One of Rehman’s areas of expertise, forged in his background as a commodities trader and financial consultant — as well as a four-year starter on the McGill University baseball squad — is on the data analysis side.

BaseballDigest.com: How will your role with the Cubs compare with that in Arizona?
Shiraz Rehman: I’ll probably lean on what I learned in Arizona and move forward from there.  As a full staff, we are still getting to know each other, still figuring out who is doing what.  Right now, it’s all hands on deck.  I would say that my job is to facilitate quick decision making, to put together information for the best possible decision — MLB rules, salary arbitration, contract structuring, they will all come into play.  I’ll be overseeing the tech side, and doing some scouting as well, mostly on the pro side.

BBD: While you were playing in college, did you already see these connections to your finance/accounting studies and baseball?
SR: Probably not.  I think, anyone who grew up in my era was already familiar with analytics.  It’s more that I saw a connection to baseball when I was working in finance, I started to see similar methodologies, analytic approaches, ways to aggregate the data to make decisions.

BBD: What are some of the decisions the team still needs to make before Spring Training, and what will be some of the goals while in Mesa?
SR: I think so far we have done a god job turning short term assets into longer term assets.  We got younger, better defensively, and have put together an MLB coaching staff to create the culture and environment to build around.  We have organizational meetings in a week, and we’ll use the beginning of the spring to get into defining the Cubs Way, something we want to do together and build and come up with as a group.

BBD: Where do the Bloomberg analytic tools come into play, and how long have you used them?
SR: I think I started talking to them [Bloomberg] before they even got involved in the baseball space.  Getting back to what we discussed earlier, I drew a parallel to the baseball world in the first couple of years in the financial world, 1999-2000-2001, in the sense that there is a lot of information to be digested.  A lot of time and effort are spent getting it quickly and at your fingertips easily.  what I think the tools provide best is not so much groundbreaking analysis, bu the ease of getting data.  Proprietary analytics gives us a competitive advantage but the goal in using the tool is to pull different pieces, some public, some proprietary, but all in one place.  Having that information at our fingertips to make quick decisions is the most impactful outcome the tool will have.

BBD: Are there particular tools that are more useful to you?
SR:  The way we are implementing it is a phased approach.  We’re rolling it out to our amateur staff, then the international scouting staff, all the while getting acclimated to each of the segments.  We are using the tool for data entry, feeding info in, as well as on the back end to summarize and dig into what it offers, like statistics, pitch-by-pitch data, game by game, season by season, contracts, service time, video, etc.

Ian Stewart

BBD:  Have you been able to identify some Cubs players who are already here who may have been undervalued and who you see playing a bigger role than anticipated, or maybe than had been previously utilized?
SR: I think it’s unfair to point just to the use of the Bloomberg tool for that.  Our approach is phased; we really need to walk before we run.  We don’t have a lot of legacy technology tools that fit our needs.  As far as players being undervalued, I think it’s more correct to say that certainly there were guys who had down years, who we feel can bounce back.  Chris Volstad, Anthony Rizzo, Ian Stewart, these are guys that all fit the profile one way or another — not specifically from the Bloomberg tool yet, but the type of info that we would use.

How many player press conferences have you seen in the past several years called to address a very bad mistake they made? How many major league players have made the rounds with a shocked reaction to a positive drug test? You’ve likely lost count of the minor league players who will be starting the season serving a 50-game suspension after testing positive for PED’s.

There was also a public apology in a press room by then-Phillies (now Astros) pitcher Brett Meyers for a physical altercation with his wife on a street. And, earlier this week, Rangers Josh Hamilton took no questions but gave plenty of answers in a press conference to explain a relapse in a bar.

These are not the days when a player can hide. They can’t get away with trying to get an edge with performance enhancers and if they’re caught, excuses are a waste of time. Should they screw up at all they will be called on to the carpet to explain themselves and be subjected to a social media firestorm.

On one hand, nothing is private even when it should be.  What is so painful can only be more painful with a white-hot spotlight fixed on your fall.

On the other hand, class is in.

That spotlight creates pressure that is unfair, but also helpful. Young players developing in the minors are seeing the exact consequences of developing a nasty habit or if they fail to respect their opportunity.  That spotlight encourages discipline.

Hamilton’s situation encourages something just as important, inspiration. Every step of his recovery process, rise from the ashes, and missteps along the way have been followed, covered, and his success cheered. For any young player struggling with the burden of addiction or tempted by too much partying, they can look into Hamilton’s eyes and see a way out. And, if they fail, they can believe in redemption if they try hard enough to come back.

Prospects are receiving increased exposure with social media, particularly Twitter. There are multiple sites dedicated to prospects and following their careers. Gone are the days when it was harder to connect with the top prospect in your favorite team’s organization. Fans are seeing them in the earliest stages of their professional growth, and even earlier, with college players also joining the ranks & sharing their draft day experience. It’s not a glimpse, but a jumbo screen look at the lives and careers of young players.

All of that attention might seem a bit much on a nineteen-year old kid, but this is the state of the game they’re entering. Many eyes are upon them. And if they’re paying attention to those tense press conferences, they’re learning that no player is protected by a baseball-approved cloak of mystery anymore.

That discipline could make them better players, but more importantly, better men.

Five Questions With…Yankees Austin Krum

Outfielder Austin Krum will enter his fifth year of professional baseball this season and is almost certain to start with the the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. In 2011 he split time between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A, finishing the year hitting .251, with 43 RBI and 59 walks.

Here’s what he had to say recently:

BD:  Have you had discussions with the Yankees about the new season?

I actually haven’t spoken with the Yankees about any plans or the upcoming season.  They usually stay pretty busy, as you can imagine, but I will absolutely be ready to go whenever they call for me to.

BD: Do you think you’ll start the season back at Trenton or with the SWB Yankees?

If there is one thing I have learned in my baseball life it is to never guess or hypothesize where or when I will be playing anywhere.  While Triple A would be nice to start, I am coming in this spring with zero expectations or assumptions from outside forces.  The only thing I am focusing on is what I expect from myself and my personal aspirations.

I have a very good routine for my off-season training and it is one of the things I pride myself upon.  The one thing, if anything, that I may have done differently this off-season is start hitting much sooner and taking many more reps.  I usually start my speed training and lifting around the same time every year but my hitting did start much sooner and I am taking many more reps than I ever have.  Hopefully it will pay off.

My horse going into the playoffs was the Denver Broncos. I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado and the 303 (area code) will be in my blood for the rest of my life, so naturally, I was pulling for the Broncos.  Once they were eliminated I didn’t really have a favorite but I was rooting for the Giants.  I am glad Eli got a second ring.  And Victor Cruz quickly became one of my favorite players this year.

I change my walkout music every season for a fresh start.  I still haven’t selected one song, but I have a few in mind.

Mickey Mantle was the one before him. The above was said about Mantle many times. Mantle’s power separated him from everyone else in the game. Nobody struck a baseball like Mantle. There may have been better players, but not even Willie Mays could hit a baseball with the sheer force that Mantle did. Today’s game has another player with that type of power. Not since Mantle has a player’s power far surpassed the rest of the league. Now, there is that player who, despite his flaws and constant struggle, continues to draw us in because of his potential to astound us.
———————————————————
There are times in life when nothing seems to make sense. The very foundation of who you are and what you thought your world would be disappears into the clutches of reality. Life, the thing that happens when you are making plans, working to pay your bills, and hoping to have a better day, has a way of being the ultimate reality check. As sweet as life can be, it can also be ugly. It can be cruel and it can leave you with a feeling of emptiness that you never thought you could feel. It seems that the older we get, we get farther away from the innocent feeling of the days when your parents told you that everything would be alright and that if you worked hard enough, happiness is around the corner.

