Zack Greinke: The Pitcher Who Cries 'Foul'

The Dodgers have shown signs of life exactly two times this season, April 11 and June 11. Both were Zack Greinke starts, both involved brawls with division rivals opponents. It is hard to call the San Diego Padres or the Arizona Diamondbacks any teams rival, especially when their opponent is mired in last place as the Dodgers currently are. It is mere coincidence that both starts occurred on the 11th of a month; it is no coincidence that Greinke was in the center of it. Greinke's stand-offish demeanor hides the sad bully lurking within, waiting to lash out at perceived slights, then hiding behind a victim's veil when the spotlight shines. 

A brief recap of the man. In the 2010-2011 offseason, Greinke demanded a trade from the Kansas City Royals, reportedly because he did not feel motivated being part of a rebuilding team. This was in the midst of his 4 year/$38 million dollar contract he signed in January of 2009. Part of the basis for this contract was built upon his reputation for pinpoint control. He has hit only 48 batters of the 6421 faced in his career. Between 2009 and 2010, Grienke hit 11 batters, including Carlos Quintin.

Today, Zack Greinke is a solid pitcher who is getting paid like an ace (6year/$147 million) based off one elite season in 2009 (AL Cy Young Award Winner/All-Star) and several slightly above average ones. Since 2011, he has beaned 9, including 3 this season. Put another way, 1/3 of his total hit batsmen for the last three seasons has occurred over 2 starts against division rivals.

In the April 11 incident, Grienke beaned Quintin, the most beaned man in his league the last 2 seasons. Steps were taken, barbs were traded, neither backed down and it ended with Grienke breaking his collarbone. Quintin had been beaned twice previously by Grienke when they were division rivals in the AL Central where Quintin was a member of the Chicago White Sox. Apparently for Quintin, three beans and you charge. Deciding right and wrong in a baseball brawl is an exercise in futility. Batters feel slighted for getting hit, pitchers get incensed (or at least feign surprise) when they are accused of throwing at a batter intentionally. So it happened in San Diego: Quintin challenged Grienke and Grienke refused to back down. Suspensions and DL stints resulted.

Last night was slightly different, but Grienke once again played center stage. It began in the 5th inning when Cody Ross was plunked by Grienke. The next batter, Jason Kubel, homered and usually that is a tit-for-tat that most teams will take. In the bottom of the sixth however, Ian Kennedy (who led the NL in hit batsmen last season) came in high and tight and hit rookie phenom Yasiel Puig on the nose. The next batter, Andre Ethier, promptly tied the game with a two-run home run. Again it easily could have been over here, unless you think Kennedy meant to throw at Puig's head.

Grienke felt he did. The next inning he threw behind Arizona catcher Miguel Montero hitting him in the back. Throwing behind a batter belies any attempt to claim a loss of control. It is done deliberately and meant to send a message. He did not attempt to go after Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona's big slugger. If that was a lesson beaten into him by Quintin or not is a moot point today. He went after the most important batter he knew he would face the next inning. This was unnecessary given the result and the current game score (2-2), but much like in San Diego, Grienke cared more about getting the final bean in than the outcome of the game.

That Ian Kennedy would respond in kind and plunk Grienke with yet another head high fastball was a near certainty when he was allowed to bat for himself. The brawl played out, ejections occurred and the scrum was pretty entertaining.



Grienke was even allowed to stay in and run for himself when everything was said and done. He slid hard through Didi Gregorius legs at second on a force out that brought only a sad head shake from the rookie shortstop. Even when he was not on the mound Grienke was determined to get the last lick in.




While never the friendliest guy on the diamond, Greinke's ego appears to have grown to match his paycheck. Even after cementing himself in the middle of the controversy, he plays the role of the victim. When he left KC, he downplayed demanding a trade and claimed it was for KC's benefit. After hitting Quintin, it was all about how he would be out longer with the injury. And on a warm June night the spin will be how he was plunked last before the melee ensued.

Ultimately, he may be most upset that despite his growing paycheck he is once again playing for a non-contender or he might be mad that he missed out on the Nolan Ryan school of mound defense. Either way, he needs to take accountability for his actions or at least stop playing the victim. Look beyond who was hit last and you will see Greinke standing tall on the mound, a thin-skinned bully with a fastball, bound and determined to get his. I may be at the forefront, but the rest of the villagers need to pay attention and stop reacting when he cries foul.


Comments and feedback are always welcome below

Bring Back Peanuts and Crackerjack

I finally made it to my first baseball game of the season last month. I enjoyed myself even as the Oriole bats were silenced by Matt Moore and the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1. The result was a disappointment, but most of the rest of the day went perfectly. The weather cooperated and Natty Boh flowed freely even if the image warns you just how awful it is, with the one-eyed bitter beer face.

