The Los Angeles Dodgers Sign First Round Draft Pick

Stanford University pitcher Chris Reed (a graduate of Cleveland High School in Reseda) signed with the Dodgers on Friday. Reed, a junior left-handed pitcher, was the 16^th overall pick in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft and the only first round selection for the Dodgers.

Reed was an honorable mention All-PAC 10 pitcher with a record of 6-2 with 9 saves in 29 games as a reliever for the Cardinal with one start. He tallied a 2.56 ERA with 52 strikeouts. As a team, the Stanford pitching staff finished the 2011 season ranked 47^th in NCAA Baseball with a 3.45 ERA.

Stanford had five players drafted in the 2011 draft. Of the five Stanford players drafted only one player, junior left-handed pitcher Brett Mooneyham a 38^th round selection and 1,147^th overall player selected by the Washington Nationals, remains unsigned.

Reed was the 19^th player out of 50 first round selections to sign a Major League Baseball deal.

The Dodgers have successfully signed 4 of their top 5 2011 draft picks to date. Right-handed pitcher Ryan O’Sullivan of Oklahoma City, a fourth round selection, remains unsigned. 

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10 Worst All-Star Batting Averages of Hall of Fame Players

There’s an age old debate about how certain MLB position players fair against top notch starting pitching. Who owned who? Some players have made a Hall of Fame career off of beating up on the third, fourth, and fifth guys in a pitching rotation. Even worse, some guys beat up on bullpen pitchers and get called great for doing so. How many times have you heard “so and so” has a great batting average from the seventh inning on? This has been translated into clutch hitting instead of hitting against a relief pitcher that didn’t make the teams starting rotation.

The 82^nd Major League Baseball All-Star Game played on July 12^th showed that not all All-Stars are All-Stars when playing against the best of the best. Here’s a list of great position players that did not fair well when playing against their All-Star contemporaries.

Hank Aaron

Hammerin’ Hank had a career .194 all-star batting average in 67 at-bats. Over the course of 17 years Mr. Aaron was selected to the All-Star Game 25 times. From 1959 to 1962 MLB had two all-star games in each season; funds raised from the second all-star game went towards the player’s pension fund. The former homerun king only had two dingers in those 67 at-bats.

Ozzie Smith

The Wizard of Oz was better known for his glove than his bat, which is a good thing considering his all-star batting average of .148. Ozzie had 15 selections 27 at bats and 4 hits. Let’s hope his all-star fielding average was better. Mr. Smith went to Cooperstown in 2002.

Paul Molitor

Paul Molitor’s 21 year career and career .306 batting average didn’t translate to all-star success. In seven invites to the all-star game, “Molly” had a career .125 batting average in the mid-season classic. The 2004 Hall of Fame inductee only had 1 hit in 8 at bats.

Ryne Sandberg

The career Chicago Cubs second baseman and current AAA manager for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, a Philadelphia Phillies affiliate, Cubs had an all-star career batting average of .115 in 10 all-star selections. Ryno had 3 hits in 26 at bats. Sandberg was admitted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

Don Mattingly

Maybe it’s a prerequisite to being a head skipper for the Dodgers? Or maybe the greats just have bad games, either way add Mattingly to the list. Don Mattingly was selected to 6 all-star games and batted .111. An average of .111 for Mattingly translates to 1 hit in 9 at bats. 

Joe Torre

The 1971 NL MVP and NL batting champion (.363) and head skipper of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers wouldn’t be the best person to give all-star batting tips. In 9 all-star selections Torre batted .095, that’s 2 hits in 21 at bats. Ouch!

Eddie Murray

“Steady Eddie” was an 8 time all-star and a 2003 Hall of Fame selection. His 11 plate appearances yielded only 1 hit giving him a .091 all-star batting average. That must be a bitter pill for a player with 3,255 career hits.

It’s a Family Thing

Neither Brett nor Aaron, will ever be in the Hall of Fame, but the Boone name is baseball royalty and neither can give the other one a hard time around the dinner table over their all-star success… because neither one had any. The Boone Brothers combined for 4 all-star appearances (Brett 3), 5 at bats (Brett 4), and zero hits. 

