Randomz - Rondell, Bobby Bo, Glenallen, and more

I think about baseball way too much.  Often, I find my mind drifting to random baseball-related items.  I decided to start posting these, as a way to share with others/document for the future professionals who will need to evaluate me.  The extra "z" is for Zeile, the incorrect way I spell the word zeal.

Rondell White

My muse.  Not always, just for this nonsense.  If you somehow stumble upon this, hate it, then lament whatever brought you here, you can blame Rondell.  I was shoveling my driveway today and for some reason, Rondell White popped into my head.  I remember when the Twins signed him.  I was positive that they were adding 100 RBI to their lineup.  This belief completely ignored the fact that he had played 13 seasons and had never driven in more than 87 runs.  Back in 2006, we did not have the luxury of the internet.  I couldn't simply look his stats up anywhere.

As it turned out, Rondell White wasn't very good for the Twins.  I'm actually really surprised that they retired his number.  He had a 66 OPS+ and then a 48 OPS+ in two seasons with the Twins.  Yikes.  But, if you add those up, you get a 114 OPS+ and that is well above league average.  I also remember him injuring his kidney with the Twins.  That actually happened in 1996, nearly a decade before he signed with the Twins.  My memory is terrible.  Oh, it's his birthday tomorrow.  Who else has a birthday tomorrow?

Bobby Bonilla

Bonilla helped produce one of my favorite clubhouse video clips (about 2:11 in the clip), when he threatened a reporter and repeatedly asked him to "make your move."  My cousin always pronounced his name as "Bobby Banilla" as if his last name rhymed with "vanilla."  This combo inspired me to make this:

So, if you were looking for a blog that has the guts to make a 20-year-old Bobby Bonilla reference, you may have found your nirvana.

Alexi Casilla 

He really reminds me of the song "You Can't Quit Me Baby" by Queens of the Stone Age.  This is true because he is so cool.  I also think his name is cool and the name of that song is cool as well.  The song gets a bit disjointed at the end, which is a good parallel to Lexi's Twins career.  This is actually a pretty terrible analogy, so I am going to abandon it now.  I just like this song and this player and I don't see why those things can be clumsily lumped together in the middle of a randomz.

Samuel Deduno

Sam Deduno gets to pitch for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.  That's cool.  He said he wanted to pitch for his country and now he gets to.  I'd be pretty psyched/surprised if I was asked to pitch for my country, so I'm happy for him.

Randomz Prediction

The following players will be good at baseball:  Bryce Harper, Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols, Stephen Strasburg, and Joey Votto.

Glenallen Hill

I'm a big fan of Grant Brisbee's McCovey Chronicles.  First, Brisbee is an amazing writer.  Second, he finds really cool stuff.  Third, someone could make a Grant Frisbee joke at some point.  Today, he posted a video of Glenallen Hill absolutely murdering a baseball out of Wrigley Field (among other cool videos).  This video reminded me that I used to refer to the hill behind my house as "Glenallen Hill."  Pretty clever stuff.

Anyway, one day, my brother and I were playing on Glenallen Hill and he tripped and just started rolling down Glenallen Hill.  He kept rolling over his own hands, all the way down Glenallen Hill.  By the time he got to the end of Glenallen Hill, he was in pretty rough shape.  I went running up Glenallen Hill and shot through our back door until I found my mom.  I screamed, "Matt fell down Glenallen Hill!, Matt fell down Glenallen Hill!" repeatedly, until my mom put on her shoes and went out to find my brother all the way at the bottom of Glenallen Hill, writhing in pain.  She had to carry him up Glenallen Hill, even though his legs were fine.  We moved away from Glenallen Hill shortly thereafter, but I hope in my heart that no other children were ever hurt falling down Glenallen Hill.

You know what, you should probably just go visit the McCovey Chronicles.

Paint Picture - Tigers from Space

I made a reference to something my wife said about the girth of many members of the Tigers' 2012 World Series participant team.  You can read it in my 2013 Tigers preview.  Basically, they fat.  I made this image as a visual representation:

I have to say, I'm most proud of the way I have Austin Jackson shading toward Delmon Young.  A subtle jab at his lack of range!  Actually, my fine motor skills aren't great.  By the way, this is an end of game situation, so Jose Valverde is on the mound.

