Bleacher Report - Articles by Cody Stoots

Breaking News: Ron Artest Traded to Rockets

Cody Stoots — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:23:45 -0400

The Houston Chronicle is reporting that Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey has traded backup point guard Bobby Jackson, an undisclosed player (perhaps Rockets' first rounder Donte' Green), and next year's first-round draft pick. The Rockets will also send money totaling near one million dollars.

Artest is the second player acquired by the Rockets outside the draft. He will likely share time at the second guard position, as well as small forward. This may possibly set up a move involving Shane Battier, who many teams have inquired about.

For the Houston Astros, Reconstruction Is Long Overdue

Cody Stoots — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:49:40 -0400

The Houston Astros are dreadful this season. After a slow start, followed by a hot streak, the Astros have sputtered in recent weeks. This team went from two games out of first place to almost 13 games out in a matter of days.

The pitching has been horrible, and the offense has been streaky at best. This is not a team built to win now, or even in the future.

The Astros' owner, Drayton McClain, plays by a philosophy that his beloved team must win and compete now. McClain practices this philosophy by adding veteran names to his roster from free agency; a very effective technique, if you have a top-notch farm system.

However, the Astros have the worst farm system in the majors. There is no one on the Round Rock Express that is ready for everyday major-league duty or a spot in the rotation or bullpen. The Astros need a major shake-up.

The Astros own some very impressive talents on their team right now, talents that could garner a ton of interest around the trade deadline. There are three ways the Astros can approach the deadline.

The team can look to acquire a front-line starter and swap a valuable position player, they can trade some of their superstars for prospects and look at the next two years before a window closes, or they can have a “firesale”. Now, let us take a look at the Astros' most tradable commodities.

Roy Oswalt

The name that will surely anger fans, assuming he was mentioned to be on the block, is Roy Oswalt. Roy owns a no-trade clause, but would likely waive it should the right team be brought up.

The list of acceptable teams is small, likely only including the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Cardinals, Padres, Angels, and Braves. Roy really wants a shot at the postseason this late in his career, and all these teams, sans Padres, are ready to strike.

The Cardinals should be out of the question. The Astros do not want to face Roy more than once or twice a year. The Padres could bring a pretty penny, and Roy would be on the same team with good friend Jake Peavy. Realistically, Roy could fetch two high-level prospects as well as one medium to low-level prospect.

Roy has seen better days, and decline is in his future. He will never be the same Oswalt who won 20 games in consecutive seasons. Trading him for three prospects or more is a smart move.

Lance Berkman

The current face of the Houston Astros is Lance Berkman. He is a native Texan, has a local collegiate affiliation, and is a clubhouse leader. Berkman also has a full no-trade clause that he would have to waive to be dealt. Berkman loves being in Houston, but if the team approached him about waiving his clause, you could expect a sour attitude from the superstar. He is one of the best hitters in the NL and brings a lot of intangibles off the field.

Teams looking to acquire Berkman should pony up the prospects. He is very underrated in terms of defensive skills, and he swings a very mean stick. A destination like New York doesn’t seem to fit Berkman, but the Rangers, White Sox, Twins, Mariners, and Athletics should ask about the Big Puma.

The Astros should only make this deal for a king’s ransom. The starting bid should be three major-league-ready prospects, as well as two, future major leaguers. Five players for one is not a common occurrence in the MLB, but it has happened before. The Astros would have to be absolutely positive they are getting can’t-miss prospects before they even think about moving Berkman.

Carlos Lee

Carlos Lee loves playing in Houston. That is something that needs to be cleared up right now. He likes the city and has a full no-trade clause. It would take a lot of convincing to get “El Caballo” to accept a new address.

Lee is a great power hitter with a ton of RBI potential. He also keeps his strikeouts low, never totaling more than 100 in a season. He is a consistent source of offense, and he has shown that in his career. Since 2003, he has averaged 32 homeruns and 112 RBI a season. He would be a welcomed addition to any team.

The downside to a Lee trade is finding a suitor. He has a gigantic contract, and though his offense is exceptional, his defense is well below average. The Astros would more than likely have to eat a part of the contract and throw in another player for three prospects, which would not be a terrible deal.

The line of suitors for Carlos is short. The Mets, White Sox, Mariners, Dodgers, and Braves could all look to Caballo to provide a jolt of offense. Lee could bring three to four prospects in a trade, and would not be a terrible move, considering the salary flexibility the Astros would gain by moving him.

Miguel Tejada

The Astros have always had an offensive hole at SS. Miguel brings above-average defense, an above-average bat, and immeasurable amounts of energy to a team. He is a clubhouse saint, and he infects everyone with his energy; however, he is an aging veteran.

Tejada could fetch a pretty penny to a team in need of a jolt in July, but his contract, and impending free agency, will scare some teams away. Moving Tejada would be a mistake. At most he would fetch two prospects, but he is the perfect stopgap if the Astros were to acquire a good SS prospect through another deal.

Kaz Matsui

Kaz is having a good year and could fetch a prospect or two from a team in need of middle-infield help. The problems facing Kaz being part of deal to another team are his proneness to be injured and his big contract. Kaz is playing well this year and would come in handy in a playoff race.

