Bleacher Report - Articles by Jason Glogau

Wheeling and Dealing: 2009 Trade Deadline Winners and Losers

Jason Glogau — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:49:00 -0400

Every year on July 31st, the internet slows down due to massive hits on sites like MLBTraderumors.com, Twitter, and Bleacher-Report, as the MLB Trade Deadline approaches. 4pm EST has passed, and I will break down this year's trade deadline winners and losers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This article, along with the rest of my articles in 2009, are dedicated to the memory of my good friend and Philadelphia Phan, Craig Anderson, who passed away on Feb. 3, 2009 from complications due to cancer. To donate to a great cause, visit www.cancer.org.

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2009 All-Beer League Softball Team

Jason Glogau — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:59:56 -0400

Across major league baseball, we see players that make us think "how in the name of Ted Williams' Head are these guys professional athletes?" I decided to honor those players that make us wonder. Many of these guys are fan favorites--great guys to root for and tons of fun to watch when they make contact.

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Brett Myers' Injury Opens Door for Phillies Prospects

Jason Glogau — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:49:32 -0400

Already a situation that might prompt Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell to declare a state of emergency, the Phillies suffered a devastating blow today with the news that Brett Myers will likely miss the next three to four months with a hip injury.

Statistically, Myers has been the Phillies' best starting pitcher this season.

Myers’ hip injury will likely require surgery, though the right-hander says he will try to find a way to pitch through it.

Not a surprise considering this is a contract year for Myers.

But the way people in the organization are talking, that sounds like a pipe dream.

So with Myers done for basically the entire season, there’s one question every Phillies fan wants to know: Who takes his place in the rotation?

The options are endless.

According to general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., the team will look internally first.

In an article on Phillies.com, Amaro mentioned the following four names: right-handers Carlos Carrasco, Kyle Kendrick, and Andrew Carpenter, and southpaw Antonio Bastardo.

One name that was notably absent—Chan Ho Park.

It looks as though Park’s days as a starter are done.

Kendrick and Carpenter both have major league experience.

However, it doesn’t appear that Kendrick has worked out the kinks that plagued him in 2008, and despite Carpenter winning his lone start with the big club, it wasn’t the prettiest game and was meant to be a one-time gig.

The other two names are the Phillies' top two pitching prospects (with 2008 draft pick Jason Knapp the likely No. 3).

Carrasco, thought by experts over the past two years to be the Phillies' top overall prospect, may not even be their top pitching prospect anymore.

The 22-year-old Venezuelan has been awful at AAA Lehigh Valley, posting a 5.81 ERA over nine starts with an 0-6 record.

Bastardo, though, has picked up where he left off last season and been nothing short of excellent.

A 23-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, Bastardo was recently promoted to AAA, where he’s 1-0 over two starts with a 2.08 ERA and 12 strikeouts over 13 innings, having walked just three over that same span.

But Amaro's decision on Bastardo and Carpenter may depend on whether or not he sees another deal coming to fruition.

According to Jayson Stark (via Tim Dierkes), the Phillies have asked about every pitcher that could conceivably become available, from the highly unlikely Jake Peavy, Roy Oswalt, Brandon Webb, and Roy Halladay to the more possible Erik Bedard, Cliff Lee, Aaron Harang, Brad Penny, Chris Young, and Jason Marquis.

However, this was going on before the Myers injury, which clearly must be handled first. It’s possible Amaro is looking to replace another member of the rotation.

From that list, there isn’t much attractive.

Peavy has no interest in the East Coast (not to mention Citizens Bank Park), and Oswalt, Webb, and Halladay likely are staying put.

Bedard will cost as much as the big four but with lesser ability and questions about his makeup.

Same goes for Lee without the makeup question.

Young’s best days are likely behind him, and Marquis really has never been anything special.

Penny is the most available and likely won’t be too expensive.

The problem is that he’d likely cost an “untouchable”—Lou Marson, Jason Donald, or Dominic Brown.

The Red Sox have no need for pitching and have been rumored to be shopping some of their younger pitching for another bat.

It will be interesting to see how Amaro handles the rotation over the next few weeks.

