"The Really Abrasive Episode" on iTunes

Hey boys and girls,

New episode up at iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/balls-in-the-dirt/id865902518?mt=2

Please remember to rate and review us, and while you're at it please subscribe.

As always, our email is ballsinthedirtpodcast@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening,
Hayden

iTunes Update!

Good afternoon boys and girls. We've got some updating to fill you in on.

We are now on iTunes! All you have to do is go into iTunes and type in "Balls in the Dirt" and under podcasts, you will find us! We have our first episode up now called "Early Season Blues" which was recorded on April 9th. Or if you want the link will be posted here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/balls-in-the-dirt/id865902518

If you would do us the favor of subscribing, review, and rating us that'd be great. Remember, any and all feedback is welcomed at  our new email which is ballsinthedirtpodcast@gmail.com!

Thanks for being so patient with us as we go through some transition with this operation.

Content is on the way!

-Hayden

Nick and Hayden's 2014 MLB Preview: 6. Detroit Tigers

6. Detroit Tigers
by Nick Opich4/2/2014

To really examine the make up of the 2014 Detroit Tigers, you have to look back at the circumstances that brought them to this point. After a disappointing ass whooping at the hands of the Texas Rangers in the 2011 ALCS, owner Mike Illitch and General Manager Dave Dombrowski knew they had a good team and were content to begin 2012 with relatively the same team. Then Victor Martinez tore his ACL during an offseason workout, the club panicked and signed slugging first baseman Prince Fielder to a 9-year, $214M contract. All was right in the world.

The Tigers were now easy favorites in 2012 to reach and win the coveted World Series. Although they didn’t dominate during the regular season, they reached the World Series and were matched up against the San Francisco Giants and were quickly swept, giving Detroit another embarrassing showing in the playoffs and their second World Series defeat of the decade.

In 2013, the Tigers were once again the odds-on favorite to win the championship. With Martinez returning the lineup, Detroit had arguably the most imposing middle of the order in the game. Add on the fact that they had a rotation of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez, Doug Fister, and Rick Porcello and it was assumed by many that this team was the best in baseball. But you know what they say about when you assume something…

Detroit won the division by one game over the upstart Cleveland Indians and limped into the playoffs after being no-hit in the final game of the regular season. They were nearly knocked out by Oakland in the ALDS until Jhonny Peralta (fresh off his return from a PED suspension) hit a series changing double. They moved onto the next round against Boston and lost in six games to the Red Sox.

This will never be forgotten

It was clear that the dynamic of this team needed to change and you would be hard pressed to find any team that changed their make up more this offseason than the Detroit Tigers.

First, Manager Jim Leyland retired and was replaced by the younger and more analytically-inclined Brad Ausmus - a move many Tigers fans applauded. Then Prince Fielder and $30M was traded to Texas in exchange for 2B Ian Kinsler. Miguel Cabrera was to move back to first base and hot shot rookie Nick Castellanos was going to be brought up to play third. Another solid move by the savvy, Dombrowski.

Then things got weird… 

First, reliever Jose Veras, who was acquired at the trade deadline from Houston for young OF prospect Danry Vasquez, was cut because Detroit didn’t want to pay his $4M salary for 2014. An odd move considering the weakness of the Tigers bullpen but he wasn’t as reliable as many expected and so maybe this was the right move.

Then, on December 2^nd, 2013, a day that will live in infamy, The Tigers traded Doug Fister to the Washington Nationals for Double-A pitcher Robbie Ray, left-handed reliever (and homophobe) Ian Krol, and utility man Steve Lombardozzi. This sent shockwaves across Detroit and the rest of Major League Baseball. Did Dombrowski really trade a top-10 pitcher for a mid-tier prospect and spare parts? Isn’t this team set up to win now? There’s got to be something else going back to Detroit, right?

Yes, he did. Yes, the team wants to win now. No, they did not receive anything else from this trade.

Later that week, Detroit signed closer Joe Nathan but hardly anyone was excited. The damage had already been done.

They later signed OF Rajai Davis instead of the bigger name on the market Shin-Soo Choo and RHP Joba Chamberlain to a one year deal worth $6M bringing up many questions about why they cut Veras.

Who's really making these decisions?

Despite these strange moves, entering Spring Training, there was still plenty of optimism for Detroit.

Then, only a couple weeks before the season was to begin, it is reported that defensive whiz Jose Iglesias will likely miss the season with two fractured shins. A few days later, flame throwing reliever Bruce Rondon goes down with a torn UCL and it is announced that he will miss the season after receiving Tommy John surgery.

Tiger fans just wanted the season to begin before anything else weird and horrific could happen.