Then, of course, there is the other side. It is the side that love, success, triumph, and redemption can be found. When we cross to this side–the ideal side–we fight with every fiber of our being to stay there. This side is what makes life worth living.

But, most know that life isn’t the idealized version of what we dreamt at night before waking up to the smell of breakfast cooking and the sound of a house in motion. We all started out that way. Fewer end that way. For some of us, Baseball was one of our great pleasures. It was our outlet and our way of passing the day while dreaming of being the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees. Some of us got to play beyond Little League; even fewer moved on to college. And, that lucky few got to live out the dreams that the billions of us had and probably still hold.

Often, those few are very hard to root for. They complain about the long season and their million dollar contracts. They complain about not being respected as they walk by the six year old seeking a scribble across their baseball card. Reality sometimes stinks.
———————————————————–
There are some, of course, who make it easy to root for. Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, and host of other genuinely good people make it look easy every day. They rarely say or do anything wrong. They are those few, just like in the real world, who have it. It came to them easily and they have sustained their gifts. Obviously, they’ve worked hard to get to their place in life, but rarely has anything come close to compromising their careers, their baseball lives. They offer the rest of us hope, but in a way that is almost unattainable. They aren’t us. We can admire them (and we should), but they aren’t the same as us.

But, he is. Every time he comes to the plate, he gives us hope that comebacks are possible. He gives us hope that in spite of all of the ugliness and no matter how bad life beats you, you can come back. “He”, of course, is Josh Hamilton, the Most Valuable Player of the 2010 season. He, despite one of the ugliest addictions a person can have, has made it back. He’s made it back to exactly the place that was foretold for him. And, despite recent reports and admissions, he is still right where he belongs.
———————————————-
Hamilton’s story has been well documented. He was a Baseball prodigy, a teenager who could do anything on the field. He could hit, hit for power, play defense, throw out runners, and run. He was going to be better than Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Babe Ruth. He was going to be the one to lead the Tampa Bay Devil Rays out of basement all by himself. He was the first pick of the 1999 draft. He was the number one prospect in Baseball. He was the one.

Then, the addiction took over. It took over in ways that most can’t even imagine. He gave glimpses of his talent, but something was off. He got in trouble, and by 2002, he was out of Baseball. He would serve as the cautionary tale of what happens when an athlete is given too much, too soon. His name would be thrown around as the example of a great player never realizing his talent because he got caught up in drugs. High School coaches all over America lectured their players about the dangers of life and how Josh Hamilton threw it all away. Mantle may have struggled with alcohol and it may have stunted his growth as a player, but it never took him off of the field. Hamilton’s addiction almost cost him everything. Hamilton’s addiction looks like it will always haunt him.
————————————————–
Some look at addiction as weakness. Addiction has nothing to do with weakness. It is a disease just like other killers–cancer, AIDS, heart disease. Addiction doesn’t kill because people are weak. It kills because there is something inside of a person that controls all rational thought. It controls you. It takes everything in your life and warps it into a quest of self-destruction. It makes you loathe who you are and what you do. Most importantly, it takes away your ability to function with your family and to realize who you are meant to be.
Josh Hamilton was there.

Addiction cost him time. It cost him money. It almost cost him his life. Hamilton describes his struggle quite movingly in his book. He describes his road back in gruesome detail.  While still teetering on the brink, Hamilton, with the support of his wife and family, came back to Baseball. He started his second chance at his professional career right where he began his first one, in upstate New York as a member of the Hudson Valley Renegades, the New York Penn League affiliate of the Tampa Rays. Four years after playing his last game, the 25 year old was back playing in a league consisting of freshly drafted players and players whose careers stalled out before they began. He would only make 55 plate appearances for the Renegades, but he was back in the game when no one thought he was capable of being there.
————————————
I got to witness three of those 55 appearances one night. He looked different than everyone else. He was bigger, his bat speed was quicker, and his presence loomed larger than everyone else’s. He didn’t do anything special that night. He walked, popped out to second, and hit a long flyball out to centerfield. He left the game soon after. There was a buzz in the stands when he came up. It wasn’t that same buzz like the 2008 Homerun Derby or any one of his at bats from the past two seasons. Instead, there were whispers. People felt saddened that a once great talent was trying to come back. He wasted his shot and now he is desperate because he has nothing else in his life. Little did everyone know. In fairness, these comebacks rarely worked out. Great athletes who became addicts or ruined their careers never made it back. The buzz of sadness permeated the crowd even while the Renegades management team was trying to entertain the fans every inning with games, prizes, and contests. He wouldn’t make it.

So we thought…
————————————————-
He did make it back. First, he was a member of the Cincinnati Reds. He appeared in just 90 games that season as a 26 year old rookie, playing back up to Ken Griffey, Adam Dunn, Jeff Conine, Norris Hopper, and Ryan Freel. In those 90 games, he gave an indication that he belonged, belting 17 doubles and 19 homeruns in 298 at bats. He hit .292/.368/.544 and yet all we thought was “at least he made it back”. He was good, but he probably wouldn’t get to where he was supposed to be. Nobody believed that.

Jon Daniels believed in him. He believed in him so much that he sent promising young right hander Edinson Volquez to the Reds for Hamilton. At the time, Daniels was questioned because the Rangers always had offense and always lacked pitching. It seemed to be the exact opposite of what they really needed. Everyone couldn’t believe that Daniels was giving away a young pitcher for a 27 year old with a checkered past, a terrible addiction, and seemingly little prime left. But, Daniels knew that he was getting a special player who had made the real, necessary adjustments in his life.

2008 was the season Hamilton had promised 10 years before. He played in 156 games and batted .304/.372/.530 with 35 doubles, 5 triples, 32 homeruns, and 130 RBI. There was that July night in Yankee Stadium where New Yorkers were chanting his name as he hit homerun after homerun. Then came the book, all of the brutal honesty, and all of the hope he offered people.

2009 almost ruined all of that. Hamilton struggled to stay healthy and played in just 89 games, struggling to a .741 OPS. Everyone had an opinion. His addiction had broken his body. He would be tragic. He would be like everyone else who struggles to realize his dream. He would meet everyone else in the pool of disappointment, broken dreams, and a fractured reality. Once again, we had nobody to turn to.
Like the phoenix, Hamilton had another rebirth in him. This time, he came back with every bit of promise he exuded as a teenager. He finally became Mickey Mantle. The MVP hit .359/.411/.633. He pounded 40 doubles, 32 homeruns, and 100 RBI. Like Mantle, Hamilton is that someone who commands our attention every time he is in the batter’s box. We wait for Hamilton to hit that prodigious shot. We wait for him to hit a ball harder than we ever saw hit. We wait for him to amaze. This year, he delivered that to us. Also like Mantle, Hamilton’s domination was challenged by injury, this time cracked ribs. But, like everything else, Hamilton came back.

He struggled in the Division Series after playing just three games in the final weekend of the regular season. He played in just five games in the final month of the season. But, the 2010 ALCS gave Hamilton the stage that Mantle had so many times in his tortured career. Hamilton hit 4 homeruns, drove in 7 runs, and has even stole 3 bases. That series encapsulated all that Hamilton had become. He is the batter that the all teams fear. He is the batter that continues to swat homeruns against all pitchers. He was the best player in that series. That is saying something considering he shared the field with more than a few future Hall of Famers.