Eddie Matthews

Regarded as one of the best third basemen to ever play the game, this 1978 Hall of Famer has the second worst all-star career in MLB history. In 12 all-star games Matthews had 4 hits in 25 Abs for a .080 average.

Craig Biggio

Mr. Biggio is not in the Hall yet, but the 3,060 career hits he had while playing for the Houston Astros will make him a shoe-in. In 7 all-star selections, 15 ABs, Biggio had one hit giving him a .067 average.

Like reading numbers? Here's some more for you.

 Notable Bad Averages of Other Great Players

Roger Maris .105

Pee Wee Reese .118

Barry Larkin .111

Edgar Martinez .167

Barry Bonds .194

The Best of the Best

Frank Thomas .800

Ken Griffey Jr. .440

Derek Jeter .435

Steve Garvey .393

Will Clark .385

Dave Winfield .361

Johnny Bench .357

Jackie Robinson .333

Babe Ruth .333

Roberto Clemente .323

Wade Boggs .321

Willie Mays .307

Ernie Banks .303

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2011 Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game Starting Positions

The 82^nd Annual All-Star Game starting positions were announced on Sunday via a selection show on TBS. MLB fans voted in record numbers casting 32.5 million ballots for their favorite players to fill out the starting rosters.

Fans picked the 17 starting position players for the American League and National League teams. The players voted for 17 position players and 6 pitchers and the managers picked 10 pitchers and 6 reserves each for a total of 66 roster positions. The rosters will be completed with one additional pick for each team. The final two positions can be voted for online at Major League Baseball’s website (see HogManInLA’s Final Voting for All-Star Positions for further information).

The AL starters are not close to the 1985 team that started seven future Hall of Famers (Carlton Fisk, Rickey Henderson, George Brett, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken, Dave Winfield, and Jim Rice) but talented none the less. The AL roster has 7 AL East starters; 4 New York Yankees will start, leading all teams in position players starting (6 total players selected), 2 Boston Red Sox players (4 total players selected), and 1 Toronto Blue Jays player. Alex Rodriguez is making his 14^th All-Star appearance tying him with Ivan Rodriguez for the most All-Star appearances by an active player.

American League Starters

C Alex Avila (Tigers)

1B Adrian Gonzalez (Red Sox)

2B Robinson Cano (Yankees)

3B Alex Rodriguez (Yankees)

SS Derek Jeter (Yankees)

OF Joes Bautista (Blue Jays)

OF Curtis Granderson (Yankees)

OF Josh Hamilton (Rangers)

DH David Ortiz (Red Sox)

Small market this! The Milwaukee Brewers’ fan base showed up big in 2011. Ryan Braun led all NL position players in voting giving Braun his 4^th consecutive All-Star Game start. The Brewers lead the NL in total starting positions with 3 starters. Prince Fielder gets the start at first with the injury to St. Louis Cardinals’ 1B Albert Pujols. The Phillies’ and Giants’ loaded pitching staffs placed 3 starting pitchers in the NL rotation giving the Phillies and Giants 4 total All-Star selections.

National League Starters

C Brian McCann (Braves)

1B Prince Fielder (Brewers)

2B Rickie Weeks (Brewers)

3B Placido Polanco (Phillies)

SS Jose Reyes (Mets)

OF Ryan Braun (Brewers)

OF Lance Berkman (Cardinals)

OF Matt Kemp (Dodgers)

National League Reserves:

Starting Pitchers

Jair Jurrjens (Braves), Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers), Matt Cain (Giants), Tim Linececum (Giants), Ryan Vogelsong (Giants), Cliff Lee (Phillies), Roy Halladay (Phillies), and Cole Hamels (Phillies)

Relievers

Jonny Venters (Braves), Brian Wilson (Giants), Tyler Clippard (Nationals), Heath Bell (Padres), Joel Hanrahan (Pirates)

Infield Reserves

Catcher Yadier Molina (Cardinals), 1B Gaby Sanchez (Marlins), 1B Joey Votto (Reds), 2B Brandon Phillips (Reds), SS Starlin Castro (Cubs), SS Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies), 3B Chipper Jones (Braves)

