Starting pitcher Roy Oswalt has retired from the Major Leagues at age 36, after 13 seasons. The three-time All Star last pitched for the Colorado Rockies in 2013. The Wier, Mississippi native was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 23rd round of the 1996 amateur draft. Oswalt impressed many in the 2000 season, going a combined 15-7 with a 2.21 ERA and a 1.091 WHIP in 175 innings between the Astros' High Single-A and Double-A affiliates. After just five starts in Triple-A the following season, Oswalt broke into the Major Leagues. His first season in the Major Leagues was a success. The then 23-year-old Oswalt went 14-3 with a 2.73 ERA and a 1.059 WHIP in 141.2 innings (170 ERA+), finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting to Cardinals' first baseman Albert Pujols. From 2002 to 2008, Oswalt was excellent, going 115-61 (average season record was 16-9) with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.211 WHIP (137 ERA+), all with the Houston Astros. His three All Star appearances all came from the 2002 season to the 2008 season. Oswalt was not as great in 2009, but did come back and post a very strong 2010 season, finishing second in the Cy Young award voting for 2010. Also during the 2010 season, Oswalt was traded. For the first time in his career, he would not be with the Astros. On July 29, 2010, Roy Oswalt was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he would be thrown onto a contending team. They lost the NLCS that season. Oswalt, however, enjoyed great success in Philadelphia in 2010, going 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA with the Phillies. From 2011 to 2013, Oswalt has never been the same. Between the Phillies, Rangers, and Rockies, Oswalt went 13-19 with a 4.92 ERA (83 ERA+). In his final season with the Rockies, Oswalt's pitching was becoming ugly, as he went 0-6 with a 8.63 ERA and a 1.794 WHIP (52 ERA+) in 32.1 innings with Colorado in 2013. His final appearance came against the Dodgers, recording a hold while pitching a scoreless sixth inning in a 2-1 victory. Roy Oswalt was a fantastic pitcher for the Houston Astros, doing a good job of limiting hits (career 8.8 H/9), while racking up the strikeouts (3.56 K/BB ratio). However, as he got older, Oswalt just could not keep batters off of the base paths (11.0 H/9 ratio from 2011 to 2013), which led to his decline. Personally, I enjoyed watching Oswalt pitch during his stay in Philadelphia and wish him the best in his retirement.
0 Comments
The Cleveland Indians and outfielder Michael Brantley have agreed to a four-year, $25 million contract extension, according to Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. The deal includes an $11 million team option. Brantley and the Indians have been working on an extension for some time, as they hoped to get a deal done before the February 17 arbitration date. The deal, which has an average annual value of $6.25 million, was very close earlier Monday evening, Hoynes had reported. The 26-year-old has emerged as a very good player over the past two seasons with the Indians. Over his career 3-year, 131-day career, Brantley has posted a triple-slash line of .277/.330/.382 (100 OPS+). Since reaching the 450+ plate appearance plateau in 2011, Brantley's numbers have been good, triple-slashing a .280/.334/.394 while averaging 8 home runs and 60 RBI per season. Brantley adds good speed, averaging 14 stolen bases in that time frame. In 2013, Brantley slashed .284/.332/.396 with 10 home runs, 73 RBI, and 17 stolen bases in 151 games. The Bellevue, Washington native posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 2013, but was worth a -17 fielding runs above average, something that shows how well a player contributes on defense. While spending most of his time in left field, Brantley was a fine player, but should not be classified as a great defender. Overall, this deal works out for both sides. The Indians will keep Brantley in uniform for a long time during his prime, and Brantley is able to stay in Cleveland while also making a good amount of money. He played well for the Indians last year, and expect him to improve as he becomes more mature. A very good deal indeed. The Los Angeles Dodgers and left-handed starting pitcher Paul Maholm have agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal, the team announced Saturday. Maholm can make up to $6 million in incentive bonuses, according to media reports.
The announcement of Maholm's signing came after a long day of speculation of Maholm. It was reported earlier in the day that Maholm had a locker in the Dodgers' Spring Training clubhouse and that he was taking a physical. Still, no confirmation came from either party (the Dodgers or Maholm) until the announcement came Saturday evening. The 31-year-old was not great in 2013 with the Braves. He posted a 10-11 record with a 4.41 ERA and a 1.412 WHIP (88 ERA+) in 26 starts. Nonetheless, the former eight overall pick (Pirates 2003 Draft), pitched very well in 2012, going 13-11 with 3.67 ERA (111 ERA+) in 32 games (31 starts) while splitting time between the Cubs and the Braves. Maholm has a 96 ERA+ in eight years, 37 days Major League service time. Many view the signing as a steal for the Dodgers, and I completely agree. The Dodgers are getting a starter one year removed from a good season on a very low rate. In a free agent market where Ricky Nolasco gets $49 million, signing Paul Maholm to a $1.5 million deal is a very wise move. He'll join a star-studded rotation led by Clayton Kershaw and Zach Grienke. Starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo has been an interesting topic this offseason. Early into the offseason, Arroyo had interest from a ton of teams, and many thought that he could sign quickly. Then, a few weeks ago, Arroyo was quoted that he had "no offers" at hand, and he wasn't sure when he would sign. I don't even have an offer to turn down," Arroyo told Jayson Stark of ESPN. "So I might still be sitting here on March 1. I have no idea." On Thursday, I went on the air on the Ultimate Sports Talk show and expressed my thoughts about Arroyo, and said that I thought that he would sign with the Diamondbacks. Knowing the three teams as "finalists" for Arroyo, I thought that the Orioles would likely sign A.J. Burnett and the Dodgers would be content with their rotation, leaving the Diamondbacks as the team to sign pitcher Bronson Arroyo.
On Friday, Arroyo signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a two-year, guaranteed $23.5 million deal. The deal includes a club option for the 2016 season. Something to note is that Arroyo had reportedly initially asked for a three-year deal, but ended up taking a two-year deal with an option. The 37-year-old to be has been one of the most consistent starting pitchers in all of baseball over the past few years, never appearing in under 30 games since 2003. In 2013, Arroyo pitched to a 14-12 record with a 3.79 ERA and a 1.153 WHIP in 32 starts (202 innings) for the Cincinnati Reds. Arroyo isn't a strikeout pitcher (5.5 K/9 rate), but he has excellent control (1.5 BB/9), which is the reason for a lot of his success. The Diamondbacks will add to a rotation that posted the twelfth-worst starters' ERA in the Major Leagues last season with a 4.13 mark. Many believed that Diamondbacks top prospect Archie Bradley would get a shot at the rotation out of Spring Training, but now with the signing of Bronson Arroyo his chances most likely took a big hit. The Diamondbacks look to contend in the tough National League West division this season. With the acquisition of the Bronson Arroyo, the D-Backs really helped their chances of making the postseason. They will be a team to watch in 2014. Alex Rodriguez has decided to voluntarily drop his charges on Major League Baseball, the Commissioner's Office, and the Major League Players Association, according to many media reports Friday. Although Rodriguez can refile charges against these organizations, it seems unlikely. In the event that he does not refile charges, Rodriguez allow his 162-game suspension to uphold.
On the due date to make a decision, Rodriguez decides against on furthering his case against these organizations. Many people believed that choosing to lawsuit would be an uphill battle for Rodriguez, and it seems like he may have felt similarly. Should this be the end of the Rodriguez saga, it would end the Biogenesis scandal as well. The Yankees now are nearly guaranteed of not paying Rodriguez his owed $25 million this season. We likely won't see the third baseman back on the field until 2015. |
Categories
All
Archives
February 2017
|