The battle and climb continued for Hamilton in 2011. He again struggled with injuries, separating his shoulder on Opening Day. He would play in just 123 games, but he would hit .298/.346/.536 with 31 doubles, 5 triples, 25 homeruns, 94 RBI, and 8 stolen bases. He would struggle in the playoffs, but injuries had clearly taken their toll on Hamilton. But, he never missed a game and clearly played in pain.
————————————————-
Most of the talk this offseason related about Hamilton’s future in Texas. How much would Texas invest in their star player? Would they be willing to make a commitment? As Yu Darvish signed with the Rangers and as Prince Fielder did not, the Hamilton extension was clearly the next big issue for Daniels and the Rangers. Then the news broke about Hamilton drinking last week. Now, there is a certain amount of uncertainty about the Rangers signing their best hitter to a long term deal. That talk seems premature. Yes, Hamilton drank. No, he should not have. Yes, it looks bad. But, he has been so open about his struggle that any slip seems like the end. It isn’t. He may have hit a bump, but it doesn’t mean the end. Other players who have hid their addictions continue to struggle in private. Hamilton’s struggle has been in the public. His inevitable troubles will seem larger than they really are. The latest incident should have no bearing on whether or not the Rangers sign him to a long-term contract.

At 29 years old, Josh Hamilton has found the place where he seemed destined to be a decade ago. Not many get a second chance. Even fewer find the path that they were once on. Redemption isn’t found all that often. Usually, people get stuck in their failed lives; they become the ones who didn’t come close to matching the once optimistic expectations that emanated from childhood. We normal people can get trapped; that’s why we fear failure so much. We know that redemption isn’t easy. But, every time Josh Hamilton digs into the box, he reminds us of the possibility for each of us. Maybe, just maybe, we can dig ourselves out and get back to where we belong. He did it against great odds. Now, he is one of the few special players in the game.
——————————————————-
He still battles his addiction; he won’t even participate in champagne celebrations. He continues to battle as last week showed. But, he took responsibility and has been quite open with his struggles. In that, he has separated himself from Mantle, whose addiction wasn’t really revealed until the end of his life. Hamilton is living it every day. Now, we watch his every move as he amazes us with his superior skills. Sometimes reality isn’t permanent. Josh Hamilton changed his reality even when every urge in him tells him otherwise. This generation’s Mantle shows us that even though there is a dark side to life, a person can overcome it with the proper support and determination.

Life may not always be ideal, but it can still be good. Despite Hamilton’s addiction and recent struggle with alcohol, it is important to keep in perspective just how much he has overcome.

One of the more detailed pieces of the state of Dodger ball, and who the off-the-field players are and may be was done by Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Roben Farzad this Thursday. The story outlines the groups and their alliances as they line up to battle over each other to see who will be the next king of Chavez Ravine.

What makes the story even more interesting is the insight of Farzad himself, (an Iranian born baseball fan who came to understand the game through following the Dodgers as a child) and how the Dodgers story is similar to many of the largest high profile business deals the world has seen in recent years.  It has international intrigue (the story talks of mysterious Saudi investors, and money from South Korea), media moguls (Fox and Disney), high profile celebrities (Larry King, Magic Johnso), and the always important silent partners with deep pockets.

Roben Farzad

“It really reminds me of the 1980’s and the battle over RJR Nabisco,” Farzad, a longtime business writer and analyst who had never done a sport story before, said this week. “You have all this feeding frenzy and multi-level alliances being built up, with one group adding more high level people to try and top the other, and at this point you don’t know whether you are bidding against other groups or bidding against yourself. It has created a huge buzz in the Los  Angeles business community and in the entrainment businesses to see who can get the Dodgers.”

The Dodgers sale process, all being looked at by current owner Frank McCourt and his designees, will also continue to alter the course of the sale of franchises and all the pieces that go with them, as Farzad pointed out as well.  “The interesting thing is now much media companies, from Disney and Newscorp to Comcast and Time Warner, are looking at the prices and what is going on for the Dodgers franchise,” he added. “You have $1.5 billion being bandied about and it really raises the question of how much the better-run franchises like the Red Sox or even the Yankees, could bring should they ever go up for sale again. Who knows what that ceiling will be?”

Texeira was honored along with Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, Mets ace R.A. Dickey, Mets infielder Daniel Murphy, Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Mullin and collegiate and NBA star Dikembe Mutombo at the 32nd annual dinner benefiting AHRC, a not-for-profit organization that supports programs enabling children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead richer, more productive lives, including programs of AHRC New York City.

Question: At what point does the off-season turn off and you start to get ready for the year?
Mark Teixeira: I do get antsy once February hits, so this is the last day I can relax.

Q: We understand that you work out at Bobby Valentine’s facility in Connecticut.  Has he changed the locks or anything?
MT: He didn’t change the locks, but it’s funny I had been hiting there for two years, I had bought a machine for the facility, so when I am around there I can use the pitching machine.  It’s been throwing great, and everything was fine, I was getting all my work in.  As soon as he gets the Red Sox job, I go in the next morning, the first ball out of the machine — right at my head.  I don’t know if it was a bad ball, I don’t know if the gears jammed, whatever happened we had to get a technician in there to fix it.

Q: Other than that, how has the offseason gone?
MT: It’s been great, you know, just recharging the batteries, and looking forward to a great season.  We basically have the same team back, got a couple of key additions on the pitching staff, which is going to be great, and so we’re excited.

Q: Were you surprised about the trade of Jesus Montero?
MT: Never surprised in baseball, this business, I’ve been traded twice, a lot of great players have been traded, and Montero might be really, really good.  He’s got a chance to be special.  But so does [Michael] Pineda, and I think that’s what we’re banking on. We’re banking on Pineda being a top tier starter and someone that can really be a force for a long time.

BBD: You only faced him in, I believe, three at bats, and you have a home run and, I think, a strikeout. From that small sample size, what do u remember
MT: Explosive fastball.  Really good slider.  He’s so big — any pitcher that is that big, that can throw that hard, his margin of error is going to be a lot bigger than everyone else’s.  He can not have his best stuff, but when you’re 6-7 and thrown 97, you’re going to get outs.

BBD: Curtis Granderson has said that Pineda didn’t seem intimidated by the Yankees lineup.  Do you see that in him?
MT: Yes, it’s mound presence and you see it with the best pitchers in baseball.  They have that presence on the mound. And as a young guy, to be able to go out there and have no fear and go after everybody — I think I hit a 3-1 fastball or 3-2 fastball.  I get a lot of sliders or changeups on 3-2.  He went right after me. I got lucky on that pitch, but it just shows his confidence that he’s going to go after people.

BBD: You tweeted that you lost 14 pounds in the offseason.  Why did you feel like you needed to?
MT: I didn’t feel like I needed to, but I’m always trying to get better.  I know that the older I get, the more important nutrition is, and any chance I get to make myself lighter, faster, more energy, its going to be better for my game.  It just kind of happened.  I started changing my diet a little bit, started drinking a lot of raw juice and it really helped.

BBD: C.C. Sabathia talked about eliminating Cap’n Crunch last year; did you do anything like that?
MT: I can’t say I eat a lot of Cap’n Crunch.  I’ve really eaten pretty well the last few years, but this year I think really fine-tuning. I’m always trying to find that little edge to help myself physically, mentally, energy-wise, and I think those little things can help me over a long season and hopefully a long career.

BBD: There has been talk of the Yankees picking up another bat in a trade with some of their surplus pitching.  What do you think of the Yankees lineup as it stands now?
MT: We basically have the lineup we had last year.  Rotating a DH wouldn’t be bad, but if you can pick up a guy who can come in and give some pop off the bench or be a DH every now and then, we’re  not going to say no to that because we can use all the help we can get.

