The Diamondbacks have hired former Athletics manager Chip Hale as their next manager, Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported Monday morning. Hale will head to Arizona on a two-year deal, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The 49-year-old Hale has been considered as a possible managerial candidate for the Mets and Mariners in recent years, as he lost out on the job to Terry Collins and Lloyd McClendon, respectively. He was also considered a candidate to become the Twins manager for next season after they fired Ron Gardenhire, but he cancelled the interview in order to "see through this chance" with the Diamondbacks, according to Nick Piercoro of the Arizona Republic. Hale has spent a lot of time in Arizona during his life. He attended the University of Arizona, where he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 17th round of the 1987 MLB Draft. In parts of seven seasons in the major leagues, Hale hit a lifetime .277/.346/.363 with seven homers and 78 runs driven in. Hale has plenty of coaching experience. His first job came in the Diamondbacks organization as a minor league manager. For the 2006 season, Hale served as the third base coach in the Diamondbacks organization under then-manager Bob Melvin. He has also worked as the Mets third base coach and, for the past three seasons, the bench coach of the Athletics, under Melvin. Over the weekend, the Diamondbacks had narrowed their manager search to four candidates - Jim Tracy, Phil Nevin, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Hale, as Nightengale reported. The Diamondbacks look to turn around a relatively disappointing season in which they finished last in the National League West with a 64-98 record. Many, including myself, thought they could be in contention for the postseason. Hale will have his work cut out in 2015 to be able to achieve that goal. --Devan F.
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The National League Championship Series begins tonight. The Cardinals and Giants square off in the NLCS for the first time since 2012, when the Giants eventually won the World Series. Can they get back this season? Here is my NLCS preview.
The Cardinals over the Giants in six games Both the Cardinals and Giants play extremely well in the postseason. The Giants have won the World Series in 2010 and 2012 and the Cardinals are going to their fourth straight NLCS, winning the series in 2011. The Cardinals got to the World Series last year against the Boston Red Sox, but were eventually bested in six games. Now they have another chance to get back and I believe that they will. Let's break down their strengths and weaknesses. The Cardinals and Giants are two very similar teams. On the offensive, the Cardinals scored 619 runs during the regular season, which ranked 23rd in the majors. While that may seem low, you cannot underestimate the Cardinals offense, which is perhaps the most "clutch" in the majors. During their series against the Dodgers, the Cardinals were losing coming into the seventh inning all four games. They successfully won three times. With an offense that includes Matt Holliday (.811 OPS), Jon Jay (.750 OPS), Matt Carpenter (.750 OPS), Matt Adams (.779 OPS), and Jhonny Peralta (.779 OPS), the Cardinals shouldn't be taken lightly. If they can score a lot of runs, this could be a quick series in their favor. As for the Giants offense, they looked better during the regular season. The Giants finished 12th in runs scored with 665, posting a 101 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus). Other than Buster Posey, the Giants do not have many big name players in their lineup, but they have such good chemistry and get the right hits at the right time. The Giants had issues scoring against the Nationals, averaging just 2.25 runs per game (9 total runs). Posey (.854 OPS), Michael Morse (.811 OPS), Hunter Pence (.777 OPS), Brandon Belt (.755 OPS), and Pablo Sandoval (.739 OPS) round out an extremely good Giants offense. The Giants' and Cardinals' pitching staff are nearly identical. They ranked 10th and 11th in the majors in ERA, respectively. As for the Cardinals pitching staff, they have a shutdown rotation that includes the likes of Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller, and John Lackey. Not to mention, they have Michael Wacha out of the bullpen if need be. Their bullpen in general is pretty good, with Pat Neshek, Seth Maness, and others, setting the game up for Trevor Rosenthal. The Giants' pitching staff is just as good. With Madison Bumgarner, Jake Peavy, Tim Hudson, and Ryan Vogelsong their pitching staff should be able to contend nicely with the Cardinals offense. Yusmero Petit came out of the bullpen in game two of the NLDS and pitched five scoreless en route to the Giants 2-1, 18 inning defeat of the Washington Nationals. Their bullpen may not be as good as the Cardinals, but with Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla at the back of the bullpen, they will be tough to hit. The Cardinals and Giants are two very similar teams, which will likely make for a great series. Good luck to both teams, but I believe the Cardinals will take the series in six game. --Devan F. What a great postseason this has been. The cinderella stories in the American League; the resurgence of the Giants and Cardinals in the National League. Tonight, after two days without baseball, the postseason restarts again, with the Orioles and Royals on tap in game one of the American League Championship Series at Camden Yards. Here is my ALCS preview.
