Ask Baseball America By James Bailey
Download 1 Mb.
|
July 6, 2000With the release of the All-Star Game rosters yesterday I half expected to be flooded with e-mail from people wondering why one of their local favorites was left off the team. But you know what, we didn't get a single question about the reserves. I guess that must mean they actually did a pretty fair job picking the teams this year. The only e-mail I can even remember on the subject came in about a week ago from someone upset that Cal Ripken was voted in ahead of a more deserving Troy Glaus. I agree there. If the sentiment exists to honor some longtime all-stars like Ripken, it would be more appropriate to do so as a reserve. But I have to hand it to the fans this year, other than Ripken, there can be a strong case made for every player voted into the starting lineup. And hats off for the Jermaine Dye selection. Not that I'm a big Jermaine Dye fan, but it just shows someone is paying a little attention when a player from Kansas City gets voted in. Next year everyone get together and try to work on a Twin. That would be something. Don't forget about the other all-star game this weekend, the Futures Game. We'll have coverage of that right here on Sunday, and it will be shown live on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. Here's a Futures Game question to get us started today. I noticed that the original roster from last year's Futures Game had to be retooled a few times because players like Octavio Dotel were called up to the majors. Is that the reason that more Class A and Double-A talent is on this years roster or is it that the bulk of minor league talent is at the lower levels right now. Jonathan Virginia Beach You can chalk it up to coincidence this year if there seem to be more younger players in the Futures Game than there were last year. Even still, we didn't get off easy with the moves. There were four roster changes made today. White Sox righthander Jon Garland and Diamondbacks righthander Geraldo Guzman had to be replaced because they were promoted to the big leagues, while Twins second baseman Luis Rivas (cut hand) and Cardinals outfielder William Ortega (sprained ankle) were both injured. White Sox lefthander Mark Buehrle, Astros lefthander Wilfredo Rodriguez, Twins second baseman Ruben Salazar and Cardinals outfielder Luis Saturria were named as replacements. I noticed that the Braves have two relievers having outstanding seasons in Class A Myrtle Beach: Brad Voyles and Billy Sylvester. Sylvester has given up a combined 29 hits and walks this year in 42 innings pitched while striking out 43, and Voyles has given up 26 hits and walks combined in 34 innings pitched while striking out 36. Are these guys for real? Their stats sure do make it seem like it. Whats up? Atlanta Jim Sylvester and Voyles teamed up last year at low Class A Macon and pitched well, but that was nothing compared to what they're doing this year. Sylvester is now 3-0 with a 0.64 ERA and 15 saves and Voyles is 3-2, 0.53 with 12 saves. They've given up a combined 25 hits in 76 innings. That's just sick. Both are 23-year-old righthanders. The 6-foot-5, 218-pound Sylvester signed as a nondrafted free agent in 1997 out of Spartanburg Methodist (S.C.) JC. Voyles was drafted in the 45th round in 1998 out of Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) University. Relief pitchers in the minor leagues play an interesting role. They are nearly always overlooked as prospects because most organizations keep their top young arms in the rotation. Even pitchers who are being groomed as future closers often spend at least a season or two in the rotation, just to get their innings in. For a pitcher, especially a late-round draftee or nondrafted player, to advance to the big leagues he needs to keep getting hitters out at every stop. So far, Sylvester and Voyles have done that--and a little more this year. What are the chances some big league team picks Ryan Halla up? He's currently dominating in a closer role for the Elmira Pioneers of the independent Northern League. He's a big kid (6-foot-4, 240 pounds) and his numbers are awesome. He was a starter in college (Auburn) and for the Pirates farm system before they let him go. Any chance he'll get a nod from a team in need of closer prospects? Thanks, John
At Elmira this year, Halla is 0-2 with a 0.92 ERA and 15 saves in 19 appearances. He's struck out 29 and walked seven in 19 2/3 innings. If he keeps this up all summer, he will almost certainly get signed by some major league organization and given another shot next spring at winning a job. The thing is, most teams aren't going to give Halla a serious look as a potential major league closer, because he doesn't throw very hard. When you talk about him getting a shot as a closer prospect understand that someone might sign him to close for one of their farm clubs, but if he gets the job done there and advances, he'd be much more likely to be a set-up guy in the big leagues. Most teams want someone who throws smoke coming out for the ninth inning. They also like to have guys in the minor leagues who can close games out. But there is often very little correlation between what a team looks for in a closer in the minors and what they are looking for in the big leagues. I see the red and white emblem "HA-LO" in the dugouts of many stadia. I have no idea what it means and it's always been one of those little things that bother me. Any help? Advertisement for a company I've never heard of? Some kind of bizarre, inside baseball cult thing? Thanks. Mike Koblish I, too, have wondered about this mysterious HA-LO. I figured it was more than just the Angels fan club, but I really had no idea what it was. Fortunately, every company in America now has a Website, and most of them you can find just by typing in the company's name. I tried www.ha-lo.com and lo and behold, there it was. HA-LO is, as near as I can tell, a big-time consulting company that works with businesses to organize events, sponsorships, retail operations and a lot of other stuff. If you want to know more you can try to figure it out for yourself by checking out their site. The bigger question for me is, does that kind of advertising work? If all anyone sees is your logo, and they have no idea what you do or what you're selling, how effective can that be? Heck, it's not cheap to advertise in a major league stadium, let alone all 30 of them. I'm not really a business shark (though I was briefly--very briefly--enrolled as a business major in college before thankfully switching to communication), but advertising sometimes fascinates me in a way. Just trying to figure out exactly how it works and why some people would think certain types of ads would work makes an interesting study. We're so inundated with ads of every type that it's second nature to tune most of them out. Do they really seep through? Are you likely to even act upon your curiosity and try to figure out what some mysterious company is selling as in the case of HA-LO, or will you just ignore their omnipresent ads? If not for this question, I'd have continued to simply ignore them as I'd guess most of the rest of you would. At least until they started slapping their logo across the front of the jerseys. 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:
|