BBD: One of the areas you said you would like to improve is getting on base. Do you and hitting coach Kevin Long have a plan in place for that?
MT: I do. One thing I really noticed is that my average with no men on base was really, really good, and with men on base it wasn’t.  When no one is on base, and they’re playing a big shift, I might lay down some bunts this year.  I’ve been so against it my entire career, but I may lay down a few bunts.  If I can beat the shift that way, that’s important.  And also, not trying to hook the ball so much left handed. So when you have a 1-2 pitch, instead of trying to drive the ball in the gap and drive in the runs, you know take that single to left.  It’s [harder] than it sounds, but one hit a week really adds up.

Thurman Munson plaque at Monument Park at old Yankee Stadium. Photo credit: The Guy With The Glasses

BBD: What does Thurman Munson and the Munson Award mean to you?
MT: A Yankee legend.  Someone who did the right things on and off the field, someone whose legacy has continued to grow, because of the great things he’s done in the community, with the foundation, his family and his wife Diana have done so many great things in the community, so the Munson name is very special to the Yankees.

BBD: How did you get started working with Harlem RBI?
MT: Harlem RBI is an organization I started working with two years ago.  I knew the great work they were doing with kids in Harlem, with education.  Education has always been very important to me, and so to be able to work with those kids, you know it serves over 1000 kids, was just a natural fit for me.

Topps Sell Sheet

The standard sized cards all have a metallic chrome effect on the card fronts. They are border-less save a graphic on the card bottom. The graphic contains the player’s name and position, set name and logo, and team name. The graphic is also trimmed in the team’s primary color. The card backs are photo-less and are all vertical in format. The black and white backs list moderate biographical information , moderate career highlights and last season and career statistics.

What I Pulled:
5 cards
2 base
2 relic cards
1 autographed card

Base card front and back:
Mike Pouncey, Rahim Moore

Relic cards:
Deangelo Williams, Stevan Ridley RC

Autograph card:
Adrian Clayborn RC

***************************************************************************************************************************

2011 Bowman Sterling is a super high-end product. The shot-selection is good and designs are great. The designs are very modern looking but not too busy. Four out of the five cards being rookies is a nice draw for prospectors. You can expect the usual “chrome curl.” The auto is a sticker auto but it does not detract form the card design. This particular lottery turned out to be a bust if you were looking to flip cards and make money on your investment. It is always fun to open high-end product though!

The Bottom Line:
I give 2011 Bowman Sterling a buy rating. As with all high-end products, you do not buy a box to pull a complete base set. You buy a box for the hits! This lottery ticket product can produce huge hits or misses and make it a challenge to flip your cards. Buy a box and trade your Tebow cards to me!

The Final Score:
Final Ratings (Out of 5):
Base set collect-ability: NA
Big-hit Hunter: 3/5
Prospector Hunter: 5/5
Overall Design: 5/5
Fun: 5/5
Value: 4/5
Re-buy: 4/5
Overall Quality: 4/5

Overall: 31/35 (89% = B)

Thanks to Topps for making this review possible!

Until next time, keep collecting, collect for the joy of the hobby and collect for the fan in all of us.

The official baseball card resource for Baseball Digest.com - Beckett Media

Off the field, Major League Baseball continues to push their product in innovative ways. Their At Bat application allows fans to access any regular season game while also having the ability to watch highlights. MLB TV gives fans the chance to watch most games–subject to local blackout–each day. MLB Network gives every kind of Baseball fan programming. It’s introduction of Brian Kenny’s Clubhouse Confidential show has ushered sabermetrics into prime time for the first time. Their studio shows and insiders give information on the daily transactions as well as offer some harsh criticisms when necessary. The sport is accessible to the fans.

But, Baseball is still failing to truly connect in the modern era. Today’s fan, or more importantly prospective fan, lives online. Highlights are not longer consumed on television. A young fan will go to YouTube and watch highlight packages and movies, both homemade and professional. The National Basketball Association has embraced this with their own YouTube channel. Seemingly each hour, the NBA will have a new highlight package from its games. Fans can go to the channel and watch Blake Griffin dunk over Kendrick Perkins. There is no waiting for a highlight show or need to go to NBA.com and watching a reel. The NBA gets it right.

They also get it right by allowing fans to share the videos and embed them on their blogs or other social media platforms. The NBA realizes that this type of sharing is essential in today’s world of social media. The more a highlight is shared, the more eyes that see it. There is a great chance to gain more fans. With teenagers faced with more and more choices, the idea that they’ll go to a television to watch highlights is unrealistic. YouTube is their medium. According to their YouTube channel, the NBA has received over 699 million views.

Searching for Major League Baseball on YouTube leads to video game highlights and other fan uploaded videos. There are no highlight packages, other than segments recorded right off of the television. Major League Baseball does not have a YouTube channel. They do not have their highlights there. While their own website does have highlights, fans cannot share the clips. Fans cannot embed them on their blogs. There is no global sharing.

It actually gets worse. Major League Baseball has a YouTube policy. They have employees whose job description is to find their copyrighted material and force the user to delete it. MLB is essentially preventing potential consumers the access to actually consume their product. They do have Facebook and Twitter accounts, but those accounts function more to deliver news and direct fans to MLB.com. When a fan goes to MLB’s Facebook page, he is faced with an advertisement to head to MLB.com for highlights. Does that speak to this generation of fans? Policies like this and a lack of innovative social media usage is likely the primary reason why Baseball is lagging behind both the NFL and NBA in the 18-49 demographic. It is why there is concern about the growth of its fan base.

Some individual teams have used social media quite well. Many teams, such as the Indians, have tweet-up events. Many teams are interactive on Twitter, holding question and answer sessions with fans. MLB Network utilizes both Facebook and Twitter within its programming. Baseball celebrated Social Media Day last season. MLB does seem aware of the importance of social media. Those uses of social media are innovative, but not enough. They may connect with existing fans, but they are failing to connect them like the NBA is. Fans, especially young fans, connect because of the highlight reel. They connect because of the product on the field. Right now, Major League Baseball isn’t marketing that product to potential fans or even their current fans. Instead, it is holding on to its archaic usage policy. That policy was applicable in the 1970′s and 1980′s when television was really the only thing that existed. But, with so many options, Major League Baseball must get be more progressive if it wishes to continue to grow. At some point, losing out on young fans will hurt the bottom line. It may not be felt today or in the immediate future, but it will eventually hurt.

Baseball also misses with its much maligned blackout policy. Basically, Baseball will blackout games on its MLB TV package within a home team’s market, and in some cases, the surrounding area of the market. While the other major sports do have similar policies, it is another sign that Major League Baseball simply doesn’t get it yet. It is important to protect the home market’s television broadcast. It’s understandable. But, the lack of vision is taking away from the one product that the modern fan can truly embrace. The ability to watch a game on a computer, IPad, or phone is what modern fans want. Blacking out games doesn’t allow that. As consumers are moving towards internet based television or at least consuming products more online, Baseball continues to lag. Like the highlights, black out policies made sense when there was only television. Time has moved on; technology has advanced. Baseball has not.

Major League Baseball, as an entity, must begin to show a basic understanding of the internet and how they can reach potential consumers. They can still control their product like the NBA does, but allowing fans more access and the ability to share it will grow its popularity. Selig has been quite innovated with his product on the field. The game is better. It is more exciting. There is so much to talk about. It is a shame that many are missing it because of a lack of modern access. Until Major League Baseball actually learn the purpose of the internet, they will be behind the NBA and NFL in terms of popularity. If Baseball wants to grow, it must learn how to use the internet.