We’ll definitely see a young arm coming up from the minors, but how long he stays and who else joins the rotation will be something worth keeping your eye on.

This article, along with the rest of my articles in 2009, are dedicated to the memory of my good friend and Philadelphia Phan, Craig Anderson, who passed away on Feb. 3, 2009 from complications due to cancer. To donate to a great cause, visit www.cancer.org.

MLB's 2009 Blood Transfusion: The Next Wave of Superstars

Jason Glogau — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:38:47 -0400

As teams across Major League Baseball panicked at the thought of a slumping economy, the 2009 MLB season started off crazy before Spring Training had even began.

It started with free agency seeing talented players in their prime like Orlando Hudson and Juan Cruz go unsigned well into February because teams didn’t want to forfeit a first-round draft pick.

It saw proven veterans like Pedro Martinez and Paul Byrd sit without suitors despite teams in desperate need of pitching.

It has seen Raul Ibanez lead the league in home runs and a pitcher from Kansas City record an ERA under 1.00 almost two full months into the season.

But most importantly, it’s seen the next wave of superstars break into the league.

This season nearly two dozen of Project Prospect’s Top 200 prospects have made their major league debut, with about 50 of those 200 seeing time at the major league level.

“Can’t miss” prospects like Matt Wieters (Baltimore), Matt LaPorta (Cleveland), and Fernando Martinez (New York Mets) have debuted as the season as progressed.

Others, like Colby Rasmus (St. Louis) and Rick Porcello (Detroit) cracked the Opening Day rosters of their respective clubs.

Some still turned a cup of coffee in 2008 into at least a part time gig in 2009, including Dexter Fowler (Colorado) and Taylor Teagarden (Texas).

However, the place where the most prospects are popping up is the starting roation.

The Nationals are throwing four rookies in their rotation right now—including top prospect Jordan Zimmerman.

Oakland started the season out with their top two prospects—Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill—in their starting rotation, and have also used Josh Outman there, along with Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey out of the bullpen.

While some of these arms like Porcello, Zimmerman, Anderson and Cahill started out in the rotations, that hasn’t been the case for them all.

Some, like David Price (Tampa Bay) and Brett Cecil (Toronto) had to start out the year in Triple-A.

Others still, like Derek Holland (Texas) got acclimated to the big leagues out of the bullpen before cracking the rotation.

The question as to why this explosion is occurring has a different answer depending on who you talk to.

Many will simply blame it on the economy.

And while I do believe that teams are choosing to go with cheaper, younger talent rather than sign pricey veterans on the downside of their careers (and wisely so), I don’t think that is the whole story.

We are seeing a major movement in baseball right now where there is an abundance of incredible talent.

Talent that is not just physically capable, but also mentally poised to handle playing in the big leagues.

Prepare yourselves baseball fans.

This is only the beginning of a long ride.

They won’t all make it, but the face of baseball is changing.

And right now, that’s just what baseball needs.

Philadelphia Sports and the Media: A Love-Hate Relationship at Its Finest

Jason Glogau — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:29:17 -0400

2008 saw the city of Philadelphia bring home its first major sports championship in 25 years. 100 seasons of disappointment. At times they were close--the 1993 Phillies, the 1996-97 Flyers, the 2000-01 Sixers, the 2004 Eagles--but never could they seal the deal. These struggles have caused Philadelphia's fans--arguably the most passionate and intense in the nation, but definitely one of the top sports cities in the world--to become quite restless. But aside from the boo's at the stadiums, Eagles chants at Phillies games--and eventually Phillies chants at Eagles games--it's been in the media where these frustrations have become the most noticeable. The 2008 World Series Championship helped to ease these frustrations, but Philly fans will always be intense, passionate, and emotional fans. Their highs are high, their lows are low, and these are the people that keep Philadelphia the most well-informed sports city in the world.

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Philadelphia Phillies Key To Success: The Bullpen

Jason Glogau — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 13:32:47 -0500

The 2008 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies—it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Last year’s success was mainly the result of the stellar bullpen. And it will be key to the Phillies' attempt to repeat in 2009.

Here, I’ll take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the bullpen, who Charlie Manuel can count on most, who has the most to prove, and why exactly the bullpen will be so vital to the team’s success.

