Archive for Daily Notes

Daily Notes: Cashner-Bauer Clash of Power

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Featured Game: San Diego at Arizona, 21:40 ET
2. Video: Andrew Cashner’s Last Start, Just Because
3. Other Notable Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
4. Today’s Complete Schedule

Featured Game: San Diego at Arizona, 21:40 ET
Regarding What’s Happening Tonight
Tonight what’s happening is the author is traveling via car and then boat and then car again to his in-laws’ house in the northern-most regions of Michigan — in advance of the July 4th holiday, that is, like an American.

Regarding What Else Is Happening Tonight
The other thing that’s happening tonight is Very Interesting Right-Hander Andrew Cashner of the San Diego Padres is facing Other Interesting Right-Hander Trevor Bauer of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Thing That’s Interesting About Andrew Cashner
The thing that’s interesting about Andrew Cashner is his fastball sits at 98 mph as a starter — the highest such figure for any pitcher who’s started a game this season.

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Daily Notes, With Some Potent Minor-League News

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Potent Minor-League News
2. Notable MLB Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Potent Minor-League News
Featuring entirely — perhaps even excessively — fertile news.

Ynoa Pitches 10th Professional Inning
Ben Badler of Baseball America tweets — and is not lying when he notes — that Michael Ynoa, the recipient of a $4.25 million bonus out of the Dominican in 2008 (the largest such bonus for a Latin American amateur at the time), pitched his first competitive inning of the season on Saturday and his 10th as a professional. Here’s (the now 20-year-old) Ynoa’s line from his appearance with the rookie-level AZL Athletics: 1.0 IP, 4 TBF, 1 K, 1 BB, 0 H.

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Daily Notes, Featuring What Some Might Call “News”

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. What Some Might Call “News”
2. Notable MLB Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

What Some Might Call “News”
Regarding This So-Called News, What It Is
The news today is that — according to (a) the entire internet and, specifically, (b) the Associated Press — is that Jim Thome has been traded from Philadelphia to Baltimore in exchange for minor leaguers Kyle Simon and catcher Gabriel Lino.

That News, What It Means for Baltimore
For Baltimore, what the trade means is — or, what the present author assumes it means — is that Thome will play a lot of DH for the Orioles, effective immediately.

Who’s DH’d for Baltimore This Season
Here’s who’s DH’d for Baltimore to date (courtesy Baseball Reference): Nick Johnson (19 times), Chris Davis (19 times), Mark Reynolds (12 times), assorted others (the rest of the times).

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Daily Notes: Rangers’ Perez to Make First MLB Start

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Featured Game: Oakland at Texas, 19:15 ET
2. Other Notable Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Featured Game: Oakland at Texas, 19:15 ET
What’s Notable About This Game
What’s particularly notable about this game is left-hander Martin Perez is starting it for Texas.

Regarding Perez, Who That Even Is
Perez has been a top prospect in the Rangers organization for some time, having been ranked by Baseball America among said organization’s top-five prospects each of the last four years — including third overall this season.

Regarding Perez, Where He’s Ranked on Four Other Lists
Here’s where Perez was ranked on four other preseason prospect lists:

• Kevin Goldstein, Baseball Prospectus: 2nd

• Marc Hulet, FanGraphs: 2nd

• Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com: 2nd

• John Sickels, Minor League Ball: 2nd

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Daily Notes, Featuring Top Ace Pitchers, Thumbs Up!

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Featured Game: Detroit at Tampa Bay, 19:10 ET
2. Other Notable Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Featured Game: Detroit at Tampa Bay, 19:10 ET
Regarding This Game, What’s Notable About It
What’s notable about this game between the Tigers and Rays is how the starters for both teams — that is to say, Justin Verlander (117.2 IP, 82 xFIP-, 3.8 WAR) and David Price (97.2 IP, 83 xFIP-, 1.9 WAR) — are generally regarded as Top Ace Pitchers, Thumbs Up!

Regarding What Makes Them Top Ace Pitchers
In terms of why both Verlander and Price are considered top aces, a lot of it — the lion’s share, one might even say — has to do with their ability to prevent runs.

Verlander and Price, Another of Their Praiseworthy Qualities
Another of Price’s and Verlander’s praiseworthy qualities is how they’ve recorded the second- and fourth-highest average fastball velocities (95.6 and 94.5 mph, respectively) among qualified starters this season.

