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Chamberlain likely out for the year with ankle injury

ESPN is reporting that New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain has suffered an open dislocation of his right ankle while playing with his son on Thursday. According to ESPN, Chamberlain had surgery on Thursday night at St. Joseph’s Hospital, and is expected to remain in the hospital for several days for the injury, which resulted in an open flesh wound around the ankle. According to Dr. Michael Kaplan, ESPN’s medical analyst, Chamberlain will likely miss most of the season, as the injury leaves him unable to put weight on the leg for four to six weeks. A lengthy rehabilitation that includes range-of-motion and strengthening exercises will be needed. Camberlain wasn’t expected to be ready to pitch until June, even prior to the injury, due to rehabilitation from Tommy John Surgery he received last June. Read more about this and other great baseball articles on The Baseball Page Great Baseball Resource! Find anything your looking for about baseball.

Joba might be out for the year after trampoline mishap
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Chipper Jones, Sorry to Say Goodbye

It was announced earlier today that Chipper Jones, one of the greatest sports villains in New York history, will be exiting stage right at the end of the season. When you think about some of the prominent villains over the last 25 years Reggie Miller, Michael Jordan, Pedro Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr. and Jones stand out. For as aggravating as it was seeing him and the Braves beat the Mets yearly during the late nineties, you have to respect Jones’ 19-year journey. Chipper was drafted #1 overall in 1990 as a shortstop; moved between third base, left and right field as a young player his first 3 years in the league. When he finally established himself as the best third basemen in baseball, the Braves moved him left field, again, in 2001. He finally settled in back at the hot corner to stay in 2005. It’s not very often you see someone with that type of resume moving all over the field. Not many stars would be ok with it, either. How good is Chipper Jones? He is fourth all-time in Wins Above Replacement and third in OPS+ (141)* at third base. *This is for players with 75% of their appearances at third base Maybe only Mike Schmidt and Eddie Mathews will go down as better third basemen in the history of the game. Jones will go down as one of those rare modern day players that spent his entire career with one team, as this year will be his 19th season with the Braves. When he was to hit free agency in 2001, he re-signed for a below-market contract (6 years/$90 million) to stay in Atlanta. After seeing how easily Albert Pujols fled the Cardinals this past October after winning his second World Series, you come to appreciate Jones even more. He knew who he was a Southern boy that was comfortable and successful in a Braves uniform. No amount of money was going to overcome that fact. Mets fans know all about Chipper. He probably will go down as the team’s all-time killer. For his career he’s hit 48 HRs, drove in 154 runs, and hit .318 against New York. He actually walked more (140) than struck out (130), which tells you how tough an out he’s been over the last two decades. The Mets inability to get him out symbolized the rivalry with Atlanta during the late 90s. It came to a head during the 1999 NLCS. The same series that was marked by the wild antics of John Rocker was also when Mets fans broke out the “Larry, Larry” chant in reference to Jones’ actual first name. Just weeks earlier he told Mets fans to “put their Yankees hats on,” after it appeared the Braves left them for dead the last week of the regular season. Unlike Pedro Martinez, who is hated by Yankees fans to this day, Mets fans grew to respect Chipper over the years. The feeling is mutual, as he named his son “Shea” after the Mets old ballpark; a place where he hit a cool .313 for his career. It was interesting to see him take his family for a final tour around the stadium during the Braves final visit in 2008. Will we see a rivalry like this again? Will fans get the opportunity to have another Braves/Jones type of storyline? I am not so sure. Sustaining success in the modern game is difficult. Payroll restrictions have forced just about every team outside of the Yankees and Red Sox to decide which stars they keep. It’s hard to maintain a level of consistency with the same group of players as they reach their late arbitration years leading up to free agency. Most players wouldn’t take a below-market value contract like Jones did. This was during a time of wild spending when stars such as Manny Ramirez, Jason Giambi, and Ken Griffey Jr. either left via free agency or forced themselves out off the team’s they grew up with. Even when a team does (see the Phillies), you need the other organization (see Mets) to live up to their end of the bargain. For as much as Knicks fans hated Reggie Miller and Michael Jordan while they played, they respect them that much when looking back at the rivalry today. I believe Chipper Jones will be viewed the same way, and probably be given a much deserved salute when the Braves make their final stop to Citi Field on September 9th. That game probably won’t mean anything, since the Mets are nowhere near a contending team. That’s too bad, since it would have been fun to go at it with Larry one more time for old time’s sake. His body may be breaking down, and he clearly isn’t the same player we he once was, but I don’t know of too many players that I would rather not see at the plate in a big spot. Even more ironic is the Braves final home game of the season is against the Mets. Jones’ final appearance at home will be against the team he loved to torture. Want to bet he gets the big hit to send the Braves home winners? It will be the fitting end to a great career, and symbolic of his relationship with the Mets and their fan base. You never like losing to a hated rival. You also don’t like the absence of rivalries. Chipper Jones ruined many a day for Mets fans, but I think half the fun is the competition. Rivalries are what makes sports fun, spurs debate, and gives us something to talk about before and after the game. The Mets will be contenders again, but I don’t know if they will have a villain like Chipper Jones across the diamond. Read more about this and other great baseball articles on The Baseball Page Great Baseball Resource! Find anything your looking for about baseball.