The unveiling of the MLB.com Top 100 prospects has become an annual ceremonial event. At least for those wrapped up in that sort of thing. For baseball people, fans, players and scribes alike, there is much excitement and conversation leading up to the day.

We probably can’t appreciate the amount of work that goes into such an effort by Jonathan Mayo and yet there’s always intense criticism. He’s gone on record with ‘High Heels On Field’ (a blog by yours truly), as well as written about the process to help readers better understand what it entails, but there’s still bound to be a backlash.

This year’s list wasn’t full of surprises, particularly in the top ten. Bryce Harper came in the second spot, with LHP Matt Moore ranking first overall. Moore was a revelation for many in 2011 when he made his major league debut with the Tampa Rays. His development has seen an improvement in a number of key areas and he projects as a front of the rotation starter. For a system full of exciting talent, Moore is the shining star of the highly anticipated crop coming up now.

Two Royals outfielders, Wil Myers and Bubba Starling, ranked 17th and 19th, respectively. Myers had a particularly challenging 2011 season, but with a recent spring training invite from the big club he’s got an early chance to make an impression in 2012. Royals have a ton of depth in the outfield and Myers is an integral part of the picture.
Also released this week was Project Prospect’s Top 100, an independent site infamous for their sharp and informative prospect reports. The site, founded by Adam Foster, has become  popular among prospect diehards. The list usually goes a bit against convention and often varies from other top prospect lists. For PP, Moore ranks third, and Angels Mike Trout, #1 on MLB.com in 2011, takes the top slot.

For an alternative view on prospects, Project Prospect continues to rise above the various prospect lists that seem to multiply every year.

Don’t worry…the answer is no. Not ever.

Brewers Logan Schafer, Caleb Gindi Might See Big League Time

While Ryan Braun’s 50 game suspension would create a number of questions for the Milwaukee Brewers, there could be an opportunity for outfield prospects Logan Schafer and/or Caleb Gindi.

Schafer’s health is a bit of a question (wrist injury), but the reports have been positive. He or Gindi could very well be getting some work off the bench, though the Brewers have a number of options. Despite what might be a limited amount of time to show their stuff, it’s an experience worth having. They also earned it in the minors in 2011. And, for Shafer, even earned it in a couple of plate appearances during the Brewers playoff run.

Schafer hit well splitting time between two levels,  .Double-A where he hit .302 and  Triple-A hitting .331.

Gindi hit .307 at Triple-A for the season, playing in 126 games.

But, breaking through that traditional belief can be difficult. After all, who really wants to see things like VORP, BABIP or WAR on a screen while watching a game? It just doesn’t quite feel right. Because statistics like ERA and won-loss record are continually used, they become a ingrained and form a perception about a player. That’s why a pitcher with a 10-11 record along with a 4.72 ERA is thought of as nothing more than, at best, a league average pitcher.

The Toronto Blue Jays, however, decided to give their 27 year old starting pitcher Brandon Morrow a two year contract worth $20 million. Morrow is guaranteed $4 million for 2012 and $8 million in 2013 and 2014. The Blue Jays hold a club option for $10 million in 2015. Morrow, the starter turned reliever turned back to starter again, is that pitcher with the 10-11 record and 4.72 ERA. The Blue Jays would never be confused with the Yankees or other big market teams. While the organization has systematically locked up their talent such as Jose Bautista and Rickey Romero, the idea of throwing $20 million to a pitcher who has some injury history and hasn’t produced anything more than league average results seems a bit of a stretch.

Except, that it really isn’t.

The Toronto Blue Jays may just be getting themselves quite a bargain. Brandon Morrow will enter his age 27 season and just his third season as a full-time starting pitcher. Once the Seattle Mariners’ top prospect, Morrow was used out of the bullpen during his first two seasons, even closing games during the 2008 season. The Mariners were a bit scared of his injury trouble during the 2009 season. The organization evidently refused to admit that shifting pitching roles multiple times with a such a young pitcher is dangerous business. They shipped him to Toronto in exchange for reliever Brandon League. League did prove valuable as a reliever, but the Blue Jays have reaped the benefits of making Morrow a full-time starter and continuing to give him the ball.

Morrow compiled a record of 10-7 during the 2009 season in 26 starts. He was shut down in late September to preserve his innings count. In 146.1 innings, he allowed just 8.5 H/9, 4.1 BB/9, and 10.6 K/9. Had Morrow pitched enough innings to be considered a league leader, his 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings would’ve led all of Major League Baseball. He was the only pitcher to average over 10 strikeouts per nine. His walk total was obviously too high, but he made up for it by eliciting swings and misses closes to 15 percent of the time on pitches within the strike zone. In other words, he might put himself into stressful situations, but he is more than capable of getting out of them. While he is not a ground ball pitcher, he did compile a 0.97 ground ball to fly ball ratio.

The strikeouts were impressive, as was the August 8th 1 hit shutout of the Tampa Bay Rays during which he struck out 17 batters. But, that 4.49 ERA screamed mediocrity. That’s where the advanced metrics come in to give a more complete picture. His 2010 BABIP was .342. That’s indication of some bad luck. With the league average hovering around .315, it means that when batters did make contact in 2010, a few more balls found holes in the defense. Then, one can look at his 3.16 FIP, a measure of how well a pitcher succeeds when defense is taken out of the equation. The difference between his ERA and FIP are great, meaning that his defense really hurt him. The 2010 Blue Jays defense certainly wasn’t good. They ranked 9th in the American League in terms of UZR at minus-2.5. That coincides with Morrow’s high BABIP.

2011 was quite similar for Morrow. While building his innings count, Morrow compiled that 10-11 record with the 4.72 ERA. In 179.1 innings, he allowed 8.1 H/9,  1.1 HR/9, 3.5 BB/9, and 10.2 K/9. Obviously, there are quite a few positives. First, he built his innings appropriately. The Blue Jays have been careful with him after having many of their young pitchers go down with injuries in the past decade. He cut his walk total while not sacrificing his strikeouts. His 10.2 strikeouts per nine led all American League starters and trailed only Zack Greinke for the Major League lead.

But, that ERA got worse. His BABIP even fell back down to a more normal .299 so even luck couldn’t be a cause. One cause is that his homerun rate did jump from 0.68 in 2010 to 1.05 in 2011. That will cause an ERA spike. But, his FIP was a more than solid 3.64 for season. That is still a huge disparity. But, then, you look at the defense and it starts to make sense again. The Blue Jays ranked 10th in the American League with a minus-10.4 UZR, meaning their ground covered was less than the season before. And, unlike 2010 when the defense didn’t make many errors, the 2011 club had the fourth highest total in the league with 110 errors. While those errors don’t add to the ERA, they do indicate a terrible defensive team that didn’t get to many balls and didn’t handle them well either.

ERA aside, Brandon Morrow has put together two very credible seasons befitting of a number two or three pitcher. His team has hurt him in terms of the traditional statistics. But, given his improved walk rate, his elite level strikeout rate, and that the Blue Jays are handling him properly, there is every reason to believe that Morrow can be one of the top pitchers in the sport. Even more exciting is that Morrow has compiled those numbers in the American League East, the most offensive division in the sport. The Red Sox knocked him around in four starts, but Morrow dominated the Yankees (2-1, 1.74 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 20 innings) and the Rays (2-2 3.38 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 24 innings). In two starts against the American League Champion Rangers, Morrow struck out 17 batters in 13 innings along with a 2.77 ERA.

