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gender non conforming?

 

Finding A Landing Spot For Jhoulys Chacin
By Steve Adams [March 27, 2015 at 12:30pm CDT]

The Rockies’ release of Jhoulys Chacin caught many by surprise last week, myself included. The 27-year-old has spent the better parts of the past five seasons in Colorado’s rotation and had already agreed to a one-year, $5.5MM contract for the 2015 season.

In a way, the release has the potential to be a blessing in disguise for Chacin. It should come as no shock that Chacin’s ERA away from Coors Field is nearly a full run lower (4.21 vs. 3.24). He can now potentially latch on with a club that doesn’t play half of its games in one of baseball’s most notorious launching pads, and because he has just one year of team control remaining, he could hit the open market next season as a 28-year-old coming off a season in a more friendly pitching environment. Of course, Chacin will need to demonstrate that he is healthy in order to do so, and that’s anything but a given for the talented but oft-injured righty.

Chacin missed the majority of the 2014 season with shoulder inflammation — his second significant period of time missed with that malady — and has also battled back spasms in the past. He’s topped 190 innings in two different seasons but has also failed to reach 70 innings on two occasions and has averaged just 132 innings per season dating back to 2010.

Nevertheless, Chacin has a lifetime 3.78 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 48.2 percent ground-ball rate. Success at the Major League level has long been expected of the Venezuelan hurler, as he twice ranked among Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects before establishing himself in the Colorado rotation at the age of 22. Chacin should be able to latch on elsewhere — four teams are reportedly showing interest already — so let’s run down a few speculative spots that could give him a look late in Spring Training or early on in the regular season…

• Rangers — Yu Darvish already went down with a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery, thinning out the team’s starting options. The Rangers have been discussing starting pitching options and were recently in touch with the Marlins regarding lefty Brad Hand, so it stands to reason that they’d have some interest in picking up Chacin as a potential rotation option. As it is, Yovani Gallardo, Derek Holland, Colby Lewis and Ross Detwiler will pitch in their rotation, with the fifth spot still up for grabs.
• Dodgers — Hyun-jin Ryu is slated to open the season on the disabled list, and the Dodgers have a pair of injury prone hurlers behind him in their rotation in the form of Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson. Bringing in Chacin, with whom many Dodgers scouts are likely very familiar, would give the team additional depth.
• White Sox — The Sox are set to enjoy a dominant top three of Chris Sale, Jeff Samardzija and Jose Quintana, but John Danks and Hector Noesi aren’t an exciting four-five combination. Of course, top prospect Carlos Rodon looms large and could join the rotation early in the season, but Chacin would present them with an alternative, and his ability to limit homers, even when pitching at Coors Field, would likely be appealing to the Sox.
• Blue Jays — Marcus Stroman is out for the season, and the Blue Jays will rely on a combination of Daniel Norris, Aaron Sanchez and Marco Estrada to round out their rotation. Adding Chacin would allow one of those arms to pitch out of a precariously thin bullpen, though of course, jumping into the AL East/Rogers Centre may not be Chacin’s top choice when trying to re-establish himself as a credible rotation option.
• Phillies — The Phillies are clearly in need of rotation help and likely were even before Cliff Lee went down indefinitely with a still-torn flexor tendon. Cole Hamels, Aaron Harang, Jerome Williams and David Buchanan seem likely to fill the first four slots in the rotation, and Chacin has more upside than any non-Hamels internal option.
• Astros — Houston looked at adding an experienced arm with lesser upside when they engaged Ryan Vogelsong in discussions late in the offseason. Chacin could be a nice lottery ticket, and they lack a defined fifth starter to this point.
• Braves — Mike Minor could begin the season on the disabled list, and the Braves’ fifth starter spot was already an open competition between Eric Stults, Wandy Rodriguez, Michael Foltynewicz and Cody Martin anyhow.
• Rays — Matt Moore won’t be ready until this summer and Drew Smyly has been dealing with shoulder tendinitis this spring. Chacin would serve as additional depth alongside internal options Nate Karns and Alex Colome.

 

^ why u yellin?

 

racist

 

lol, the title makes him sound like a pedo

Kapler evaluates young prospects this Spring
by Tyler Monroy | Dodgers Nation — 28 minutes ago



Spring Training is more than just a time for the MLB players to prepare for the season, but also a time to evaluate the progress of the up-and-coming prospects.

Gabe Kapler, the Los Angles Dodgers director of player development has been evaluating each and every player. While most of the media attention is focused on young talents such as Julio Urias and Corey Seager, Kapler has given credit to a few others for their improvements over the last year.