To replace Iglesias the Tigers acquired a platoon of Andrew Romine and Alex Gonzalez. One of the trades included sending Lombardozzi to Baltimore, making the Fister deal look even more dismal.

Finally the season has begun for Detroit and the outlook is still optimistic. Castellanos looked great this spring and Ausmus has shown so far that he is going to employ a more analytically inclined philosophy than that of the somewhat stubborn Leyland.

This team is in your hands now Brad

Objectively looking at this team, they have an array of players who are experienced and know how to win. In 2014, the Tigers could win anywhere from 88-95+ games and at the very least, run away with the AL Central crown.  

1. Last Season and Offseason
      a. 93-69 (Lost in ALCS to BOS)
      b. Signed Joe Nathan, Rajai Davis, Joba Chamberlain
      c. Traded Jose Alvarez to LAA for SS Andrew Romine
      d. Traded Doug Fister to WAS for LHP Ian Krohl, 2B Steve Lombardozzi
      e. Then trading Lombardozzi to BAL for SS Alex Gonzalez
       f. Traded Prince Fielder and cash to TEX for 2B Ian Kinsler

2. Lineup/Rotation
Lineup:
      1. Ian Kinsler 2B
      2. Torii Hunter RF
      3. Miguel Cabrera 1B
      4. Victor Martinez DH
      5. Austin Jackson CF
      6. Alex Avila C
      7. Nick Castellanos 3B
      8. Alex Gonzalez SS
      9. Rajai Davis LF
Rotation:
      1. Justin Verlander
      2. Max Scherzer
      3. Anibal Sanchez
      4. Rick Porcello
      5. Drew Smyly

3. Favorite/Least Favorite
      a. Nick's Favorite– Brad Ausmus
      b. Hayden's Favorite– Verlander’s conservation. Saves himself and his velocity.
      c. Nick's Least Favorite – Waste of roster spots
      d. Hayden's Least Favorite – Cabrera’s inevitable weight gain; Fister trade; Farm system

4. Impact Player
      a. Ian Kinsler
               i. Career lows in walks – 2012 & 2013 (12% to 8% drop)
              ii. Slugged .511 in Arlington; .399 everywhere else
             iii. Has hit .200 in Comerica
             iv. Age 29: Isolated power of .223; Age 31: I.P. of .136 (last 3 years: .223,.166,.136)
              v. But Michael Young was a better player from 32-34 than 29-31
      b. Rick Porcello
               i. Reaching 200+ innings – never done
              ii. Must be elite
             iii. Can he be Fister reincarnated?

5. Impact Prospect
      a. Nick Castellanos
               i. Oppo-field power
              ii. One of best pure hitters among prospects
             iii. Low expectations outside of hitting

6. Midseason Status
      a. Contending as usual for first in AL Central
      b. SS or LF as biggest hole?

7. Bold Predictions
      a. 93-69
      b. No significant trade
      c. Castellanos: AL ROY


Podcast Playlist:
"Are You on Your Way" - Middle Class Rut
"Trampled Underfoot" - Led Zeppelin

Nick & Hayden's 2014 MLB Preview: 7. Texas Rangers

7. Texas Rangers

by Hayden Hughes

With what began with so much promise in the offseason has ended Spring Training with more question marks and ill-timed injuries. The Texas Rangers seemed poised and ready to begin the Jurickson Profar-era of the franchise along with the reliable ace Yu Darvish. And while Darvish will miss may two starts at most, Profar will miss nearly half of 2014 with a muscle tear in his throwing shoulder. Further adding to question the legitamacy of Texas' chances at winning in 2014, Geovany Soto will miss the same amount of time. These injuries have led to the emergency signings of Joe Saunders, Chris Gimenez, Donnie Murphy, and Tommy Hanson - the latter has already hit the pool of free agency again. With question marks surrounding starter Matt Harrison's back, starting pitching depth has become a huge issue for the Rangers.

Despite being 0 for 2 with converting relief pitchers into formidable starters (see: Feliz, Neftali and Ogando, Alexi), Texas has taken chances with both Tanner Scheppers and Robbie Ross, as both will get their chances in the rotation in 2014. Of course, even if one or both Scheppers and Ross work out, this move depletes the Rangers' bullpen. Making matters worse, Feliz's performance coming off his 2012 Tommy John Surgery has earned him a demotion to Triple-A. 

So the offense has to hit - a problem with the 2013 Rangers' roster. In a blockbuster with Detroit just before the winter meetings, Texas landed Prince Fielder and a month later shelled out the cash to sign outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. Choo's presence bring a legitimate lead off hitter who drew over 110 walks in 2013, something Rangers fans haven't had in the previous two seasons. Fielder has arrived to Texas in the best shape of his life - and noticeably, not in the stereotypical sense, so - and has had an uplifting spring for the Rangers, and should hit well in the third spot of Ron Washington's lineup. Further development in Leonys Martin and consistency out of shortstop Elvis Andrus will be imperative if the hobbled Rangers intend to compete at all in 2014. However, stability at the corners between Fielder and Adrian Beltre should provide some relief past all the stress of the lineup in spots 5-9. Defensively, thankfully, Martin, Choo, Beltre, and Rios will be bright spots in the field.