Did you look to see if the Twins actually retired Rondell White's number?  If so, BAM!  Remember Emeril?  Hava good one!

Brad Swanson is a staff writer for his own blog that he started with google.com.  He spends his evenings trying to stay awake and watching Felicity on Netflix.  He has one dog and one wife.  He enjoys adding bylines to everything, but also isn't quite sure what a byline is.

How the worst MLB teams are rebuilding

Not all bad teams are created equal.  Some teams are bad for just one injury-plagued season.  Some teams are bad for a few seasons and then good for a few seasons.  Some teams are just chronically bad.  Bad teams need to be changed.  Bad teams have the benefit of receiving good draft picks, but other than that, they don't really gain any sort of advantage from being bad.  Teams do not want to be bad.  Bad teams can struggle to attract fans and free agents, while also struggling to keep their own home-grown players.

Good franchises can field bad teams.  Most teams go through rough patches.  The Boston Red Sox might have been the most successful franchise of the 2000s, but finished in last place in 2012.  Going with the local angle, the Twins were successful during that same decade, but has suffered through 2 consecutive last place seasons.  As hard as it may be to swallow, the Twins need to rebuild.  Some fans cringe at that word, some scoff, but the reality is that any given last place team needs to rebuild in some manner.  That being said, not all rebuilds are the same.  Let's look at the 5 worst teams from 2012 and try to better understand their method for rebuilding.

Note:  I created some charts for my own purposes.  I took the 5 best players on each of these five teams, over the past three seasons.  I used fWAR to determine the best 5 players.  I just wanted to see if this data indicated anything.  I think it does, you might disagree, but I'll include the charts as I think they are pretty interesting.  The chart shows the player name, their fWAR that season, and what team this player is with right now.  I used NOWHERE for players without a team, because I am a drama queen.

Houston Astros - Blow Up the Outside World

2010 - 76-86
Michael Bourn	5.8	Indians
Brett Myers	4.7	Indians
Hunter Pence	2.8	Giants
Roy Oswalt	2.5	NOWHERE
Wandy Rodriguez	2.3	Pirates
2011 - 56-106
Carlos Lee	3.7	NOWHERE
Hunter Pence	3.2	Giants
Clint Barmes	2.9	Pirates
Wandy Rodriguez	2.3	Pirates
Michael Bourn	2.1	Indians
2012 - 55-107
Lucas Harrell	2.8	Astros
Justin Maxwell	2.3	Astros
Wilton Lopez	2.2	Rockies
Jed Lowrie	2.1	A's
Jose Altuve	1.3	Astros

The Astros seems to be employing the fantasy baseball "full rebuild."  They have basically taken each and every valuable player and traded them for younger pieces.  They will hang on to young, cheap players, but anyone else is being used to rebuild their farm system.  They will likely have a payroll around 25 million this season, which is comically low.  When you look at their chart, you can see that nearly every valuable player has been moved.  The three remaining players are all pre-arbitration.  Only Bud Norris and Carlos Pena will make more than 2 million dollars in 2013, and both seem very unlikely to finish their seasons in Houston.

The present in Houston is terribly bleak.  The future is getting brighter.  Their farm system is much improved.  Going into 2012, the Astros had a terrible team and a terrible farm system.  Only one of those statements is true today, due to their trades.  It also doesn't hurt to get the first pick in the draft, which they used to draft a very promising shortstop named Carlos Correa.  The farm system is nice, but everyone knows that prospects aren't sure bets.   

My biggest issue with this form of rebuild is that teams eventually run out of good players to trade.  Right now, Houston might be able to get something for Norris, Lucas Harrell and Jose Altuve.  Do they really want to trade those guys?  Each is relatively young, each is relatively productive and each is under team control for the foreseeable future.  At some point, these atom bomb rebuilds have to start showing MLB results.  Correa won't be ready for years.  They have the first pick this June as well, but who knows when that player will be ready?  This rebuild could take 5 more years, for all we know.  It's a risky endeavor, that is for sure. 