There are still obstacles in front of Morrow as he heads into the 2012 season. His flyball rate cannot increase, especially when he pitches in the East. He will have to continue to decrease his walk total to avoid those possible bad luck scenarios. And, he will have to hope that the Blue Jays are a better defensive club in 2012. With essentially the same club returning, that may prove difficult. But, the stuff is there and it has been succeeding for the past two seasons. With some improved luck, improved command, and an improved defense, Morrow may just turn out to be the most surprising pitcher of 2012.

He has been a secret over the past two seasons for a couple of reasons. First, he is playing in Toronto which has really experiences Jose Bautista mania. Secondly, his traditional statistics aren’t all that special. But, hiding under the Bautista frenzy and the elevated ERA is a pitcher who has the stuff to dominate. Entering his third year as a full-time starter, it may just be time for Brandon Morrow to show just how dominant he can be.

Topps Sell Sheet

The standard sized cards are thicker than regular cards. The card fronts have a full color action shot of the player. The cards are border-less and have a matte finish. The card fronts have the set name and logo in foil in the upper left corner and a graphic at the bottom with the player name, position and team logo. The card backs are photo-less and vertical design. The backs have a black field and graphic text box. The text box contains basic biographical information, moderate career highlights, last season’s and career statistics.

What I Pulled:
10 base set cards all serial numbered (one dupe)
2 relic cards
2 autograph relic cards

Base card front and back:
#/999 – Austin, Lewis, Peterson, Ryan, Maclin
#/300 – Johnson, Mendenhall
#/250 – Cassel, Bradshaw

The Hits:
Kyle Rudolph Auto/Triple relic #/99
Dustin Keller Relic #/27
Tony Dorsett auto relic #/90
Ryan Mallett triple relic #/18

***********************************************************************************************************************

2011 Topps Triple Threads is a big hit hunters dream and a base set collector’s nightmare. I am not even going to rate a box on base set collect-ability. The photography is great. While I do like the base set design and generally like simple cards, I would have like the card backs to have been a little more flashy and high-end looking. The autos are sticker autos but do not detract from the card design. I was disappointed that I got a duplicate card between the two mini-boxes. If they were serial numbered out of different print runs and one was a parallel I would be more OK with it. I pulled two base cards, both numbered out of /999 though. One huge plus for me is that EVERY card is serial numbered. While they are not HUGE hits, they look very cool with the different window cut-outs and the low serial numbering help to add a little more excitement.

The Bottom Line:
I give 2011 Topps Triple Threads a buy rating. To be honest, TTT has successfully established itself as the product to buy for awesome pulls. Some lotto tickets win and some do not. Buy a box and trade your Tebow cards to me!

The Final Score:
Final Ratings (Out of 5):
Base set collect-ability: NA
Big-hit Hunter: 3/5
Prospector Hunter: 3/5
Overall Design: 5/5
Fun: 5/5
Value: 4/5
Re-buy: 4/5
Overall Quality: 4/5

Overall: 31/35 (80% = B)

Thanks to Topps for making this review possible!

Until next time, keep collecting, collect for the joy of the hobby and collect for the fan in all of us.

The official baseball card resource for Baseball Digest.com - Beckett Media

So how do you gauge, if you are a sport, how successful or marketable you are in the global landscape, especially against other entities like the Olympics, Mixed Martial Arts, Extreme Sports and NASCAR?

One of those engagement factors in how popular the game is was released this week in the form of the Bloomberg BusinessWeek Horrow Sports Ventures Power 100, a listing of the most 100 influential athletes based on both their on-field performance and their marketability and impact in the social media world. Bloomberg BusinessWeek worked with CSE Analytics to evaluate more than 3,000 athletes, with 50 percent based on “off-field” measurements and 50 percent on “on-field” performance. CSE’s proprietary analytics utilizes a range of industry statistics, including data from Nielsen’s E-Poll as well.

The results were very interesting for baseball, which placed 16 players on the list (third behind the NFL and the NBA) but did not have a player higher than Albert Pujols, who came in at No. 25. The former star of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals was followed by NL MVP Ryan Braun (31) and runnerup Matt Kemp (33), with Miguel Cabrera grabbing number 37 on the list. What the Power 100 showed is the viability of the team athlete with a strong personality who can mix onfield success with business success (assuming of course Braun can overcome his issues off the field in the coming months) into a brand that transcends the game. Adrian Gonzalez (44), Justin Verlander (54) and Curtis Granderson (55) all cracked the list for the first time, showing their business potential in combination with their All-Star results, while Derek Jeter of the Yankees, now in the twilight of his legendary career, slid to 81. The mix of where MLB players landed on the list, many of whom were first-timers, showed the great potential on the horizon for MLB and its newer stars. The troubling issue is the lack of a top 20 athlete in 2011, while tennis (three) and golf (three) had solid showings amongst the top 20.

MIguel Cabrera

Baseball after all is a numbers game, so 16 is a great showing for the Power 100. In a year where older stars were transitioning toward the end and new faces emerging the result is strong and sends the message that the game still holds great value on and off the field. What will be telling in 2012 is for the break through guys to continue to move up the list, landing those from The Summer Game in the rarified air of the top 10 along with their NFL colleagues like Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, all of whom finished one through three on this years list. Overall a powerful showing by baseball for The Power 100, more examples that the game is mature, strong and holding its own, the Power 100 rankings also emphasized the importance of team sports, with the NFL’s 26 players ranked in the top 100. The National Basketball Association came in second with the most athletes on the Power 100, with 20 (led by LeBron James at four), followed by MLB baseball (16), tennis (10), golf (8), motorsports (6), Olympics (4), soccer (4), hockey (3), boxing (2), and action sports (1).

What does the list mean? It’s a good litmus test for marketers to see how powerful athletes can be, and it also shows that winning on the field, in the board room, and with fans in the social space are all needed these days to make those who play the game as successful as they can be in a global economy.

The Buehrles, animal lovers and supporters of Best Friends Animal Society, started the petition on Change.org after learning that they would be unable to move to the Miami Marlins’ hometown due to breed-specific animal restrictions in the county. Instead, the Buehrle family, along with their pet pit bull Slater, moved to neighboring Broward County.

“Every day that I look at my sweet-natured, certified Canine Good Citizen pit bull, I can’t imagine having to give him up, or even worse, having Slater taken from me based solely on the way he looks,” said Jamie Buehrle, who launched the campaign on Change.org. “Let’s start making owners responsible for their pets regardless of their breed and celebrating all breeds including pit bulls. I am so happy with the response to my petition on Change.org and the thousands of people helping to change the breed discrimination law in Miami-Dade.”

Mark and Jamie Buehrle

News of the online petition campaign’s success is drawing national attention to HB 997 and SB 1322, which would repeal the only county-wide breed specific legislation in Florida. The Buehrles are encouraging baseball fans and dog lovers sign their petition campaign on Change.org, the world’s fastest growing platform for social change.

“Within the first week, thousands of people have already joined the Buehrles’ campaign,” said Change.org Director of Organizing Stephanie Feldstein. “The Buehrle family was affected by Miami-Dade County’s pit bull ban, and even though they were able to keep Slater safe, they decided to start a petition to help other families and their pets stay together. That’s what Change.org is all about – empowering anyone, anywhere to demand action on the issues that matter to them.”