 In fact, if it wasn't for the seventh inning stretch I would have been elated to get to the game regardless of the outcome. Unfortunately for fans, baseball just is not patriotic enough on its own, despite being America's pastime. Ever since September 2011 ballparks across America have shelved or shoved aside "Take me out to the ballgame" in favor of standing for "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch. It made sense then as baseball helped people heal and get back to normalcy in light of terrible events, but most teams should stop doing this, get back to the carefree song and let fans enjoy themselves.

Baseball has long been America's pastime and while the NFL might be eclipsing it in popularity, it just does not have the history to fully take that mantle. This is why the inclusion of God Bless America bothers me so. Baseball is American, it does not need additional patriotism to make it more patriotic. Whats more the continued inclusion cheapens my experience by making me feel like I am not being patriotic enough and need to rush out and buy war bonds or some such nonsense.

 Baseball, like all sports, is a competitive distraction for fans. The intended desire of fans is to be entertained, to keep their minds off everything else for a few hours. Ideally the home team wins, but so long as the game is competitive fans will feel like they got their money's worth. "Take me out to the ballgame" has been apart of baseball since the Cubs last won the world series. It has been woven into the fabric of the game for generations.

God Bless America was penned in 1918 and is a fine song in its own right, but I just don't see what it has to do with baseball. Teams need to focus on the enjoyable and carefree nature of long games and long seasons. The seventh inning stretch was created to get fans up and moving to cheer on the home team late in the game. For a while it made sense to go with God Bless America, but for most stadiums that time is done. Both songs are patriotic in their own ways. Baseball fans across generations look forward to going to games, hearing vendors hawk their wares, and root root root for the home team. It is time to get back to the seventh inning song that best highlights that, it is time to bring back peanuts and crackerjack.

Cardinals Fans Should Applaud the Machine

Cardinals fans are known to be passionate and intelligent baseball fans. Sadly, this is a rare compliment and St. Louis fans should be proud of such universal acclaim. Given this level of intelligence I expect Cardinals fans to increasingly speak glowingly about Albert Pujols. After all, the Machine is still producing for the Cardinals.

Pujols started his career with one of the greatest 11 year spans of all time. From winning the rookie of the year award to three most valuable player awards and two gold gloves, all he did was produce. He produced an 86.5 WAR value during his St. Louis tenure. He is second behind only the great Stan Musial in many offensive categories for the organization. More than that however, he helped bring two World Series titles to St. Louis. Though he signed a 10 year $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels after the 2011 World Series, his contributions to the Cardinals continue.

After Pujols left, the Cardinals acted quickly to bring in Carlos Beltran to replace his bat in a move that has clearly worked out to date and at a fraction of the price. They also opened up the purse strings to extend Yadier Molina to a 5 year $75 million deal. Pricey for a catcher, but as I noted in an earlier post he is the best all around catcher in the game today and arguably more important to the team than Pujols would have been. The Cards have also been able to extend Adam Wainwright, the staff ace, to a 5 year $97 million dollar extension. All three signings cost the Cardinals less than the $210 million the Cardinals offered Albert.

Were it just those players Cardinals fans should jump for joy as they compete for yet another World Series opportunity. However, come Thursday Albert's latest gift is scheduled to make his major league debut. Michael Wacha, a 21 year old flamethrower was drafted 19th overall in 2012 as compensation for Albert's leaving. Earlier this season Baseball America rated him the #6 prospect in the Cardinals #1 ranked farm system. Wacha may only make a brief appearance, but that is due more to the depth of the Cardinals pitching staff than any warts on his ability. He figures to be a rotation staple by the time he reaches arbitration.

I understand why Cardinals fans were upset and/or disappointed with Albert Pujols taking the money and leaving town. He was a face of the franchise, a positive impact in the clubhouse and  in the community. However, he produced over a decade of dominance, the best decade he will likely produce as a player. St. Louis fans will be able to see a new generation flourish and compete rather than politely applauding as Albert inevitably declines. Fans can look back and remember how great he was and all the positives he helped bring to the franchise rather than worry if he is older than he claims. Albert left and is now the Angels problem. Cardinals fans know that in the annals of Cardinals history the greatest offensive players is 1) Stan Musial then 2) Albert Pujols, there is little debate. Albert would probably insist on that ranking himself.

I am not expecting an about face this year or next on Albert Pujols by Cardinal fans. I am not expecting him to ever get a bronze statue outside of Busch Stadium. But, Cardinals fans are intelligent and over the next few years they will look back and realize that while no longer wearing Cardinal red, the Machine kept producing for the Cardinals. Be it Yadier or Wainwright or Wacha, Albert played a part in them being around and for that he has earned a round of applause.