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Daily Notes: Trevor Bauer to Really Debut Tonight

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Featured Game: Arizona at Atlanta, 19:10 ET
2. Other Notable Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Featured Game: Arizona at Atlanta, 19:10 ET
Regarding What’s About to Happen Tonight
What’s about to happen tonight is pitching prospect Trevor Bauer of the Diamondbacks will make his major-league debut in Atlanta, against the Braves.

Need-to-Know Information, So Far as That’s Concerned
When you talk about need-to-know information insofar as Arizona right-hander Trevor Bauer is concerned, what you’re talking about is how Trevor Bauer’s a right-handed pitcher with Arizona who throws with his right hand.

Video Evidence
Here’s some video evidence of Trevor Bauer throwing with his right hand, as reported (exclusively) by the author above.

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Daily Notes: Three Notable Promotions of Great Note

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Three Notable Promotions
2. Notable MLB Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Three Notable Promotions
The Big News in the World
The big news in the world — besides the fact that you and I haven’t shuffled off this mortal coil — is that three notable prospects either (a) have just been or (b) are about to be promoted to the majors.

Who They Are
Here are the names of those three prospects. Names accompanied by facts. Facts enriched by notation.

Player: Trevor Bauer, RHP, ARI
Line: 93.0 IP, 11.23 K/9, 4.65 BB/9, 0.48 HR/9, 3.02 FIP* at Double- and Triple-A
Notes: While Bauer has not been officially promoted to the majors (so far as I can tell), Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona — and probably a number of other sources — confirm that Bauer will be recalled on Thursday and also will start that day. If you’re reading these words, you’re likely familiar with Bauer. He was selected third overall in the 2011 draft out of UCLA. Our Marc Hulet ranked him first among Diamondbacks prospects entering the season. He (Bauer, not Hulet) has real ideas about pitching. Of course, if you’re not reading these words — are, for example, having them read aloud to you by an intern or manservant or something — then you don’t really need to know who Trevor Bauer is, probably.

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Daily Notes: Early Returns on More First-Round Picks

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Early Returns on More First-Round Picks
2. Notable MLB Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Early Returns on More First-Round Picks
What Happened Yesterday
In yesterday’s edition of the Notes, we looked at first-round picks from the recent draft who had not only (a) already signed with the organizations by which they were selected, but also (b) been assigned to, and started playing for, minor-league teams within those organizations.

Regarding the Public, Their Reaction to That Post Yesterday
The public reacted to yesterday’s post with praise, mostly. Effusive praise, one might say. Overwhelming praise, another one might say.

What’s Happening Today
What’s happening today is that same thing as yesterday — except, whereas yesterday we looked at picks from the top half of the first round, today we look at picks from the bottom half.

What the Public’s Reaction Is Likely to Be
More praise, one imagines. Fawning praise, perhaps. Unending praise, also perhaps.

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Daily Notes: Very Early Returns on First-Round Picks

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Very Early Returns on Some First-Round Picks
2. Notable MLB Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Very Early Returns on Some First-Round Picks
What This Is
It has come to the attention of the author that a number of first-round picks from the recent draft have not only (a) already signed with the organizations by which they were selected, but also (b) been assigned to, and started playing for, minor-league teams within those organizations.

What This Is, Part II
With the above in mind, the author has made use of his Google machine — in addition to sites like Baseball America, Minor League Central, Baseball Reference, and (of course) the present one — with a view to compiling a list of signed draft picks, along with the minor-league clubs and levels to which they’ve been assigned, and also their very earliest statistical returns.

Regarding What Is the Point of This
To change the world, mostly.

Regarding What Else Is the Point of This
For reference sake, also.

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Daily Notes: It’s R.A. Dickey Night in America

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Featured Game: New York AL at New York NL, 20:00 ET
2. Other Notable Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Featured Game: New York AL at New York NL, 20:00 ET
Some of the News That’s Fit to Print
Some news that’s fit to print in the present electronic pages is how R.A. Dickey starts tonight for the Mets in their game against the Yankees.

Some News That’s Probably Less Fit to Print
Some news that’s less relevant to these pages, for example, is how British novelist Martin Amis is bringing “macho literary firepower” to Brooklyn.

Regarding Dickey, His Season This Season
Here’s R.A. Dickey’s season line to date (with ranks among 110 qualified starters in parentheses): 99.0 IP (10th), 27.5% K (4th), 5.6% BB (23rd), 53.1% GB (16th), 2.55 SIERA (2nd), 70 xFIP- (3rd), 2.6 WAR (6th).

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