Outfielder Reserves

Carlos Beltran (Mets), Jay Bruce (Reds), Matt Holliday (Cardinals), Hunter Pence (Astros), Justin Upton (Diamondbacks)

American League Reserves

Starting Pitchers

Jared Weaver (Angels), Gio Gonzalez (Athletics), Felix Hernandez (Mariners), David Price (Rays), James Shields (Rays), C.J. Wilson (Rangers), Josh Beckett (Red Sox), Justin Verlander (Tigers)

Relievers

Chris Perez (Indians), Brandon League (Mariners), Aaron Crow (Royals), Mariano Rivera (Yankees), Jose Valverde (Tigers)

Infield Reserves

Catcher Russell Martin (Yankees), Matt Wieters (Orioles), 1B Miguel Cabrera (Tigers), 2B Howie Kendrick (Angels), SS Asdrubal Cabrera (Indians), 3B Adrian Beltre

Outfield Reserves

Matt Joyce (Rays), Jacoby Ellsbury (Red Sox), Michael Cuddyer (Twins), Carlos Quentin (White Sox) and DH Michael Young (Rangers)

Just to Clarify

The 2011 All-Star votes by the fans seemed to be spot on this year. 2010 AL MVP, Josh Hamilton, was having an all-star first half to his season before he broke his arm thus a good pick by the fans. One could argue about Derek Jeter’s selection; .260, 2 home runs, and 20 RBIs. Jeter is making his 12^th All-Star appearance, 7^th straight as a starter, and is a lock for the Hall of Fame. His quest for 3,000 hits before the midway point of the season has been put on hold due to his hamstring injury. Jeter is supposed to be available to play in the All-Star Game.

The NL is loaded at first base. With the injury to Albert Pujols this allows Prince Fielder to start and Joey Votto (the 2010 NL MVP) and Gaby Sanchez to make the team. Absent from the NL squad is strike out king and power hitter Ryan Howard. You have to give the Phillies’ fans credit for not stuffing the ballot box for him.

Jose Reyes started the year off well but not great. Since the first month of the season he has arguably been the best player in baseball. He’s playing like he’s in a contract year… wait he is in a contract year. Amazing to see what these guys can do when the apply themselves everyday.

30-30 or maybe 40-40? Matt Kemp is having the MVP type season all baseball fans and Dodger fans have been wanting from him. The 6’ 3” 220 lbs 5 tool player has been slugging and stealing bases for the lowly Los Angeles Dodgers all season. He’s hitting .327, with 64 RBIs, and 52 runs. He already has 22 home runs and 22 stolen bases, time will tell how well his season ends up. Kemp could be the first player since Alex Rodriguez in 2003 to win the MVP Award playing for a last place team in their division (In 2003 the Rangers were 71-91; in AL West). 

MLB All-Star Game is July 12^th, at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

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MLB All-Star Selection Show

Major League Baseball 2012 All-Star Selections

Major League Baseball All-Star voting ended Thursday night at 11:59 EST. Did you get your votes in? This sports nut did! For those of you geeked to see how if your votes helped propel your favorite players into the All-Star Game there is a selection show Sunday at noon EST on TBS to unveil the starters along with in-depth analysis of the players picked.

The selection show should prove to be somewhat exciting for true baseball fans. The final week of voting was only available online and proved to be a record setter. Between the 30 MLB clubs, 18.5 million ballots were cast and 250 million votes for the 2012 All-Star Game. This surpassed the record votes cast during the 2009 season; 17.7 million ballots and 223.4 million votes. Online All-Star voting began in 2002. The addition of online voting helped bring fringe baseball fans into the fold in the U.S. and around the world. All-Star ballots were only offered at Major League Baseball stadiums before 2002.

Starting position players are determined by fan votes but reserve players and pitchers for both teams are picked by the managers for each team. The managers for each team are determined by the previous seasons World Series skippers. Ron Washington of the Texas Rangers will manage the AL squad and Bruce Bochy of the San Francisco Giants will manage the NL team. Bochy will have 25 players on his NL team while Washington will have 24.