The New DH

This season started the advent of yet another new phenomenon in baseball: year-round interleague play. Nearly every day at least one team from the National League is forced to tangle with a team from the American League. Making each league carry an even number of teams, 15, has that effect on the schedule. Baseball purists have been up in arms decrying this as the latest affront to our National Pastime. They see this as another money grabbing move by Selig and the players to get the National League to adopt the designated hitter (DH). Small ball and true strategy will be gone, the game will be inevitably compromised! Cats will also marry dogs and the apocalypse is nigh! Take a deep breath purists, the game will continue, but there will be a change, what I call "the new DH".

Baseball as a game is constantly evolving. The distance between the mound and home and the distance between bases are about the only two things that haven't changed since baseball as we know it started. The mound has been raised and lowered, rotations have been altered, even the uniforms have changed. Technology and innovation have improved the game, the innovation lasts as long as the players on the roster permit it. The Moneyball A's did not want to steal bases, with their success many spoke of the end of the stolen base. Last year the A's were 9th overall and stole 14 more bases than the league average. The players changed, not the front office. Rumors of stolen bases' demise have been greatly exaggerated. Steroid/PED prevalence likely played a larger role in teams opting for the long ball over small ball.

Purists can rest easy in the knowledge that Bud Selig stated in April that "some cataclysmic event” would be required for the NL to adopt the DH. I do not have an issue with universal designated hitters. We now have 7th inning specialists and LOOGY's, we are in an age of specialization and there is nothing wrong with that. Let pitchers pitch and hitters hit, less embarrassment and less injury risk for all.

But what about strategy? How much strategy is it to know the pitcher will be sacrificing or striking out 8 of 10 times? The idea that small ball and other strategies would disappear is as overblown as the death of the stolen base, and for a similar reason. When the DH was introduced it was done to allow older, big hitting sluggers to continue to contribute and keep going to the ballpark. That notion was amplified through the 90's and aughts. However, no where does it say that is how position must be used.

National League teams are not going to invest heavily in players who can't field for a whopping 19 games, half of which will not have a DH option. The new DH has been employed for a few years now, signing veterans who will take lower salaries and are known as "good clubhouse guys". Jason Giambi, Jim Thome, and Carlos Pena come to mind. Their value is based as much on the off field intangibles as their on field production. Most of these players are being platooned to maximize their value while they mentor younger players. Both leagues have 25 man rosters, but NL teams are often carrying two bench players who are really just bats to the AL's one. Platoon players are another rising trend, batting lefties exclusively against righties and vice versa, which increases the value of every roster spot.

The NL should take an aggressive approach to this for their benefit. When teams play early interleague games, highlight that player, let him produce, then trade him.  Showcase a veteran and ship him out as soon as you get a decent offer. If he is a problem that cannot be traded, dump him. Improve the roster by subtracting a player who has become upset with a lack of at bats as the season wears on. Give his platoon partner a chance to prove himself against all pitchers. If the player is not a problem and no trades materialized, there are worse things than a player/manager/mentor for younger players to look up to.

The DH is not coming to the National League anytime soon. Small ball will not be going anywhere either. Manufactured runs are the lifeblood of postseason play, regardless of league. The game of baseball is evolving yet again to yet another change, NL teams would be wise to turn this situation to their advantage. The friendly, useful veteran is headlining this new DH and at current prices it is a sound gamble to take.


Are you buying in to the new DH or am I talking nonsense? Feel free to sound off in the comment section below.

All Star Balloting Still Has A Ways To Go

MLB recently released their online balloting for the 2013 All-Star Game taking place at Citi Field July 16. I was waiting for this. I was ready to call on MLB to step up there system to be more judicious, more fair, to players who, well, actually played. Upon reviewing their ballot, I have to applaud the changes they have made, but note there are still ways to improve the ballots.

Previous all star ballots let fans vote for 1 of 8 players for each position. The biggest problem with that was MLB never updated the rosters. Despite being the most tech savvy major sport, they willfully remained stuck in the dark ages when it came to updating online ballots. Arguably this was to show some consistency with ballots fans filled in at ball parks. However, fans were already at a virtual voting advantage as they could vote up to 25x for all stars per e-mail account registered with mlb.com.  Furthermore, the ballots often seemed preordained as players who started break out seasons remained off the ballot while past stars who struggled or were injured remained on the ballot despite not playing at all.