Strengths

There’s no doubt the Phillies’ strengths in the ‘pen are at the back end. Closer Brad Lidge finished last year a perfect 48-of-48 in save opportunities with a sub-two ERA.

Setup man Ryan Madson was also impressive, posting a 3.05 ERA in 76 regular season games. His post-season was even more dominant, as a slight mechanical tweak had Madson firing the ball in the high 90s.

Then there’s JC Romero, who mostly handled the seventh inning, unless the opposing team’s best lefties were to be due up in the eighth.

In that case, Romero and Madson would swap innings. Romero and his 2.35 ERA vs. lefties was a major key in shutting teams down.

The Romero-Madson-Lidge trio made Manuel pretty comfortable when leading after six innings.

Reasons for Concern

While Romero was a major strength last year, he’s also a concern this year—JC was suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for failing a performance-enhancing drug test. That wonderful Bud Selig fiasco is for another article at another time.

The Phillies will look to Scott Eyre to hold down opposing lefties until June 1, when Romero can return. Eyre pitched very well for the Phillies down the stretch last year, but didn’t pitch in the same type of situations as Romero either.

With two spots open in the bullpen until Romero’s return, one will ideally be filled by a lefty. However, the only options within the organization are Mike Zagurski, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and JA Happ, who has had much more success as a starter.

On the bright side, Romero’s return will be like a mid-season trade—and will give the Phils a strong, fresh arm to pitch down the stretch.

Aside from the Romero situation, the only major concern is whether or not Clay Condrey and Chad Durbin can repeat their breakout performances from 2008.

Durbin’s ability to effectively pitch multiple innings in a game went a long way when Manuel needed to pinch-hit early in a game. Durbin’s 2.87 ERA was his first under 4.00 in a season where he pitched at least 10 innings.

Condrey pitched 69 innings and recorded a 3.26 ERA in his first full MLB season.

High-Pressure Pitchers

One thing about Manuel’s 2008 bullpen was that he could send out any of his relievers at any point in the game. Six relievers recorded a save last season, and five are back this season.

Obviously, the key pitchers for pressure situations are Lidge, Madson, and Romero. Madson and Romero had both proved in recent years that pressure wasn’t an issue.

Lidge however, came into last season as a major risk. Since giving up a crushing home run to Albert Pujols in the 2005 NLCS, Lidge hadn't been the same pitcher. But, last year, Lidge responded with the best season of his career.

The Phillies hope that Durbin, Condrey, and Eyre can continue to fill in for the big three effortlessly. But that would just be a bonus at this point.

A Lot to Prove

There are few in this bullpen with anything to prove—most of that was done last year.

However, the Phillies would like to see that the 2008 performances from Condrey and Durbin were not flukes.

While neither may record the low ERAs they did in 2008, they should both continue to be solid relievers with ERAs under four.

The same goes for Eyre— though if he’s forced to face right-handers, his numbers may be a little inflated.

The player with the most to prove might be Romero. While anyone with a logical brain knows that Romero’s performance was unrelated to his positive test—even chemists and other experts agree—JC is certain to be under the scrutiny of the media and obnoxious fans from unnamed locations.

In a nutshell, there’s not much for anyone to prove—that’s what 2008 was for.

2009 Success

Many experts agree: the team that gets its bullpen together earliest has the most success. Last year was perfect proof of this, as the Phils had their pen together pretty much from Opening Day. Aside from a few small tweaks—like adding Eyre and Rudy Seanez—the bullpen fell right into place.

The biggest key to the Phillies success in 2009 is continued excellence from their bullpen. This will be determined mostly by how they fill Romero’s role through the first third of the season.

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The Young and the Restless: The NHL's New Leaders

Jason Glogau — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:22:12 -0500

It’s been a changing of the guard across the NHL this year, so to speak.

To begin this season, three NHL teams named players under 25 years of age as their new team captains for the 2008-09 season. Another is serving as a member of a “rotating captaincy”, though he has worn the “C” for all but one month thus far.

Add this to a number of other very young captains, along with others filling the role of assistant captain while waiting for their turn to wear the “C," and you have a new look in the leadership of the NHL.