The All-Star Game is July 12^th at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

HogManInLA Meet and Greet

I will be attending the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets game at Dodger Stadium for the 4^th of July festivities. We will be on the first base side at field level for the game.

If you can’t make the game we will be giving live updates on Twitter. You can follow along at http://twitter.com/HogManInLa. If you’re able to attend you can send me a message on Twitter. Let me know where you’re sitting.

Hope to see all of you there. 

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Sports Quick Hits

Malfunctioning popcorn machine or Frank McCourt getting revenge?

Does anyone know if Frank McCourt was in Milwaukee Friday night? In the sixth inning of the Milwaukee Brewers vs. St. Louis Cardinals game a fire broke out in one of the right field concession stands at Miller Park. The fire was “caused” by a malfunctioning popcorn machine, or so Frank McCourt would have you believe!

Seems to coincidental that the Brewers would have a fire in their right field area, just like the Dodgers had on May 27 and 29. The Brewers were once owned by Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. Could this be retribution for the possible siege of the Dodgers Selig may have to do on McCourt’s Dodgers???

All kidding aside, no one was hurt in the fire and the fire was quickly put out.

History was made last night at Miller Park when Tony La Russa’s managed his 5,000 career game. His game was spoiled when the Brewers won 8-0. La Russa is second on the career games managed list. La Russa has won 2,676 games and lost 2,320. He is third on the career wins list behind Connie Mack (3,731) and John McGraw (2,763). Connie Mack is first on MLB’s list with 7,755 games managed, a managing career that extended for 53 years (1894-1950) compared to La Russa’s 33 year career.

Public Urination is fun… until caught.

“Tiny” Nate Robinson was caught urinating at 2:00 a.m. Friday morning outside a bookstore in White Plains, New York. He was issued a summons by New York police and released. Robinson would later apologize via Twitter when he posted that he had made a silly mistake and it will never happen again. Hmm, wonder if he was intoxicated?

The many incarnations of Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson will enter the Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York on Sunday. The once lineal heavy weight champion of the world held the WBA, WBC, and IBF belts from August of 1987 until his historic knockout loss to James “Buster” Douglas on February 11, 1990. “Iron” Mike’s record at the time of his first loss was 37-1. Much can be said about his boxing career and the unfortunate turns that he took. The once “Baddest Man On The Planet” seemed to lose his way in the boxing ring once his long time trainer Cus D’amato passed away November 4, 1985.

Tyson’s career record is 50-6 (44 knockouts) with 2 No Decisions and 1 Disqualification. Tyson career losses: twice to Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Danny Williams, and Kevin McBride. He lost three of his last four fights before being forced into retirement in 2005.

Funny bet that can go unclaimed

Former NBA great Charles Barkley and Dan Le Batard, journalist for the Miami Herald, sports radio host, and frequent guest hosting appearances on Pardon the Interruption, have made a NBA Finals bet. If the Miami Heat wins the NBA Championship Barkley has to don a Speedo and pose for pictures on South Beach while being interviewed. If the Dallas Mavericks win, Le Batard has to pose in a Speedo and pose for pictures while interviewing Barkley on South Beach. The bet was made on air during Dan’s drive-time radio show on 790 The Ticket before game 5 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.

Just to clarify, the thought has to be funnier than the pictures… right? 

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The Dodgers are good at this failing thing.

If you fail once, try to burn it again, and again, and again!

To prove that the Dodgers can truly do nothing right this season, McCourt and Co. “tried” to set Dodger Stadium on fire again early Sunday morning for insurance money but to no avail. The Los Angeles Fire Department is too good at their job, sorry Frank. LA Fire Department said a SECOND fire in two days broke out in the same storage area close to the right field reserved section due to paper products igniting. Luckily no one was hurt or injured during the fire.

Just to clarify:

How could there still be “paper products” dry enough to catch fire after being hosed down by the fire department the day before? Furthermore, how could there still be a fire hazard anywhere in Dodger Stadium, much less in the same location, after the previous fire? Who is running Dodger Stadium and why do they hate the Dodgers and their fans? When will Major League Baseball say enough is enough and take over the Dodgers? Even the NCAA would’ve come in and cleaned house by now!