Chicago Cubs - Mrs Dash

2010 - 75-87
Marlon Byrd	3.5	Mets
Geovany Soto	3.1	Rangers
Carlos Marmol	2.6	Cubs
Randy Wells	2.6	Rangers
Carlos Zambrano	2.5	NOWHERE
2011 - 71-91
Starlin Castro	3	Cubs
Aramis Ramirez	2.5	Brewers
Matt Garza	2.5	Cubs
Sean Marshall	2.4	Reds
Carlos Pena	2.3	Astros
2012 - 61-101
Darwin Barney	4.6	Cubs
Starlin Castro	3.5	Cubs
Ryan Dempster	3.3	Red Sox
Anthony Rizzo	2.2	Cubs
Alfonso Soriano	1.8	Cubs

The Cubs are one of those franchises that seem to sprinkle good seasons around their general misery.  It makes me sad.  I like the Cubs and I hope they turn things around.  It looks like my hopes might be coming to fruition.  The Cubs do not seem to want to sit around, blow things up and wait to see if their talented prospects pan out.  Instead, they are seasoning in some good players here and there, making smart decisions and trying to build the ship as they sail, so to speak. 

They certainly do not have the payroll of a rebuilding team.  They'll likely settle in right around $100 million, but that isn't a crazy figure when you consider their market and fan-base.  Their roster is better going into 2013 and they have some pieces that they could move if the team struggles, but who can also contribute if the team experiences some success.  They have a nice young core of players, including Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo, Jeff Samardija and yes, Darwin Barney.  They have some elite prospects in their system and they will pick 2nd in the June draft.  It seems that the Cubs are willing to 

move anyone outside of their young core and farm system. 

They added depth to their starting staff, and signed guys who can be moved if the 2013 season isn't going well.  They went upside with Scott Baker, Scott Feldman and Carlos Villanueva.  If one guy hits, they could have a long-term contributor in their rotation.  If all three hit, well, that would be nice for the Cub fans.  There is obvious risk in this strategy as well.  The market for injured pitchers isn't great, and the Cubs exploited that, but they will have to rely on that same market if they decide to try to move those pitchers. 

Colorado Rockies - Hide under coats; hope it all works out

2010 - 83-79
Ubaldo Jimenez	7.3	Indians
Troy Tulowitzki	6.5	Rockies
Carlos Gonzalez	5.8	Rockies
Jhoulys Chacin	2.4	Rockies
Miguel Olivo	2.3	Reds
2011 - 73-89
Troy Tulowitzki	5.9	Rockies
Carlos Gonzalez	4.2	Rockies
Jhoulys Chacin	3.6	Rockies
Chris Iannetta	3.1	Angels
Dexter Fowler	2.5	Rockies
2012 - 64-98
Rafael Betancourt	2.6	Rockies
Dexter Fowler	2.5	Rockies
Matt Belisle	2.3	Rockies
Jhoulys Chacin	2	Rockies
Josh Roenicke	2	Twins

The Rockies confuse me.  They have had two consecutive bad seasons.  They have a couple of superstar players, but both miss a decent chunk of seemingly each season (Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez).  They did next to nothing this off-season, other than signing Jeff Francis, and trading for Reid Brignac and Wilton Lopez.  These aren't moves that help rebuild a team.  They also did not trade anyone for any sort of young player or prospect. 

Their strategy seems to hinge on healthy seasons from their stars and development from their young pitchers.  Their farm system is pretty poor, so there isn't a lot of help coming from that part of the organization.  They have good players (I love Dexter Fowler), but they also have old players.  Gonzalez is 27 and Tulowitzki is 28.  Both are signed forever, so that is good, but there isn't much around them.  Michael Cuddyer is overrated, Todd Helton is a billion and I can't think of a third thing.  I think that is a bad sign.  I can't assess any risk because I have no idea what they are even doing.