A power-hitting lefty bat is something the Rangers needed.

Acquiring J.P. Arencibia seemed like a smart move in an attempt to rejuvenate the backstop's career, but as the starter, Arencibia's bat and defense both could prove to be hindering. Soto was brought back to the Rangers, after splitting time last year with A.J. Pierzynski, at the request of Yu Darvish. Arencibia is not the defensive presence that Soto is, and Arencibia is coming off a forgettable couple of seasons. And now Arencibia is the starting catcher. Hopefully the catcher takes after Soto and sees more pitches, draws more walks, and makes more solid contact.

Newly-extended Martin Perez is on a team-friendly deal and will be asked to start 30+ games and most likely 170+ innings at age 23 which is potentially a recipe for disaster in the long term (see: Corbin, Patrick).

But if Joe Saunders can shake an awful spring and Darvish and Harrison can be themselves and just stay healthy, the Rangers' rotation goes from 'the worst' to 'average' pretty quickly. Otherwise, I would expect some midseason trades to occur, involving Mitch Moreland, Alex Rios, and potentially some of Texas' highly-touted prospects such as Joey Gallo, Luis Sardinas, or Jorge Alfaro. It all depends on if and how far out the Rangers are a third of the way through the season.

An optimist's outlook on the Rangers would advise fans to look at the season as a glass half-full. The first half of the season will be painful, but staying in contention will be important as but July the Rangers will have regained the presence of Derek Holland, Profar, and Soto. Each game counts the same, but the second half of the season should prove to be easier on the eyes as the Rangers get three fresh players during the dog days of the season.

But a realist's outlook may predict another August collapse and another September push for the playoffs resulting in a new manager for the 2015 Texas Rangers. Any guesses? I'll give you a hint...he's on the Texas staff already...*see bottom of the following rundown for the answer*

Let's just hope Fielder can resist the
vast amount of Dallas-Fort Worth BBQ options.

1. Last Season and Offseason
      a. 91-72 (missed PO’s)
      b. Signed J.P. Arencibia, Shin-Soo Choo, Shawn Tolleson, Donnie Murphy, Joe Saunders, Chris Gimenez, Seth           Rosin
      c. Traded Ian Kinsler to DET for 1B Prine Fielder and cash
      d. Traded Craig Gentry and RHP Josh Lindblom to OAK for OF Michael Choice

2. Lineup/Rotation
Lineup:
      1. Shin-Soo Choo LF
      2. Elvis Andrus SS
      3. Prince Fielder 1B
      4. Adrian Beltre 3B
      5. Alex Rios RF
      6. Michael Choice/Mitch Moreland DH
      7. J.P. Arencibia/Geovany Soto C
      8. Leonys Martin CF
      9. Donnie Murphy/Josh Wilson 2B
Rotation:
      1. Yu Darvish
      2. Tanner Scheppers
      3. Martin Perez
      4. Robbie Ross
      5. Matt Harrison
      6. Joe Saunders

3. Favorite/Least Favorite
      a. Hayden's Favorite– Fielder trade; Perez extension
      b. Nick's Favorite– Future of infield
      c. Hayden's Least Favorite – Injuries; Back end of rotation
      d. Nick's Least Favorite – Prince Fielder trade

4. Impact Player
      a. Perez
            i. With Perez earning a contact extension, his presence in a depleted rotation will be crucial.


5. Impact Prospect
      a. Michael Choice
           i. Young, Five tool.
          ii. Great Spring Training, Hometown kid
         iii. Needs to be comfortable in a platoon role with Moreland for time being.

6. Midseason Status
      a. In contention for first place with OAK and perhaps SEA or ANA.
      b. Potentially looking for starting C or depth at C
      c. Still looking to deal Moreland

7. Bold Predictions
      a. 86-76
      b. Ron Washington is gone.
      c. Trade RHP Nick Tepesch, RHP Wilmer Font, RHP Alec Asher, RHP Cory Burns to CHC for RHP Jeff                       Samardzija. - fangraphs
      d. Trade 2B Rougned Odor, RHP Wilmer Font, and OF Nick Williams to CIN for RHP Mat Latos

Meet Tim Bogar.
Texas Rangers Bench Coach and bad omen for Ron Washington.

Podcast Playlist:
"Been a Son" by Nirvana
"Back Down South" by Kings of Leon