Whether you like the Dodgers or not, they used to be a proud organization with a great deal of talent and an amazing farm system. The Dodgers won NL pennants 5 times in the 1950’s, three times in the 1960’s, three times in the 1970’s, and twice in the 1980’s. The ‘90’s began like another dominant run was in the making. For five straight years the Dodgers had a new stud coming up through the organization winning MLB’s Rookie of the Year Award; 1992 Eric Karros, 1993 Mike Piazza, 1994 Raul Mondesi, 1995 Hideo Nomo, and in 1996 Todd Hollandsworth. Now the Dodgers only have two bright young position talents in right fielder Andre Either and center fielder Matt Kemp and one great young pitcher in Clayton Kershaw… and that’s it!

Fans should not expect the Dodgers or any organization to roll out a Rookie of the Year winner like the Dodgers did for 5 years in a row. But one would think that talent would have translated to something to brag about for the organization and their fans. The Dodgers have not won a National League Pennant since their last World Series win in 1988! Translation, they have not been to the World Series since 1988! They’ve only won the NL West 4 times since ’88; winning in 1995, 2004, 2008, and 2009. Thankfully Bud Selig instituted the Wild Card format in baseball in 1994 but not used until 1995 due to the MLB strike in 1994 (poor Matt Williams, he should’ve hit over 60 dingers that year, and the Cleveland Indians). In typical fashion, the Dodgers have only taken advantage of a Wild Card berth twice since ’95; in 1996 and 2006.

Fans in LA deserve better from the Dodgers organization and their owners! Here’s to hoping that whomever buys the Dodgers (please let it be Mark Cuban!) uses the Dodgers as a legitimate baseball team and not as a pay check or a tax write-off.

Post script:

Thank God the Dodgers still have Vin Scully! It is heartbreaking hearing Mr. Scully trying to stir enthusiasm and bring optimism to Dodgers' fans when there has been little to nothing to cheer about on the field. How Scully has not turned into Harry Doyle from “Major League” is a testament to his professionalism.

Cubs’ fans take a deep breath and relax. I know your story is more horrifying and heart wrenching. You have goats and curses to deal with and a fan in Bartman that is the poster child for north side hate. This was about the Dodgers, not baseball’s loveable perennial losers. 

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Curious Sports News

Sports Conspiracy Theorist? Maybe but here are some curious pieces of news!

Jose Bautista, the sometimes right fielder and sometimes third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, belted his 20^th homerun of the year Saturday against the Cleveland Indians. Bautista is on pace to hit over 60 homeruns this season. How can a can a career journeyman (Baltimore, Kansas City, Pittsburgh twice, Tampa Bay, and Toronto), who is now 30 years old, all of the sudden hit 54 homeruns in 2010 and possibly hit 50 or 60 this year when his previous season’s best was 16 homeruns in 2006?!?! Hate to be skeptical but… something doesn’t seem on the up and up here. All the talk has been about his stance being changed which has lead to his increased homerun production. If Sammy Sosa could understand English again, he would tell us that's what helped his playing career as well!

ABC and the NFL?

Is it a coincident that the NFL has a television contract with ABC and ESPN, both under the same ownership, and all of these NFL players keep winning or placing in the top three on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”?

Checkout the results:

Jerry Rice, Hall of Fame wide receiver, came in second in the winter of 2006, Emmit Smith, Hall of Fame running back, won in the fall of 2006, Jason Taylor, former Miami Dolphins and NY Jets defensive end, came in second in the spring of 2008, Warren Sapp, former defensive lineman for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders, came in second in fall of 2008, and Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, won in the spring of 2011; linebacker Kirstie Alley came in second!

Burn it down maybe we can get insurance money for it!

Did Frank McCourt try to burn down Dodger Stadium Saturday night for the insurance money? In the 5^th inning of the Dodger’s game versus the Florida Marlins, smoke billowed out of the upper tier sections in right field down into the bleacher sections. Los Angeles Fire Department officials said the fire was caused by paper igniting in a storage section below the reserved sections. The fire was quickly put out and no one was hurt at Dodger Stadium… this time.