The fact that he is one of GM Ed Wade’s boys should keep him in Houston. A team like the Mariners, Dodgers, Athletics, and Indians wouldn’t mind parting with a mid-level prospect to boost their playoff hopes.

Jose Valverde

Valverde is slowly becoming a premier closer in MLB. That said, with the current infatuation with the closer role, a premier player emerging like Valverde could fetch a pretty penny in the trade market. The Astros, however, have not had a great history in trading closers, but the team always develops guys for that role well.

If a team becomes infatuated with him and offers three players, send him on his way. He is do for a big payday, and he could be worth it if he continues to do well. The Astros cannot pass up an opportunity to help their struggling farm system.

The bottom line is that the Astros need to replenish the farm system. The team they have put together now is not built to win over time. They lack sufficient pitching depth, timely bullpen pitching, and consistent hitting.

General Manager Ed Wade did an amazing job of putting together what looked like a contender, however, the team has fizzled and the weak pitching-legs it was standing on have long since collapsed.

The most likely of these players to be traded is Carlos Lee. Ed Wade needs to rid himself of that horrendous contract to give himself some maneuverability next season for a premier pitcher.

Roy Oswalt could be moved if his downward trend continues. If the Astros are put in a position to get some premiere talent at the deadline, they should not pass it up. MLB, you are on notice. Let the “firesale” begin.

The Most Unbreakable Records in Baseball

Cody Stoots — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:24:23 -0400

As sports fans we love to keep track of numbers and especially records.

61, 4,256, and 755 are all iconic numbers in baseball.

Many of the greats post amazing numbers over the course of their career. Some of those long-standing numbers have since been surpassed but there are a few that will not be rewritten anytime soon.

There are five records that are standing right now that will not be broken.

Career Stolen Bases, career strikeouts for a pitcher, career wins, career hits, and the fifty-six game hit streak. These records, for one reason or another, will not be touched, or even come close to being touched.

Career Wins

The most unbreakable record is by far the mark for career wins by a pitcher. The leader is Cy Young with 511 wins in his career. The player closest to him is Walter Johnson 417 wins. Young pitched more 1400 innings more that Johnson.

The closest non-retired player is Roger Clemens with 354 wins.

After Clemens is Greg Maddux with 347.

Looking at the way baseball is played today with the bullpen and emphasis on the closer role there is no way a player gets close to the record. A twenty-year-old player would need to average 25 wins a year for 20 years and then would still be short. Cy Young would pitch doubleheader complete games on some days.

No player will ever smell 400 wins with the bullpen and closer prominence of today’s game.

Career Strikeouts for a Pitcher

The second most unbreakable record is the career strikeout mark. The holder of the illustrious record is none other than fireball pitcher Nolan Ryan.

The pitcher behind Ryan is Roger Clemens, who is more than one thousand strikeouts behind.

Once again Ryan has set a mark that is not going to be eclipsed by modern day pitchers. Pitchers throw far fewer innings these days and few pitchers are considered strikeout pitchers. Hitters strikeout less and more and more “easy out” players are becoming slap hitters who strikeout less and less.

Career Hits

Moving onto the hitters lets talk about Pete Rose and his record that will most certainly be challenged but never beaten.

Rose played 3500 games and holds a career batting average of .303.

The closest recently active player is Craig Biggio with 3060 hits. 1200 hits short of Rose in 700 fewer games.

The point is that in these modern days with the amount of young competition behind veterans and players playing fewer games in their career will not get anywhere close to Rose’s mark.

Once again the prototype of a twenty-year-old player playing 20 years and averaging 200 hits a year would still land the player short of Rose’s historic mark. Rose, one of the best hitters ever holds one of the most unbreakable records ever.

Rose may not have the Hall of Fame, but he will always have this record.

Career Stolen Bases

Another record that could possibly be challenged, but is highly unlikely, is career stolen bases.

Rickey Henderson would be happy to say that Rickey Henderson made this list.

Well not really Henderson, but his most outstanding accomplishment over his many seasons and teams.

Henderson owns the mark by 500 swipes, his total being 1406. Teams today do not place high regard on the stolen base, as they prefer to get a hitter on base and let a slugger bring him around.

I am not sure if Henderson always stole at a manager’s request but one season Henderson stole 130 bases.

The steal is slowly making its way back into baseball, but there are few players who play everyday with the speed, durability, and skill to steal the amount of bases Henderson swiped.

With the resurgence of the stolen base a player could maybe approach the 800 stolen base mark, but no player will eclipse the 1000 mark.

Hitting Streak

The record on this list that seems the most capable of breaking is that of Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak.

Although it seems improbable, his is the only record on the list that would not require extreme durability over an entire career.

The record only requires durability over the course of one season, or even just half a season. A player could perhaps hit just the right streak of not facing any of the opposing team’s aces and a player could get lucky.

56 games is a tall order, but a player on just the right hot streak could drop in a few Texas leaguers, a dinger, and a seeing eye single over a summer.

The common denominator of all these records is durability.

Rather it be over the course of a season or the course of a career, durability is necessary to set these great records. The typical MLB player does not have the twenty-year career that is currently necessary to set amazing records like these.