The Orioles over the Royals in seven games The Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals are the two hottest teams in baseball. That's why it is a really hard series to predict. The Orioles have home-field advantage in games one, two, six, and seven, so that is why I like them in this series. Yes, it's such a close series to pick that I'm going with home field advantage in my prediction. Let's break down their strengths and weaknesses. When it comes to offense, the Orioles are the rule of the land. They play in Camden Yards, a bandbox for their sluggers in Nelson Cruz and Adam Jones, both of whom finished with 25 or more home runs. The Orioles scored 705 runs in the regular season, ranking eighth-highest in the majors. Their 211 home runs ranked first. In the ALDS, they showed that they could beat a good pitching staff, besting Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and David Price all in a row, getting clutch hits in nearly every game. The Royals pitching shouldn't be an issue for this high-flying offense. As for the Royals, they don't care about homers. Kansas City ranked dead last in home runs this season with just 95. They take more of a "small ball" approach to scoring runs, stealing the most bases (153) and posting the lowest strikeout rate (16.3 percent) in the majors. In order to beat Baltimore's offense, the Royals need to get into the heads of the Orioles' pitchers and be able to run the bases well, something that obviously has been a strength for them this season. In order to win, they need a very good offensive output, something I am skeptical about. As for the pitching staffs, the Orioles pitching staff worried me in the ALDS against the Tigers, forcing me to select Detroit to advance to this series. Their pitching staff just allowed 11 runs to the Tigers (3.67 runs/game) in the short three games. They have a good bullpen, but their starting pitching just seems destined to fail in the postseason. In those three games, the Orioles matched Scherzer, Verlander, and Price with Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, and Bud Norris. There is reason to be concerned. The Royals have a really solid pitching staff. Led by James Shields, Yordano Ventura, and Jason Vargas, the Royals rotation is probably the most underrated of the final four teams remaining. Shields is a proven ace. Ventura is breaking on to the scene as a young, hard-throwing righty who went 14-10 with a 3.20 ERA in 31 games (30 starts) this season. Vargas is the journeyman, but posted a solid 3.71 ERA in 30 starts with Kansas City this season. As for their bullpen, I haven't been impressed (that may be an understatement) with how manager Ned Yost has utilized it. We'll see if that comes into play. I'm pretty sure these two teams, as different as they are, will make for a great series. The Orioles are playing for their first World Series birth since 1983 - the Royals playing for their first since 1985. I'm looking forward to watching great baseball. --Devan F. The Orioles and shortstop J.J. Hardy have agreed to terms to a three-year, $40 million extension, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported this afternoon. They have since announced the deal. Cross one 2014 free agent off the list. Hardy, upon conclusion of the Orioles' playoff run, was scheduled to become a free agent. They agreed to a three-year, $22.5 million deal back prior to the 2012 season. The Orioles initially acquired Hardy from the Twins in 2010, when Minnesota dealt him, along with Brendan Harris to Baltimore for Brett Jacobson (minors) and Jim Hoey. Hardy will receive a guaranteed $40 million from 2015 to 2017, making an average of $13.3 million per season. However, $6.5 million of his $40 million will be put off to a later time, as his new contract includes that deferred money. Hardy will have a vesting option for 2018. It is based upon plate appearances. The Orioles are still in the playoff race, but by no means should that mean they have to put off an extension with Hardy. Besides Hanley Ramirez -- who may not even stay at the shortstop position -- Hardy was the best shortstop of this upcoming free agent class. Now, the likes of Asdrubal Cabrera, Jed Lowrie, and Stephen Drew will become more valuable and may be overpaid because of it. The Tucson, Arizona native was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the second round of the 2001 MLB Draft. He got his