Give Valdespin a Long Look in Centerfield

The Mets lack of depth already is a problem. With Scott Hairston questionable for Opening Day and Andres Torres nursing a calf injury, the Mets are now looking to possibly ask Jason Bay to play centerfield. Really? For all his offensive struggles, Bay hasn’t been nearly as bad as advertised on defense (looking at you Boston media), but that doesn’t take away the fact he doesn’t have great range for a corner outfield. Put him in center and it might get scary. I am never a proponent of moving guys into uncomfortable defensive positions during the season, as it could mess with them on the offensive side. Bay has enough to worry about with the bat, and doesn’t need the added pressure of holding down one of the most important positions on the field. Where does that leave Terry Collins? Adam Loewen, Jordany Valdespin, Matt Den Dekker, and today’s starting centerfielder, Mike Baxter. That group has a grand total of 3 appearances in center in the big leagues, all by Loewen, who is a converted pitcher. Den Dekker is the best defensively of all four- and the only natural centerfielder- but probably isn’t ready to hit at the big league level. Add in the fact that he is not on the 40-man roster, and that makes him a long shot. Loewen and Baxter physically profile better as corner outfielders. So what about Valdespin? Throughout his minor league career the 24-year old Valdespin has been plagued by makeup issues. He was suspended in the lower levels of the minor leagues for violating team rules. Last year was a breakout offensive season between Binghamton and Buffalo when he hit .294 with 17 HRs, 60 RBI and 37 stolen bases. A middle-infielder throughout his MILB career, Toby Hyde of Mets Minor League Blog describes him as “ok” at second base, but lacking the hands and arm to play shortstop every day. He’s played one game in the outfield (LF) during the 2007 season. The arm strength doesn’t bode well for centerfield, but that didn’t stop Johnny Damon from spending a significant portion of his early career at the position. Valdespin has shown interesting speed and power. His plate discipline is suspect, but the Mets lack of depth is eventually going to force them to promote someone that may not fully be ready for the big leagues. Unlike Den Dekker, Valdespin is on the 40-man roster. Who knows how long Torres will be out? Perhaps Valdespin takes to centerfield and makes it permanent. I think his bat makes it interesting enough to at least give it a try. Read more about this and other great baseball articles on The Baseball Page Great Baseball Resource! Find anything your looking for about baseball.

NL Central Preview

This is easily the toughest division of all baseball to pick. The two biggest free agents in baseball both left this division in Mr. Pujols and Mr. Fielder. How their former teams bounce back will go a long way towards seeing who comes out on top of here next fall.

St. Louis Cardinals: First of all there is no way to replace Albert Pujols in your lineup.You can’t replace the most feared and consistent power hitter in baseball and especially not by signing Carlos Beltran. The Cards still have the best pitching in the division and get Adam Wainwright back and healthy this season. He missed all of 2011 season with surgery. He was very good before surgery so even if he comes back and is just good he will still be better than most of the other hurlers in the Central.

I think postseason hero David Freese is a star in the making and will have a breakout season. The Cardinals have a lot of questions but I think that their pitching is just enough to carry them to the division but they’ll have a close race all year.

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One more reason to hate the Dodgers: Tony LaRussa

Oh, L.A. Dodgers, how do I hate thee?

Let me count the ways…

As if we Giants fans needed any more reasons to loathe the team in blue caps from the city of brown skies, a report from FOX Sports Arizona this past weekend suggests a potential buyer of the discombobulated franchise may have his eager, evil eyes focused on none other than Tony LaRussa.

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Should the Mets sign Joel Pineiro

The Mets lack of pitching depth has been widely discussed this spring. Look past the starting five, and you don’t see many options that make you warm and fuzzy. Perhaps Matt Harvey andJeurys Familia will change that mid-season, but neither should be put into the equation on March 20th. With the new rule that provides veterans with six years of service time a 100k bonus if they are sent to the minors (including a June 1st opt-out), there could be a pool of players available at the end of spring that normally wouldn’t be out there. One of the first to hit that list is RHP Joel Pineiro. The Phillies released Pineiro earlier in the week after signing him to a minor league deal that would have earned him $1.5 million if he made the big league club. He was a good “depth signing,” but the Phillies are one of the few teams that have little need for a veteran starter. They are set with a rotation of Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Worley and Blanton. Instead of paying Pineiro 100k to play at Triple-A, where he could have opted out on June 1st, they decided to let him go and pursue other opportunities. Pineiro didn’t pitch much for the Phillies this spring. In 6 innings he allowed 3 earned runs, struck out 3 and walked 2. He is only 33 years of age, and has a prior track record of National League success, albeit it was in St. Louis and under Dave Duncan. There is one concern, as Phils pitching coach Rich Dubee told reporters Pineiro is dealing with a “cranky shoulder.” It’s an injury that plagued him with the Angels last season. Again, a minor league deal that is structured in a similar fashion to the one he signed in Philadelphia shouldn’t be all that risky for the Mets. If healthy, Pineiro is a control pitcher that could provide the Mets with league average innings. Think about 12 wins and a 4.50 ERA. The fact that he is an extreme ground ball pitcher would be helpful with the shorter Citi Field dimensions. I bet you would sign up for that type of season from Mike Pelfrey. The Mets and Pineiro do have an odd prior history. During the offseason of 2009-2010, I supported the Mets signing Pineiro to a short-term deal. As it always seems to be with the Amazin’s, their courtship of Pineiro was controversial. Adam Rubin of ESPN NY said that Mets representatives “were willing to meet or narrowly exceed” the contract that Pineiro got from the Angels, but the club felt that “Pineiro wasn’t sincere” in his desire to become a Met. Pineiro’s story was a bit different, as he told John Harper of the Daily News that he considered the Mets the frontrunners. His neighbor was Alex Cora, who was under contract with the Mets, and told him the team would be making an offer. An offer never came until the Angels s stepped up with a 2-year deal. The Mets came in under the Angles offer at the last minute, an odd strategy for a team that needed affordable pitching. The lukewarm courtship was described as “weird” by Pineiro. For more from Mike Silva, visit nybaseballdigest.com Read more about this and other great baseball articles on The Baseball Page Great Baseball Resource! Find anything your looking for about baseball.