opening Day
On-Field Composure
When did “Can I have your autograph” turn into “Give me a ball”?
Baseball Needs a 24/7 Show
Top 10 Things to Do in the Dugout During a Day Off
The Spit Hit
Being Friends with Pitchers
The Yankee Core
Opening Day
You Play Right Field?
It’s Not Always Sunny in Arizona
Tee Work
Helmet for Pitchers?
Approaching Spring Training
Top 5 Things I Won’t Miss About My Local Gym
Getting New Equipment
Last Day at Work
My Bat of Choice
The Superstitions and Quirks of a Ballplayer
The Art of the Autograph
Greensboro’s ‘Bat Dogs’
Tim Kurkjian is a Man Among Boys
Baseball Movie All-Star Game: Starting Lineups
Walk-Out Music
Pre-Draft Medical Questionnaires
The Ryan Howard Namesake
The Magic of the Rally
Jeter and A-Rod, How Times Have Changed
Summer Leagues – Cape Still Cream of the Crop?
SportsCenter Commercials are Better Than Most Shows
Schilling’s Bloody Sock
Red Sox Nation Goes Crazy, JD Drew Can’t Be Bothered
Minor League Hats are the Way to Go
Who Has the Best Uniforms in College Baseball?

Is there anything more American than a game of catch between a father and his son? For many, the answer to this question would probably be that the only way to make that vision more American is to have an apple pie sitting in the window of the house next to the yard where the game of catch is taking place. It is because of this, that there is a certain nostalgia attached to the relationship of fathers and their sons and how the relationship grows through the game of baseball.

In a new book by Kevin Neary and Leigh A. Tobin called Major League Dads: Baseball’s Best Players Reflect on the Fathers who Inspired Them to Love the Game, fans who saw their relationship with their father grow through America’s pastime have a chance to experience the affect it had on those players who made it to the game’s highest level.

In the introduction, former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona sets the tone for what is to come in the pages that follow as he tells the story of the relationship he had with his father and how that has not only affected how he sees the game of baseball, but also how he tries to raise his own son. His story is unique because while many dads try to teach their son the game of baseball from what they see when they watch their local teams and from what they remember from when they played little league, Francona’s dad was actually a Major Leaguer.

The stories in this book all involve how a player’s dad grew closer to them through the game of baseball, but it is amazing to which how many different levels of baseball expertise these players’ fathers had to bestow upon them. In addition to Francona, the book has dozens of stories from current and former players that tell the tales of how influential their fathers were with their involvement in the game.

Each story is about two to three pages in length and most tend to focus on how their father got the player started in baseball and what their relationship with their father is like in relation to the sport at this point. There are similar comments made by various players to the idea that there may be thousands of people in the stands when they play, but the only one they ever hear is their dad, which speaks volumes about the influence a father can have.

Many well-known players have their stories featured in this book, including the likes of all three Molina brothers, New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Roy Halladay, Atlanta Brave Chipper Jones and future Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Madux.

While the majority of the stories are only about how life grew around baseball, there are many players whose tales touch on other aspects of life where they grew closer to their fathers and then relate that back to how it helped them succeed on the field.

The stories they tell about the relationship with their father are not unlike those that many of us have witnessed either with ourselves, or those around us throughout the years.  Just as those of us who are now working in some other field besides being paid to play baseball cherished those moments with our dads, the phenoms did as well.

The book is a quick and easy read due to the fact that a new section starts every third page. Also, because there is continually a different voice for the reader at almost every page turn, it keeps the reader engaged, but also makes it easy to read to a stopping point as there are many throughout the book.

The 256 page book came out at the beginning of May in hardcover and retails for $20. It is being published by Running Press.

Overall Rating: 2.75/5

Making good use of checkpoints is one of the best baseball pitching tips anyone will ever give you. Checkpoints are very simply mental reminders that a pitcher gives to himself before every pitch. They are something that will help any pitcher be the most effective! Usually, baseball pitchers have about three or four and they will vary from pitcher to pitcher. I would venture to say that at the professional level of play, almost every pitcher uses them. Nobody can tell you what your personal checkpoints are. You have to know yourself as a pitcher and you must decide what they are. If you occasionally get into a bad habit while on the hill, then that particular thing would then become one of your checkpoints. It can possibly be that you have a tendency to rush your windup. Maybe you “fly open.” Just remember that they should be done before every pitch.

Some Common Checkpoints That Pitchers Use:

1. Step toward your catcher’s target.

2. Keep the front shoulder closed when driving toward the plate so you don’t “fly open.”

3. Throw the ball and don’t overthrow the ball.

4. Don’t rock left and right and keep everything straight during the windup and delivery of the pitch.

5. Remember not to tilt your head and to keep it straight during the windup.

6. Remember to “stay back on the rubber” if you have a tendency to get your body ahead of your throwing arm.

7. Keep the windup slow if you have a tendency to rush and it causes pitching problems for you.

8. Get the legs involved in the pitch to take some of the work load off your throwing arm.

9. Stay “on top” of your pitches or they will flatten out and be much more hittable.

10. Turn the hip enough when pivoting.

11. Raise the throwing elbow up to shoulder height.

12. Break the hands apart early so you don’t have to rush the throwing arm.

13. Raise the front knee to at least waist height.

The list can go on and on. (And it almost did.)

Don’t make a mistake here and undervalue how important checkpoints are. If you have two or three weaknesses, wouldn’t it be terrific if you can eliminate them almost all the time? As an individual pitcher, you have to decide what the three or four things are that should be your personal checkpoints. Think about them before every pitch! Trust me, it’s not nearly as complicated as one might think.

Simply think of an abbreviated form because it’s not like you have to think of thirty, forty or fifty words before every pitch. A typical checkpoint list may be staying back on the rubber, front shoulder closed and point the landing foot to the catcher’s target. A more logical and abbreviated version would be “stay back, closed and foot.” It takes about one second at the most. Using checkpoints should be right near the top of your list of outstanding baseball pitching tips.

To me, making very good use of checkpoints is a total no brainer. It will keep you totally focused and you will cut down on your number of mistakes. I truly hope you realize how spending this one second will help you tremendously as a baseball pitcher!