The current ballot appears to go some way to address this issue. Each team has a position player listed and every team has three outfielders. However, there are still a handful of players who have not produced enough to garner "point-and-click" votes due to injury. Injuries that will keep them out until the all-star break anyway. A quick review identified Brian Roberts, Jose Reyes, Derek Jeter, and Brian McCann as names that should be dropped. The first two suffered injuries in season that will keep them out, the latter two have yet to play a game this season. McCann is particularly problematic as his inclusion is keeping Evan Gattis, who is off to a blistering start, from being on the ballot. If MLB really wants to reward its fans it can start giving them the best opportunity to place educated votes for starters and not simply relying on managers selecting the best of the rest. I am not saying Gattis would garner more fan votes than Buster Posey or Yadier Molina, but he deserves more votes than McCann this year. 

Roster lists appear to have been submitted by each team to MLB sometime during Spring Training on what they thought would be their projected starters. Given how MLB provides a daily updated lineup link for each team, I find it hard to believe that could not create a list based off opening day rosters or update it based on updated information (such as long term injuries). Yes each of these players mentioned have previously been all-stars. They are fan favorites to many even outside their current teams. If fans really want to see them, that is why the write-in candidate box exists.

Current stars. Rising Stars. The Next Generation. The All-Star Game should highlight these players, build the game with more new players, not mediocre production (if any) from older names. With so many teams embracing a youth movement MLB should jump on that bandwagon and knock off players who do not play in April or miss more than 25 days. Josh Hamilton would not make my ballot today, but at least he is playing, if you want to vote him in go ahead. Jeter, icon of all things Yankees though he is, does not deserve to be on the ballot. He is injured, he will not play before the all-star break. Future Hall of Famer though he is, he does not warrant being voted onto the all star team even if this is his last season. If enough people want to disagree with me and write his name in, I could live with that result. I find it hard to believe that enough people would vote him as the best American League shortstop despite not playing a single inning, but I have been wrong before. 

The perversion of the All-Star Game from an exhibition of the games top stars to having some relevance should encourage managers to endorse this remedy. When the game was "just" for the fans there was little harm in letting players on the team to tip their caps and sign some autographs. Unfortunately, Bud Selig decided the game needed to "mean" something and tied it to home field advantage in the World Series. With such a prize awarded to the victor, each manager should want the best current players on his team. That is the best players of this season, not of their careers. Pitchers who pitch the Sunday before the game are already blocked from participation, which limits how effective the managers can be. Allowing fans to dictate starting rosters, and presumably players who will play the longest, further cripples managers abilities so long as lackluster options are just a click away.

Popular, but limited, players do not help either side win. They also keep casual fans from seeing the next batch of all-star talent. Baseball fans are not dumb, most can put aside team affiliations for the All-Star Game and appreciate the spectacular performances provided. MLB has improved their online balloting by including more players than ever, but until they start knocking players off due to significant injuries or failure to play in games, they are still doing their fans a disservice.  

Waiver Debate Much Ado About Nothing

Recently MLBTR's Charlie Wilmoth asked if something should be done about MLB's waiver claim system. His trumpeting call for the change? The Toronto Blue Jays. According to a review by MLBTR's Steve Adams, Alex Anthopoulos has made 22 waiver claims over the last year, more than any other GM in the game. Brian Cashman of the New York Yankees was second with 14 claims. Toronto has made at least one additional claim since the post on Aaron Laffey. I can admit it is interesting that one team is so active on waiver claims compared to other teams, but there is no need to change anything. MLBTR should stick with transactions and rumors and not attempt to create controversy where it does not exist.

To start, as Mr. Wilmoth points out, the Blue Jays making claims prevents teams with lower waiver priority from acting. Bad records create better opportunities for teams to improve. Once a claim is made the process starts over, so fans rarely hear of other teams that make claims once a player is claimed. More shocking to fans should be that the Yankees have been able to make the second most claims given their overall record should have limited their ability to get players worthy of claiming.

Second, and completely ignored in Wilmoth's post, was the busy offseason Toronto had. Blockbuster trades with the Miami Marlins and New York Mets cost the team prospects. By my count 6 prospects including 4 that were ranked in the top 100 overall by Baseball America . The other two were also highly regarded. As a result of these trades, Baseball America currently rates Toronto's farm system at #22 overall. Any team ranked in the bottom third should put a premium on targeting players on the waiver wire as a way to improve their team. After this offseason especially, the Blue Jays likely have 4-6 players occupying spots in their organizational top 30 by necessity not talent. An aggressive pursuit of the waiver system permits the restocking of that lost depth.