Minnesota Twins - Some sort of Cobra-Squirrel hybrid

2010 - 94-68
Joe Mauer	5.5	Twins
Justin Morneau	4.6	Twins
Jim Thome	3.4	NOWHERE
Orlando Hudson	2.6	NOWHERE
Brian Duensing	2.4	Twins
2011 - 63-99
Scott Baker	4.2	Cubs
Denard Span	2.3	Nationals
Glen Perkins	2	Twins
Carl Pavano	1.8	NOWHERE
Michael Cuddyer	1.7	Rockies
2012 - 66-96
Denard Span	4.8	Nationals
Joe Mauer	4.1	Twins
Jamey Carroll	3.2	Twins
Josh Willingham	2.9	Twins
Ben Revere	2.4	Phillies

The Twins have certainly struck like a cobra in a few instances this off-season.  They added three young pitchers (Vance Worley, Alex Meyer, and Trevor May) in two excellent trades.  At the same time, they have been hesitant to trade off other valuable players like Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau.  They may simply be lying in wait, looking for the best deal.  It is also possible that the market for these two players isn't very good right now.  Each has question marks, and each could address them in 2013, raising their trade value.  The Twins never really seem committed to a full rebuild, but they have done a nice job of picking their spots and addressing their needs. 

It is still a work-in-progress though.  Much like the Astros, the Twins could run out of good players to trade.  Really, other than Willingham and Morneau, the only realistic trade pieces are Ryan Doumit, Glen Perkins and Jared Burton.  Each of those guys might also be worth keeping around.  Unlike the Astros, the Twins have more near-ready prospect talent.  Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia, Alex Meyer, Kyle Gibson and Trevor May are all top ten prospects who likely will be playing in Minnesota before the end of the 2014 season.  The Twins also have some payroll flexibility, and could use the 2013 off-season to truly improve their MLB team, around these young, promising players.    

Some are starting to say that 2013 is not a rebuilding year.  I don't agree with that sentiment, but I do think the Twins are going to relevant as soon as 2014.  I see strong parallels between 2014 and that 2001 season that started their AL Central mini-dynasty.  There was uproar about the free agent starting pitchers that were signed this off-season, but the reality is that the Twins likely did not want to sign anyone who would block the young arms who are getting closer to Minnesota each day.  There is risk here, and the middle infield is still an issue, but the Twins are amassing resources and making shrewd moves when given the opportunity.

Cleveland Indians - Protein Powder 

2010 - 69-93
Shin-Soo Choo	5.6	Reds
Roberto Hernandez	2.5	Rays
Chris Perez	2.5	Indians
Travis Hafner	2.1	Yankees
Carlos Santana	1.8	Indians
2011 - 80-82
Asdrubal Cabrera	4.6	Indians
Justin Masterson	3.6	Indians
Carlos Santana	3.4	Indians
Jack Hannahan	2.2	Reds
Joe Smith	2.2	Indians
2012 - 68-94
Jason Kipnis	3.7	Indians
Carlos Santana	3.7	Indians
Shin-Soo Choo	3.1	Reds
Asdrubal Cabrera	3	Indians
Michael Brantley	2.9	Indians

The Indians seem to be employing a strategy similar to the Cubs.  They likely had a better MLB team to begin with, but definitely do not have a comparable farm system.  The Indians seem to be targeting their weaknesses and dealing from their strengths.  This isn't a unique strategy, but that doesn't make it any easier to implement.  The Indians needed to bolster their young pitching, and used Shin-Soo Choo, a great player, to get Trevor Bauer.  Bauer has his flaws, but he also has crazy upside.  The Indians also signed some good players in free agency, including Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn and yes, Mark Reynolds. 

They have their core of good players:  Jason Kipnis, Carlos Santana, Asdrubal Cabrera, Michael Brantley, Bourn and Swisher.  They have interesting arms in Bauer, Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco, and Ubaldo Jimenez.  They also have two great bullpen arms in Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez.  You could make the argument that the Indians have been rebuilt.  They might not be a World Series team, but who knows?  A lot of people want to find the next 2012 Orioles or 2012 A's.  Likely, there won't be one, but the Indians might be as good a bet as any other team.

So, not all rebuilds are the same.  Each of these teams had major flaws, and that is why they were the five worst teams in 2012.  However, each is employing a different method in their quest to return to relevance.  Which strategies will work?  Only time will tell.