The aforementioned new captains—Dustin Brown (24) of the Kings, Mike Richards (23) of the Flyers, and Jonathan Toews (20) of the Blackhawks—are sure to lead their teams for another 10 years. Rick Nash (24) of the Blue Jackets and Sidney Crosby (21) of the Penguins have both been wearing the “C” for multiple seasons now.

Mikko Koivu (25) of the Wild, is rotating as team captain, and the Canucks named Roberto Luongo (29) as their captain—the first goalie to be a team captain in 61 years.

Then there are the assistant captains who are already the faces of their franchises, but are awaiting the captaincy to become available. These include Ryan Getzlaf (23) of the Ducks, Eric Staal (24) of the Hurricanes, and Alexander Ovechkin (24) of the Capitals.

Anze Kopitar of the Kings is an assistant at just 21-years-old, though with Brown firmly entrenched as captain, Kopitar will quietly lead by example. Dion Phaneuf (23) is in a similar situation in Calgary. In Vancouver, Ryan Kesler (24) also wears the “A,” though takes more of an active leadership role, as NHL rules prohibit Luongo from serving as the official captain during games.

So why the sudden infusion of fresh blood into the leadership ranks?

Some may point to the “new” NHL, which has clearly changed since the lockout. Others may point to the NHL’s push to market its young stars like Crosby and Ovechkin.

In reality, most of these players have been bestowed the highest of honors because they embody what their teams are all about.

Some—like Crosby—are captains merely because of their talent.

But others are simply just captains at heart.

Take a look at Brown. When he steps over the boards, everyone takes notice. He’s got tons of energy and will hit anything that isn’t wearing a Kings jersey. It only takes a few minutes of watching Los Angeles play to realize who undoubtedly leads that team.

The same goes for Richards in Philadelphia. Ask anyone who knows a thing or two about the Flyers, and they’ll tell you “Cappy” bleeds orange-and-black. For a 23-year-old to draw comparisons to Bobby Clarke—Mr. Flyer himself—tells you just how perfectly he fits for that team.

And don’t get me started on Ovechkin. Not only do you know immediately when he’s on the ice, but he’s the truest of superstars. Not only is he arguably the best pure scorer ever to play the game (at the age of 24, no less), but he’s not afraid to throw his weight around either, leading the Capitals in hits.

So while the NHL will always have nothing but reverence for the Joe Sakic’s and Rod Brind’Amour’s of the game, the next wave of elite leaders have taken the NHL by storm, and they’re not afraid to make it known.

Flyers-Kings: Philadelphia Wraps Up West Coast to Take First Place

Jason Glogau — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:50:51 -0500

The Flyers took sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division last night, stealing a point from the Los Angeles Kings.

It was the most well-deserved point the Flyers have earned this year, with nothing against the team’s come-from-behind victory against the Hurricanes earlier this season.

The Flyers faced a feisty, young Kings team, led by their wrecking-ball captain, 24-year-old Dustin Brown. Brown welcomed the banged-up Flyers with hit after bone-crushing hit, tallying a game-high seven hits on the night.

Unfortunately for the Flyers, they were already playing with a much-abbreviated lineup. Already missing centerman Danny Briere before the team began their trip, the Flyers visited the City of Angels, having lost forwards Simon Gagne, Claude Giroux, and Joffrey Lupul due to injury.

Forwards Darroll Powe and Josh Gratton, as well as defenseman Randy Jones, were forced to play through injuries, much to the dismay of Jones, who was greeted by Brown with a destructive center-ice hit.

Gratton didn’t play a shift all game, and defensemen Luca Sbisa and Lasse Kukkonen were turned into forwards for the night, the second straight night for Sbisa. Sbisa spent most of the night playing on the first forward line with Mike Knuble and Mike Richards, while Kukkonen rotated on a checking line, mostly playing with Riley Cote and Powe.

Some fans may wonder why the team didn’t bring in another forward from the Phantoms. That’s because the team was in Los Angeles, while the Phantoms were on the road as well, taking on the Toronto Marlies. There was simply not enough time to fly a player out to Los Angeles.

It is likely the team will call up Andreas Nodl or another forward to meet the team in Washington D.C. to take on the Capitals on Tuesday, before the team returns to Philadelphia.