Finally, Anthopolulos is a younger GM with a solid track record of success. He is also a fan of advanced metrics. At the most basic level the "Moneyball" philosophy is about exploiting market inefficiencies. OBP is no longer that inefficiency, nor is the "ugly body" type. Look at Matt Adams of St. Louis or Darren O'Day of the Orioles for that. Waiver claims are a gamble that many teams do not look at to improve their teams. Toronto found a diamond a few years back with Jose Bautista. Numerous other teams had tried with him, but it was not until Toronto claimed him and were able to afford him regular at bats that he really turned things around and flourished. Many of Toronto's waiver claims are on out-of-options players. These players usually have shown flashes in the majors, but their current team does not want to commit the major league playing time to them. Toronto has no problem trying to claim them and hope to restock their 40 man roster. At the major league or minor league level they feel they can offer regular playing time. If they perform in AAA they might be useful call-ups or trade chips. If not, well other teams can take a chance.

Calling for a change based on one teams approach is an extreme call. While it is no doubt frustrating for players to be unsure where they are supposed to travel to, they are still getting MLB salaries and service time. Toronto appears to be making claims to restock depth lost this winter. Not every claim will pan out, but there is nothing wrong with playing the odds. Rather than make a mountain out of this molehill, perhaps the better question is, why aren't other teams doing the same?

Is Toronto on to something or should there practice be stopped? Add your two cents in the comments section.

Flush with Cash, Teams Should Reward Their Fans

Beginning in 2014 MLB will see a fundamental change in the way teams operate and this will have significant implications for on field production. It is also a perfect opportunity to garner some good will among the fan base. Thanks to new national television deals kicking in new money to every team starting next year the "small market" teams will be extinct. When considering all potential revenue streams, super agent Scott Boras estimates "[teams] are going to be making between $110 and $120 million before they sell a ticket". With the league so flush with cash even Jeffery Loria cannot complain about profits, there needs to be a league wide ticket price freeze for the next three years.

The majority of the increase is coming from newly structured television deals. Each team will get in the neighborhood of $52 million annually thanks to deals negotiated by MLB with Fox, ESPN, and TBS. This roughly doubles the previous amount. Regional sports network revenue is  another major part of the equation. These deals include the Yankees getting $85 million annually from YES (an amount that will increase annually to $350 million! by 2042). NESN pays the Red Sox $60 million. The Houston Astros, owners of the lowest payroll this year, signed a rights fee that will pay them $80 million annually for the next 20 years. The Cleveland Indians, at less than $30 million annually, are near the bottom of reported teams regional sports revenue. Fangraphs has put together known data on teams local television deals which you can find here. 

I have not even figured revenue sharing or luxury tax payments and we are still sitting on more money than most teams can wisely spend. We have already seen teams hand out significant extensions over the past two offseasons and I expect that trend to continue. Necessarily frugal, yet competitive, teams such as the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves are now in a better position to acquire talent or lock in home grown talent going forward. The Rays extended Evan Longoria for an extra $100 million over 6 years (2017-22); The Braves acquired both B.J. Upton and Justin Upton, but should still be able to lock up Jayson Heyward and Freddie Freeman if they so choose. Rebuilding teams such as the Astros and Miami Marlins should continue rebuilding, knowing when their front office identifies core pieces they attempt to sign them long term.

Currently 18 teams are under $110 million payrolls, another 3 are under $120 million. Rather than trumpet the call for teams to spend money for the sake of spending it, I suggest front offices continue to invest wisely in players. The payrolls will naturally rise and going forward no one should have a payroll as low as the Marlins ($44 million), let alone the Astros. Teams will be better positioned to lock up their young stars which will help drive up local interest in teams. MLB should do fans the favor of freezing ticket pricing in recognition of the cash coming in. I do not expect a team to lower prices to reflect a poor on field product, but keeping prices stable has too many positive benefits to ignore.

MLB tickets in 2012 averaged $27, but taking a family of four costs over $200. For comparison, the a family of four is estimated to shell out more over $440 to experience an NFL afternoon or $300 for the NBA. Yes there are more MLB games than the other two combined which keeps the cost down, but the league should desire to not only bring the fans in, but get them excited about coming back. Cost certainty is an easy way for families to plan a few nights at the ball park each summer instead of one or two. As an added benefit this would likely lead to an increase in attendance which would offset ticket prices remaining unchanged.

The game is evolving, tickets and concessions are now needed to pad team revenues not determine them. Television companies are shelling out millions annually for access to the market. Most fans can't attend every game, but if teams make attendance more affordable, those same casual fans will reward them with buying the cable subscriptions which are leaving teams so flush with cash. MLB, it is time to step up and freeze ticket prices. Show fans you appreciate them. We love this game, with as much money as is coming in you should make it easier for us to "root, root, root, for the home team."