Nothing has gone right for the Dodger’s this season. Nothing!!! Of course the Dodgers lost that game as well.

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Thanks for reading. 

 HogManInLA

Down and out… again and again

The Los Angeles Dodgers can’t seem to get anything going their way. Their collective bats have been quiet since the start of the season and Chad Billingsley paid the price for it on Sunday.

Andre Either caught baseball’s eye with a 30-game hit streak through April into May and Matt Kemp was off to a hot start but he has cooled over the past couple of weeks. Even a two pitcher combined 1-hitter can’t get the Dodgers a win. Chad Billingsley pitched 8 innings of 1-hit ball (striking out 8) and Kenley Jansen closed out the 9^th without giving up a hit only to lose the game 1-0.

Arizona’s only run, an unearned run, was made possible by a Billingsley throwing error in the second inning. Stephen Drew led off the inning with a double. A called pick-off play on Drew at second was not covered by shortstop Jamey Carroll. Billingsley threw the ball into centerfield, allowing Drew to advance to third base. Melvin Mora then hit a sacrifice fly to score Drew.

This was the 4^th time the hapless Dodgers (19-21) have been shut out and the 17^th time they have scored 2 runs or less this season. It’s hard to see a ray of light for the Dodgers and the rest of their season. The NL West is weak this year, as it was last year, and none of the teams are separating themselves from the pack. I guess the one good thing for the Dodgers and their fans is the San Francisco Giants threw two 1-hitters while losing last season on their way to winning the World Series.

Chipper Jones still hurting.

When news broke that Chipper Jones had a tear in his right meniscus, I thought his season was finished… again. When Bobby Cox announced that he was retiring before the 2010 season began, this signaled the end of an era in Atlanta. Jones, the #1 overall first round pick by Atlanta in the 1990 draft, is the last holdover from Atlanta’s incredible run through the ‘90’s and 2000’s. Chipper said he did not want to play for another manager as Cox had been his skipper throughout his MLB career. The thought was both Jones and Cox would retire at the end of a winning 2010 season. Chipper tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during their “swan song” and the Braves failed to make the World Series. With unfinished business, the highly possible future Hall of Famer came back. The Braves have a wild-card worthy team this season and we all know that anything can happen in the post season. It would be nice to see Jones and the Braves end this era with a winner.

Just to clarify, I think Jones will be a Hall of Famer some day. The problem is he doesn’t have a milestone that jumps out at you or one that he is close to passing. To date he has 2,529 career hits, 440 homeruns, 1,518 RBIs, and a .305 career average. All of his numbers are great but nothing that makes him a first ballot guy. With 1 World Series ring as opposed to his contemporary, Derek Jeter’s 5 and Jeter gaining on 3,000 career hits, Jones should go down in the books as one of it not the best third baseman of his generation. Fortunately Jones will only be out a few more games and he can continue to add stats to his sure to be Hall of Fame career.

That was one heck of a homerun.

Kendrys Morales’ 2011 season was over before it started. Last May Morales broke his left ankle celebrating a walk-off grand slam against the Seattle Mariners. While celebrating his winning homerun, Morales jumped on home plate and the rest as they say is history. “The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Southern California not far off the I-5 interstate and close to Disney World but an hour away from Hollywood” have shut down Morales as he is to have arthoscopic surgery on his left ankle to clean up scar tissue. I hope this serves as a lesson to be learned for those that celebrate their accomplishments just a little bit too much.

On the line of celebrating just a little too much… how about the Miami Heat?

Much has been said about the 10 minute post game celebration the Heat players had after closing out the Boston Celtics in their semi-final matchup; either you like the Miami Heat or you don’t, there’s no in between with LeBron James anymore. If one didn’t know any better you would think the Heat had won the NBA Championship with their big displays of emotion, high fiving each other, and “barbaric yawps” to the crowd… nope, they just won the chance to get ran out of the building against the Chicago Bulls in game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. I guess LeBron and company knew their season was over when they were celebrating their win against the Celtics?

Just to clarify, I hope the Bulls sweep the Heat. I bet the Cleveland Cavalier fans were celebrating that victory harder than the Chicago Bulls fans.