All those injured bodies required the healthy ones to step up and contribute extra. Richards, Knuble, Jeff Carter, Kimmo Timonen, and Braydon Coburn all logged over 25 minutes. And Scott Hartnell, Ossi Vaananen, and Matt Carle also played over 20 minutes.

Despite playing last night in a physical game against the Ducks, the Flyers, who were still able to raise their arms high enough to pull on an orange-and-black jersey, left it all on the ice. Carter was credited with nine scoring chances, and Richards, Scottie Upshall, and Andrew Alberts were almost constantly banging the opposition into the boards.

The last line of defense, though, was the best.

Throughout the night, the Kings showed they were the fresher team, peppering Antero Nittymaki with 31 shots, some that normally wouldn’t have been allowed to take.

It certainly wasn’t Nitty’s best performance—it’s hard to top his performance against Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals earlier this season—but without the goalie’s excellent game last night, the Flyers would have left the West Coast merely tied for first place in the Atlantic.

Instead, they’re all alone on top of the division.

It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t flashy.

But if it was, it wouldn’t have been Flyers hockey.

Martin Biron Leading Flyers in 2008...and Beyond

Jason Glogau — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:53:20 -0500

After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the Flyers entered the 2008-09 season with high expectations. The team looks to improve upon last season’s sixth-place regular season finish, with the bulk of those hopes resting on the square shoulder pads of Martin Biron.

Biron finished last season as the team’s clear-cut number one goaltender, posting a 30-20-9 record with a 2.59 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. The Lac St. Charles, Quebec native also won the Toyota Cup last season, compiling the most points for being named a star of the game.

But from the start of the 2008-09 season, Biron looked shaky—at best.

Through his first four games of this season, Biron was winless at 0-3-1 as the Flyers limped out of the gate, losing their first six games. It looked as if the Flyers’ season might be over before it really began. Then the team slowly began climbing its way back up the Eastern Conference standings, led largely by improved play in goal from Biron.

The early struggles in goal cannot all be pinned on Biron. The Flyers began the season with three new defensemen—Ossi Vaananen, rookie Luca Sbisa, and Steve Eminger. The Flyers have since replaced Eminger with Matthew Carle and added big, physical Andrew Alberts, lessening the number of high-pressure situations seen by the 18-year-old Sbisa.

The new defensemen have gelled with the returning Flyers blue-liners, forming what is now one of the strongest defensive units in the NHL.

Pairing these defensive improvements with greater play in net has equaled much greater success for the Flyers, as they sit just four points out of first place in the Atlantic Division, holding four games in hand over the New York Rangers.

While Biron has been playing tremendous lately, posting an 8-1-3 record in his last 12 games, with a .255 GAA and a .915 save percentage, fellow netminder Antero Nittymaki has also been playing very well. In fact, Nitty’s save percentage and goals-against are both better than Biron’s.

So who is the Flyers’ goaltender of the future?

Age favors Nittymaki, who is three years younger than Biron. Nittymaki also is still under contract with the Flyers for the 2009-10 season, while Biron will be a free agent after this year.

However, Biron has proven he can be the day-in, day-out goaltender over the course of the season. He has been healthy his whole career and is not prone to long stretches of subpar play. Nittymaki, on the other hand, has had problems with an injured hip—never good for a goaltender—and hasn’t been a consistent starting goaltender in the NHL.

Biron is also 6-1-2 against Atlantic Division foes this season, his lone regulation loss coming in the season opener against the Rangers.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Martin Biron is likely the Philadelphia Flyers' goaltender of the future. But so is Antero Nittymaki. The Flyers will likely make every attempt to bring back Biron for next season and will continue to pair him with Nittymaki.

Having two solid goalies is never a bad thing, and from year to year I think there will be a gradual transition from Biron starting the majority of the games to more of a 50/50 split.

The Flyers have a number of goaltending prospects—Jeremy Duschene, currently playing with the Phantoms, Jakub Kovar of the OHL, and 2008 third round choice Jacob Deserres. All are at least another couple seasons away from the NHL, so don’t be surprised to see both Biron and Nittymaki in orange and black for at least a few more years.