Ask Baseball America By James Bailey
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April 18, 2000We've had a couple of popular questions this week. Easily the most common query we've seen is from people asking about our Find A Player feature in the Stats section. We're hoping it will return soon, but we're not exactly sure when that will be. We know you all miss it. The next most popular question was sent in by fans like this one: Hi there, Can you tell me what happened to Maicer Isturiz in the Indians chain? His name doesn't appear anywhere on your Opening Day Rosters feature. Thanks, Geoff Young San Diego Izturis is currently rehabbing an elbow injury. The Indians are hoping that rest and rehab will cure the problem and that he won't require surgery. He is scheduled to return to game action in June. We have more on his injury, as well as a few others in the story about Josh Beckett's tendinitis problem. Incidentally, we're going with the "Izturis" spelling on Maicer from now on. He and Blue Jays prospect Cesar Izturis are half brothers. Of the two Jose Espinals being released by the Twins, Jose M. and Jose R., which one is the 16th-round draft pick from Canocanas, Puerto Rico High from 1998, and which one is the righthander who came over from the Cubs? Thanks in advance for clearing this up for me. C.J. Flynn Jose M. Espinal is a righthander drafted by the Twins in the 16th-round of the '98 draft. Though he was drafted out of Puerto Rico, he was born in the Dominican Republic, as was Jose R. Espinal, who is the righthander the Twins claimed on waivers from the Cubs in 1998. I was reading this morning about how injuries to Frank Catalanotto and Rusty Greer had left the Rangers (before making a roster move on Saturday) with only two healthy position players on the bench. That got me to thinking about in-game substitutions. First, we'll occasionally see position players attempting to pitch in a lost cause situation in order to save the arms of the pitching staff--but I can't remember ever having seen a pitcher come into a game to play, for instance, right field. Babe Ruth aside, how often has it happened? Second, the Rangers have two Gold Glove first basemen batting back-to-back and splitting time between 1B and DH this year. Assuming that both Palmeiro and Segui are already in the lineup, is there any rule that would prevent Johnny Oates from switching the two between first and DH during the course of a game, while still keeping both of them in the lineup? Richard Smith Iowa City, Iowa Pitchers will occasionally move to a fielding position, generally in the outfield. I'm not sure of the last time it happened, but the last time I remember it happening was when Randy Johnson played an inning in the outfield for the Mariners in 1993. The problem with moving a pitcher to a position in the AL, other than that he probably would be a defensive liability, is that you'd lose the DH. As soon as the pitcher moves to another position, the DH is automatically eliminated. This means that not only would you have no DH, but you'd actually have two pitchers in the batting order: the one who moved to the outfield and the new pitcher. Still, there could be times when a manager wants to work some lefty-righty matchups and it might be worth losing the DH for late in a game. (And in the NL, that's not even a concern.) Theoretically a manager could move a player back and forth from pitcher to right field depending on the batter, if he wanted to get a great matchup. Of course, in a game that was close enough for a team to worry that much about its pitching strategy, it's not likely that the manager would want a pitcher manning one of the outfield corners. And if it flopped, the second guessing would be brutal. The rule that would prevent Oates from switching Palmeiro and Segui back and forth is the DH rule itself. Part of the rule states "The Designated Hitter may be used defensively, continuing to bat in the same position in the batting order, but the pitcher must then bat in the place of the substituted defensive player." As a diehard Indians fan, I was rather upset when we lost Albert Belle to the White Sox after the '96 season. Of course, Manny Ramirez has filled in more than admirably. Now Tribe fans face the loss of yet another superstar cleanup hitter to free agency, leading many to look to Richie Sexson as our new cleanup savior. I, however, am concerned that for once the Indians won't be able to fill the void. In your opinion, does Sexson show the ability to post on OBP of more than .310 (or whatever he posted last year), and specifically, will he ever learn to draw walks and not strike out on high inside fastballs? On an unrelated topic, where did Adrian Hernandez, the El Duque clone from Cuba, end up signing? If the Yankees got their hands on what could be the next great Cuban ace, I'm going to be sick. By the way, thanks for putting up a fantastic Website, especially this column. Marc San Antonio, TX I don't see Sexson ever posting a .400 on-base percentage, a la Ramirez or Belle. I do think, however, that he will eventually post a more respectable number than the .305 he put up last season, like .350, etc. He wasn't exactly renown for his plate patience in the minor leagues, but in 1998, his second season at Triple-A, Sexson did walk 50 times against 68 strikeouts. That's a good ratio for a guy with his kind of power. Last year, in his first full major league season, he struck out 117 times against 34 walks. Part of the problem with the strikeouts is that Sexson is so tall. That gives him a bigger than average strike zone and also increases the chances of getting slightly out of whack. Just as tall pitchers often have more trouble keeping their mechanics consistent, tall hitters can run into the same problem. But Sexson is a pretty bright guy and I expect he'll improve his game in time. Some people are projecting almost McGwire-like power for the guy, which might be a little unreasonable. But I could see him regularly pumping out 40 homers a season. As for Hernandez, the only reports I've seen on him are the ones where he said he signed with the Yankees. That's a mysterious situation. You would expect the team to be willing to announce a signing of that magnitude. Still, why would he make the announcement if there were nothing to it? I remember a few years ago seeing Courtney Duncan listed on the same line as Kerry Wood, and then he fell of the scene. However, he has appeared on the Cubs' Double-A roster and seems from his stats to be a reliever for the DiamondJaxx. What happened to Courtney and has he regained his prospect status as a reliever? Luke Blaize The Cubs at one point were high on Duncan, but it's not really accurate to say he was ever in the same class as Wood. Duncan made his only Top 10 appearance in 1998as the No. 7 player on the Cubs list. Wood was No. 1 that year as well as the previous season. Duncan was never a hard thrower, and found his success because he had a lot of life on his fastball. Duncan is pitching effectively thus far this season as a reliever for West Tenn. In six appearances he has allowed nine hits and three walks in nine innings and struck out eight. His biggest problem the past two seasons was the 184 walks he allowed in his 270 innings. So he appears to be making progress in that area. Your answer to whether Duncan has regained his prospect status really depends upon your definition of a prospect. If a prospect to you is a guy who has a chance to reach the big league level and make a small contribution, then the answer is yes. If you're looking for a future star, then the answer is most likely no. Directory: mlb mlb -> By Ken Gurnick mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips mlb -> 2010 – What’s the name of the umpire whose errant call cost the Tigers’ Armando Galarraga a perfect game in 2010? (Jim Joyce) gabp mlb -> Wednesday, September 23, 2015 headlines: Verrett stumbles in the fifth as Mets lose to Braves 6-2 mlb -> All-Star History In what city was the first All-Game played? (Chicago, 1933) Baseball & Pop Culture mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips mlb -> The Impact of Television Revenue on Major League Baseball mlb -> Los angeles dodgers clips Download 1 Mb. Share with your friends:
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