Topps Sell Sheet

The standard sized base set cards feature a full color action picture of the named player. Bordered in white, the card fronts have the USA baseball logo centered along the bottom and the Topps logo, player name, team in silver foil. The card backs are photo-less. The backs have a gray background with a white text box. The backs list moderate biographical information, and extensive career highlights.

What I pulled:
The complete 61 card base set with no dupes. It is a box set.
6 autograph cards
2 autographed relic cards
3 relic cards

Base card front and back:

The Hits:
Triple relics #/240 Erich Wiess, Riley Unroe, Corey Knebel
Autographed triple relics #/214 Cole Irvin, Josh Elander
Autographs Dominic Ficociello, Nolan Fontana, Austin Meadows, Walker Weickel
Gold Ink Auto #/25 Brian Johnson
Green Ink Auto #1/1 Alex Bregman

***************************************************************************************************************************

2011 Topps USA Baseball is a great product for both prospectors and set collectors. The box set is nothing but prospects. Being above the stated odds was a nice surprise. The #/25 and 1/1 are super sweet! Unless you are really good at prospecting, you probably have not heard of many of these players before. The on-card autos look real sharp, but the sticker autos on the relic cards do not take away from the card. Being a box set you do know for the most part what you are going to get and lose out on the pack busting thrill. The only other drawback I see with 2011 Topps USA Baseball is the lack of variety in the shots.  Do to the few number of games played and limited availability of the players, many of the shots on the white background can look the same, especially the posed shots.

The Bottom Line:
I give 2011 Topps USA Baseball a buy rating. Box sets are nice in that you know you are going to get the base set of cards. The hits are just gravy!

Final Ratings (Out of 5):
Base set collect-ability: 5/5
Big-hit Hunter: 5/5
Prospector Hunter: 5/5
Overall Design: 4/5
Fun: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Re-buy: 4/5
Overall Quality: 5/5

Overall: 36/40 (90% = A)

Thanks to Topps for making this review possible!

Until next time, keep collecting, collect for the joy of the hobby and collect for the fan in all of us.

The official baseball card resource for Baseball Digest.com - Beckett Media

Topps Sell Sheet

The Standard sized cards have either a color or black and white picture of a person or event from the 1940′s to today. The cards are border-less and have a graphic along the bottom that contains the decade and the name of the person or event.  The graphic is designed to be reminiscent of an image or theme from the decade. The card backs are photo-less and vertical in layout. The backs contain biographical information when applicable and extensive information about the person or event.

What I Pulled:
182 cards
154 base set cards, 154/200, = 77% of the base set
1 base dulicate
18 inserts
5 foil parallels
1 puzzle card
3 memorabilia cards

Base card front and back:

The Inserts: (not all scanned)
Hirsute History: 2, 12, 16, 19
Fads & Fashions: 5, 6, 11, 14, 22, 28
Hollywood Walk of Fame: 7, 16, 24, 32, 33, 41, 45, 47
Foil Parallels: 58, 69, 88, 109, 188
Puzzle card

The Hits:
A.J. Hammer relic
Joe Gannascoli relic
Don McLean relic

****************************************************************************************************************************

2011 Topps American Pie hails itself as a celebration of American pop culture. From the end of World War II to the stars of today, Topps American Pie chronicles the people, events, fads, and fashions that have captured America’s imagination for over six decades. the cards all have catchy designs and themed form the different decades. The inserts are entertaining and clever. 2011 American Pie had near perfect collation with only one duplicate and right on with the stated hits. I think it is pretty cool that I pulled a Don McLean relic from a set called “American Pie!”

The Bottom Line:
A very fun rip for nostalgia and history buffs! It will be easy to complete the base set with one box and some light trading. Go buy a box and enjoy your slice of American Pie!

The Final Score:
Final Ratings (Out of 5):
Base set collect-ability: 4/5
Big-hit Hunter: 3/5
Prospector Hunter: NA
Overall Design: 4/5
Fun: 5/5
Value: 4/5
Re-buy: 4/5
Overall Quality: 5/5

Overall: 29/35 (83% = B)

Thanks to Topps for making this review possible!

Until next time, keep collecting, collect for the joy of the hobby and collect for the fan in all of us.

The official baseball card resource for Baseball Digest.com - Beckett Media

Combined, TLA intends to become the pre-eminent, fully integrated representation and marketing services agency with an on-field focus on professional baseball. As a combined group, TLA will unite industry-leading capabilities in baseball, broadcasting, coaching, golf and talent marketing as well as event management.

TLA Worldwide, which was co-founded by CEO Mike Principe and Non-Executive Chairman Bart Campbell, sees significant opportunities in a professionalized athlete representation sector, especially in a consolidated full-service offering that combines representation with leading sports marketing expertise.

TLA CEO Mike Principe commented, “TLA’s on-field focus on professional baseball stems from the industry’s strong underlying fundamentals and our belief that we can quickly become a recognized leader in the business of that sport. More broadly across our entire client roster, as a fully integrated company,

The Legacy Agency will offer clients additional commercial opportunities through an enhanced ability to identify, negotiate and monetize off-field endorsements, as well as broadcasting and coaching contracts. In addition, TLA’s combined network creates a stronger platform to recruit new clients and identify new opportunities across the portfolio. We plan to continue our growth both organically and through accretive acquisitions or other combinations, as well as the development of select properties for which we’ve identified a need in the marketplace.”

Legacy President Greg Genske said, “Given the complementary capabilities of our two firms and the incredible opportunities that a merged TLA can deliver to current and prospective clients, we are excited about joining forces. We all share a common vision of what the industry should be and how best to serve our clients. We look forward to what we can accomplish together in the years to come. In fact, in order to demonstrate our confidence in our future together and our commitment to TLA and its vision, all of the principals from both businesses have transferred significant equity into The Legacy Agency and entered into long-term employment agreements.”

The principals of The Agency said in a statement that, “This is an exciting development for talent and corporate clients alike and creates a strong platform for growth. By merging these two industry leaders and an experienced and proven management team, we will not only be able to better and more deeply serve our current clients, but we will also be able to offer a wider array of services to both clients and the market.”

TLA CEO Mike Principe

Legacy, which is headquartered in Newport Beach and was founded in 2004, represents a growing client roster of professional major league baseball players, including 13 MLB All Stars, rising stars and top prospects. Its team of agents have a combined expertise in contract law, negotiation, finance, statistics and marketing.

The Agency, which is based in New York City and was founded in 2000, is a leading full-service independent marketing and management company specializing in representation of high-profile personalities and brands, including but not limited to football, baseball, Olympics and golf for broadcasting, coaching, and endorsement partnerships.

As a combined, platform, TLA will represent over 225 clients, in baseball, broadcasting, coaching, golf and talent marketing, which includes the representation of Olympians and other personalities, from offices in New York, Newport Beach, Houston, San Francisco, Charleston and London.

Beginning on Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, April 4, 2012, gamers can begin their quest for perfection and compete for one of eight spots in the final live tournament. The finalists will be determined by a dynamic leaderboard that ranks the top perfect games thrown. Gamers can repeatedly attempt to improve their position on the leaderboard through the end of April.

As an added bonus, the submission process has been simplified. For the first time in the Perfect Game Challenge’s three-year history, competitors will not be required to submit video recordings of their perfect games. To participate, players will simply compete in Major League Baseball 2K12’s Perfect Game Challenge mode and submit a unique code at www.2ksports.com/perfectgame upon completion of a perfect game.

“Winning $1 Million for being the first to pitch a perfect game in Major League Baseball 2K11 was an unreal experience,” said Brian Kingrey, who won the contest in 2011 using Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies. “I can’t wait to watch the competition unfold and see who will join me and Major League Baseball 2K10 winner, Wade McGilberry, in what’s becoming the coolest fraternity in sports gaming. We like to call it ‘The Perfect Club.’”