first taste of the big leagues in 2005 with Milwaukee, when he hit .247/.327/.384 with nine home runs and 50 runs batted in in 427 plate appearances. In the 2009-2010 offseason, the Brewers dealt him to Minnesota for Carlos Gomez. Since being traded again to the Orioles, Hardy has seemed to find his new home. At the conclusion of the 2016 season, Hardy will have spent more time with Baltimore than any other team in his career. Hardy's game has really changed since coming to Baltimore. In 2011, Hardy hit for a .801 OPS and hit 30 home runs in 567 plate appearances. The home run totals remained in the mid-20s in both 2012 and 2013, but this season Hardy registered his lowest home run total since 2010, but his defense has continued to get better. The 32-year-old hit a .268/.309/.372 line in 569 plate appearances, but he homered just nine times. Regardless, Hardy has still been a three to four win player during his stay in Baltimore (fWAR). This year, more than ever, Hardy relied on excellent defense to keep his WAR high. His 10 defensive runs saved and 13.9 UZR rank in the top five shortstops in the major leagues, with his UZR falling only behind defensive-wizard Andrelton Simmons. If Hardy was able to lower his strikeout rate (18.3 percent of plate appearances end in strikeouts), and provide better defense, he would be a much more all around player. Teammate and outfielder Adam Jones voiced his support for Hardy (via ESPN.com). "J.J. has been one of the best shortstops in baseball the last 3-4 years, and he's deserving,'' Jones said. "He could have gone to free agency and gotten more money, but it's not about the money. He's still going to be eating good, and he's happy here." The Orioles locked up one of their most important pieces to their team for three more years. As the team is making a World Series run, J.J. Hardy, their All-Star shortstop, gets a nice big extension. He will be the shortstop in Baltimore now and into the future. --Devan F. Their backs are against the wall, but the series isn't over yet. That was the common opinion on the state of the Washington Nationals going into game four of the National League Division Series. Even after a demoralizing 18-inning loss in game two, Washington came back strong to win game three, proving that maybe they still had some life in them. And with a pitching matchup of Gio Gonzalez and Ryan Vogelsong, many thought that this series was far from over, even though the Giants had to win just one of the next to games to win the series. But it couldn't have been any closer. The score was deadlocked at zero after one and a half, but in the bottom of the second the Giants began to threaten. Brandon Crawford hit a one out single, bringing Juan Perez to the plate. Perez hit a grounder right back to the pitcher, which appeared to likely be a double play ball, but Gonzalez let it go right through his legs, putting runners on first and second with nobody out. Two runs scored that inning, one on a walk with the bases loaded, and another on a groundout to first. The score remained 2-0 heading into the fifth inning, when Bryce Harper hit an RBI double with nobody out to cut the Giants' deficit in half. Harper was unable to move to third base, let alone score a run. All series the Nationals missed out on key opportunities to get themselves runs to put up a big lead on the Giants. Had Harper scored, the game would have been tied in the middle innings, not in the late innings when the Nationals did tie it up. That was pretty much the lesson of this series. The Giants were able to capitalize on all of the Nationals' missed opportunities. And in order to win in the postseason, that is exactly what you need to do. The Giants did win game four. Ryan Vogelsong was not an easy challenge for Nationals hitters. He went 5.2 innings, allowed just two hits, and one run. He struck out four and walked two. The Giants bullpen handled the rest. They eliminated the top seed in the National League. The Giants advance to the National League Championship Series, where they take on the Cardinals. This will be a great battle between the two teams that last met in the 2012 NLCS, a seven-game series that the Giants eventually took. Both teams play great fundamental baseball and I'm looking forward to another great series. They both play extremely well in the postseason and are proving that thus far. --Devan F. |
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