In an interview with Jim Callis of MLB.com, Kapler discussed how much depth the Dodgers actually have in their system:

“Our group of young talent has been overlooked because of the names everyone mentions,” Dodgers director of player development Gabe Kapler said. “We have talent and depth in the system. There are a lot of guys that no one talks about who have very impressive packages and are super-talented and worth watching.”​

One of these young stars is 24-year-old Scott Schebler. The outfielder has played in 15 games for the Dodgers this spring and has gone 8-for-27 for a batting average of .308. However, six of his eight hits have been extra-base hits (two home runs and four doubles).

Kapler commented on both Schebler and Darnell Sweeney’s success this spring:

“Both of them are extremely talented,” Kapler said. “Schebler came in tremendously prepared, and he strikes the ball with as much force as anyone in our big league camp. Sweeney’s ability to get to the ball down in the zone and drive it into the gaps or out of the park, even to the opposite field, is impressive.”​

Catcher Julian Leon is another young player to catch Kapler’s eye. The 19-year-old catcher has drawn little attention since his arrival in 2013, but Kapler is impressed with his hitting ability:

“I love the way his hands work in the batter’s box,” Kapler said. “He has really loose hands and a good path to the baseball. His defense is coming along, so we’re pleased with that. He has a very advanced mindset and he’s super mature for 19.”​

Leon only appeared in one game for the Dodgers and struck out in his only at-bat, but scouts believe the catcher has potential. While his defensive skills are not ready for the MLB, Kapler believes the Leon could impact the Dodgers in the future.

Although only certain players in the Dodgers farm system are getting a majority of media attention, it is apparent that the the team has much more depth than what first meets the eye.​

 

so sad

 

Greinke not happy about pitching Minor League Game
by Russell Valenzuela | Dodgers Nation — 3 hours ago

The results and performances from Spring Training may not count in the long run. However, it is still a learning period and a time for players to get nuances out of their system before the regular season begins.

As is the case for Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke, who struggled in his last outing. While facing the San Francisco Giants Friday night, the pitcher failed to get out of the fourth inning after reaching his pitch limit. By the time he was removed, the Giants scored four runs, two of which were charged to Greinke, and belted the Dodger pitcher with five hits.

After Greinke’s struggles, manager Don Mattingly has elected to have his pitcher start a minor league game Wednesday instead of his scheduled Thursday start against the Los Angeles Angels, according to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick:

“He’s not thrilled about it,” Mattingly said. “He’ll throw Wednesday, the same day as [Clayton] Kershaw [against the Royals]. We feel he’s not quite built up. He didn’t get to do the ups and downs last night. He’ll have an extra day before he starts [April 7 against San Diego].”​

Greinke began Spring Training behind schedule after missing his first start. The lubricating injection he received was considered to be non-issue as he receives it on an annual basis. However, his performance thus far in the spring could use some improvement.

The Dodgers will need Greinke to be on top of his game when the regular season begins as Hyun-Jin Ryu’s placement on the disabled list leaves a hole in the rotation. Greinke will be entering his third year with the Dodgers and has the opportunity to opt-out of his contract should he wish to do.

Last year, Greinke went 17-8 with a 2.71 ERA. He was also named to the National League All-Star team and won his first career Gold Glove.

 

in a related story, the team said they were not confident in mattingly...

Mattingly still confident in Uribe
by Vincent Samperio | Dodgers Nation — 30 minutes ago

For 36-year-old Juan Uribe, Spring Training is more of a time to get into shape rather than try to leave an impression to make the roster.

Uribe enjoyed one of his best hitting seasons last year, but is hitting just .225 thus far in spring. While his defense has continued to be strong, some could be concerned with his struggles at the plate. However, Uribe is still expected to be the team’s Opening Day third baseman.

According to Mark Saxon of ESPN LA, manager Don Mattingly is not worried about his veteran infielder:

“We feel confident with where he’s at body-wise. We still watch his BP and his processes and all that,” Mattingly said. “Don’t worry about hits in spring training. I’ve seen guys hit .400 all spring and the season starts, it goes to hell. I’ve also seen guys go through spring training, not get a hit and the season starts, they’re off and running. The at-bats look good. It’s not like he’s swinging and missing, not hitting any balls hard at all. I just feel like he’s getting ready.”​

Uribe is in the final year of his two-year deal with the Dodgers, and it’s likely his last year with the team and possibly his career. He brings much more than on-field production to the team though, as he is one of the veteran leaders and mentor to a handful of young Latino players.

Due to his age, Uribe will likely get more days off this season, giving Justin Turner plenty of at-bats. If Uribe can continue his strong defense, provide the leadership and hit somewhat near his 2014 totals, then the Dodgers will be fine with Uribe at third base.​