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay, right, presents 2K Sports' MLB 2K11 Million Dollar Perfect Game Challenge winner Brian Kingrey, of Hammond, La., with his check for one million dollars during an event at Citi Field, Friday, May 27, 2011 in New York.

“With the Perfect Game Challenge firmly entrenched in the culture of sports gaming, we’re thrilled to introduce several new twists that can only take the contest to the next level of competitive excitement and open it up to more people,” said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing at 2K Sports. “The contest has been incredibly popular the past two years, but there’s always room for improvement. We listened to user feedback and made participation more fun and accessible than ever before.”

More details on the finalist event will be announced soon. For more on this year’s Perfect Game Challenge, please visit facebook.com/mlb2k.

Similar reactions may have been heard on the left coast when Seattle Mariners fans found out their young stud pitcher Michael Pineda was headed east. The Yankees and Mariners have reportedly completed a four player exchange with their young studs as the centerpieces.

As first reported by the Seattle Times’ Larry Stone, the Yankees sent Montero and pitcher Hector Noesi to the Mariners for Pineda and pitcher Jose Campos. Noesi was one of the Yankees promising young starters on the rise, and showed some of his mettle as a reliever at the Major League level last season. Campos is a 19-yr old right-hander with potential (Evaluator John Sickels rated him as the #5 M’s prospect for 2012 and had this to say, “Grade B: We need to see him at higher levels and his secondary stuff needs refinement, but his upside is very high, he throws hard, and already throws strikes.”), but will not have an impact for quite some time.

Clearly this deal was about the Yankees need to boost their starting rotation and the Mariners need for a big bat. After being rebuffed in their attempt to acquire Felix Hernandez, the Yankees went after his young teammate (Pineda will be 23 next week).

Pineda’s rookie season of 2011 saw him finish 9-10, 3.74 with a 1.10 WHIP and 173 strikeouts in 171 innings.  The 6’7″, 260 pound native of the Dominican Republic limited AL hitters to a .211 batting average and gave up just 133 hits. He also held right-handed hitters to a .587 OPS with a torrid fastball and nasty slider. According to Fangraphs.com, Pineda averaged 94.7 mph on his fastball, the fourth best mark in the AL.

Pineda dominated in pitcher-friendly Safeco Field (2.92 ERA in 12 starts) and was much better in the first half before tiring down the stretch. In fact, the Mariners limited his innings per start over the final two months of the season.

With the Yankees lacking pop from the right side, Montero got the call to the bigs in August and produced a .996 OPS in 69 plate appearances.  Among Montero’s 17 hits were four home runs and four doubles, and he drove in 17 runs.  Montero has good power to the opposite field and averaged 18 home runs in his first four full seasons in the minor leagues.  He was nearly dealt to the Mariners at the 2010 trade deadline for Cliff Lee, but Seattle opted to obtain Justin Smoak from Texas instead.

In Montero, the Mariners get a player with 30 home run potential, even if their ballpark is not suited to a hitter’s needs. There were mixed feelings within the Yankees organization as to whether or not the 6’4″ Montero could make it in the Major Leagues as a catcher and that certainly played into the decision to deal him. With 1st base occupied (Mark Teixeira) and the DH slot needed to give the Yankees aging stars (Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, etc.) a rest, there wasn’t much room for Montero to flourish. With Seattle, he’ll get that chance.

Brian Cashman told the Bergen Record’s Bob Klapisch that he believes he took a big gamble.  ”I gave up a ton (for Pineda). To me, Montero is Mike Piazza. He’s Miguel Cabrera.” He may have taken a risk, but this deal appears to be a “win-win”, with both teams profiting. It also puts the Yankees back on top as the favorite in the AL East.

Cashman wasn’t done dealing on Friday night though. A short time after the trade was reported, word came that the Yankees and free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda had agreed to a one year contract, pending a physical, worth $10-11MM. Kuroda was thought to be seeking a $13MM deal.

Kuroda, who turns 36 in February, came over from Japan in 2008 and was 41-46 in four seasons with the LA Dodgers, despite a 3.46 ERA. He’s coming off a 13-16 season with a career low 3.07 ERA and a 3.7 WAR, also tops in his four seasons.

With the two acquisitions, the landscape of the Yankees’ starting rotation changed drastically. Prior to Friday evening, the Yankees five man squad was made up of ace CC Sabathia, 2nd year man Ivan Nova, the erratic A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, and surprise 2011 stand out, Freddy Garcia. Hughes’ immediate future is now up in the air and he could be used as trade bait to bring back a bat. The Yankees would most certainly rather trade Burnett, but the $33MM owed to him is an albatross around Cashman’s neck.

The Yankees would be looking for a short term, low salaried player. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported tonight that Carlos Pena was among the bats that were piquing the Yankees interest.

Drew Sarver is a senior writer  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

“We are excited to partner with Bloomberg Sports and benefit from their world-renowned expertise in Analytics and Information Management” said President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein.  “The management and analysis of data, whether it be scouting reports, statistics, medical information or video, is a critical component of our operation.  We look forward to developing a customized program that utilizes the most advanced and efficient technology available in the marketplace today to facilitate quicker, easier and more accurate access to all the sources of information we use to make baseball decisions.”

“Over the past few years we have helped set a new standard of excellence and efficiency in advanced analytics, whether it has been for MLB teams with our comprehensive, integrated systems, players with our tablet product or fans with our fantasy tools, and this partnership is the next step in that evolution,” said Bill Squadron, head of Bloomberg Sports. “Bloomberg as a company has always been about innovation, and we are very excited to partner with Theo and the Cubs organization.”

Named as One of the Ten Most Innovative Companies in Sports in 2011 by Fast Company Magazine, Bloomberg Sports has quickly become one of the industry leaders in providing cutting edge analytic products for fans, MLB teams and professional players. Their fantasy baseball product, “MLB Front Office,” is the fastest growing and most in-depth tool for both the casual and the die-hard baseball fan.  The professional analytic tools are now being used by 21 Major League clubs for player evaluation, and their tablet products are being used by over 200 MLB players to evaluate performance almost in real time.

MLB Network surveyed all 30 Clubs, MLB.com and the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum for the best and brightest trivia minds in their organizations to represent them in Baseball IQ, and thirty-two participants will be matched up in a bracket-style tournament across 31 episodes. Two new episodes will air every Tuesday through Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET from January 24 through February 23, leading up to the start of Spring Training.

“Baseball fans are passionate about the sport’s statistics and launching Baseball IQ is a way for us to expand our offseason programming lineup to let viewers test their baseball knowledge,” said MLB Network President and CEO Tony Petitti. “The premise of Baseball IQ is a natural extension of how fans talk about baseball at home or during a game by putting a current story, player or moment into historical context.”

Baseball IQ features participants from front office personnel, equipment managers, scoreboard operators and museum curators. When possible, Baseball IQ participants will be matched up in a bracket opposite their clubs’ rivals, pitting the St. Louis Cardinals against the Chicago Cubs, the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim against the Texas Rangers. The winning player of each episode will win $5,000 for the organization’s charity they represent. The championship episode will award $25,000 for the winner’s charity and $15,000 to the runner-up’s charity.

The complete Baseball IQ bracket with participants scheduled to appear is below and more information, including rules, participant and charity information can be found here. Show information and programming updates will be posted to MLB Network’s Facebook page and Twitter feed via #BaseballIQ.