These five records will stand for a very long time.

MLB 2008: Player Awards and Predictions

Cody Stoots — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 14:46:55 -0400

The Predictions for the Player Awards of 2008. I made up a few of my own.

AL MVP

Alex Rodriguez-Arguably his team did not improve a lot in the off-season. The most important piece in the New York Yankees bid for the playoffs.

NL MVP

Chase Utley-The biggest stretch on any of the predictions here. Jimmy and Ryan already have one so why shouldn’t Chase grab him one.

AL Cy Young

Erik Bedard-It really is a toss up between him and King Felix but he will tear apart the weaker teams in the AL West. The Mariners are much better than the Orioles as well.

NL Cy Young

Dan Haren-The other major pitcher to switch leagues move to a much better team. Dan Haren will benefit from seeing less aces due to Brandon Webb owing the D-Backs ace designation.

AL Rookie of the Year

Clay Bucholz-One of the best teams hitting wise will help a ton. The Sox are high on these guys and that is the reason he is not a Twin right now.

NL Rookie of the Year

Kosuke Fukudome-He will follow in the steps of Ichiro and win the award even though he has plenty of experience. Hits in a great Cubs lineup.

Walk Year Superstar

Mark Teixeira-It was between him and C.C. Sabathia but I think C.C. gets an extension. Mark will mash the ball in route to a huge contract to play for the Yankees.

Feel Good Story

Josh Hamilton-With the everyday job locked down in Texas, Hamilton is given the opportunity to flourish. This guy has skills that are phenomenal when he is on the field and concentrated on baseball.

Most Likely to be Traded at the Deadline

Adam Dunn-The Reds have superstars waiting in the outfield(Jay Bruce) and at first base(Joey Votto). The young players will allow them to move Dunn to in a playoff race for a half-season rental.

He is Still Playing Award

Ken Griffey Jr.-Let us all be honest. If Ken had stayed healthy for the five years he was hurt, we would be talking about watching the greatest ever. Griffey will fly under the radar and surprise people with what he still has in the tank.

Who is That? Award

Corey Hart-Few people outside of fantasy baseball realize the potential this guy has. He is big, fast, powerful, and will beat a lot of teams this year if pitchers are not careful.

He Finally Showed Up

Rickie Weeks-This guy has astronomical talent and will finally showcase it this season. Speed and power production from this guy will haunt the NL Central all year.

Biggest Waste of Off-Season Money

Kaz Matsui-Kaz has to replace Craig Biggio at second. Craig Biggio was hurt on the DL once in his career. Kaz is already on the DL with the worst sounding injury in a while, the dreaded anal fissure.

Star Who Will Get Hurt

Tie-Albert Pujols and Johan Santana-Everyone knows Albert is not healthy. He is playing through the pain because lets face it, the Cardinals aren’t scary without him. Johan will decimate hitters till all the innings that he has hurled catch up to him.

Team Who No One Talks About

Atlanta Braves-They are flying under the radar with the Phillie-Met war going on. This team is always there and the combination of youth and experience should work nicely.

Comeback Player of the Year

Mike Hampton-Mike Hampton when he is healthy is a devastating left hander. He hasn’t been healthy in forever but a strong arm all season could win this award for him. A prediction of 12-15 wins is not out of the question if Mike is healthy.

Trouble Maker of the Year

Milton Bradley-I think he will try to take advantage of the manager. He has a childish name to accompany his childish demeanor.

Michael Bourn Identity Key to Astros' Supremacy

Cody Stoots — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:20:11 -0400

I will say it right here and now. Michael Bourn will be the most important key to the Astros' offense.

Not Lance Berkman, not Carlos Lee, not Miguel Tejada, and not Hunter Pence.

The offensive efficiency of the Astros rides on Bourn. How well he does will also determine the attitude of fans toward General Manager Ed Wade.

Effective leadoff hitters can make a gigantic difference in the way a team is approached by a pitcher. Bourn is a leadoff hitter that has the potential to make a lot of pitchers uncomfortable on the mound.

He has the ability to put the pitcher in the stretch and force him to think about him turning that walk or single into a double with his great speed. Bourn has the speed and skills that allow him to move from first to third on a single and score from first on doubles.

History shows an aggressive but improving player in Michael Bourn. His batting average, slugging, and on-base percentage all increased from Double A to Triple A.

Bourn will need to be selective and walk a little, but his strikeouts have decreased from year to year, showing a more selective and effective hitter.

His big league experience was rocky. Usually he wasn’t really allowed to get into a good groove for the Phillies.

Bourn is a young player who is developing well. I think a full season of at-bats will tell a great story for the Houston native. He will improve on the .277 batting average as well as the .346 on-base percentage.

He will hit over .300 and hover a tad over .450 for the season. Assuming he stays injury free, he could become one of the better lead-off players in the game.

If Michael Bourn goes down, the Astros are in big trouble. There is not a bona fide lead-off hitter on the roster if he does. Only Jose Cruz, Jr. could leadoff if Bourn faltered or goes down.

He also plays great defense. He will save the Astros a ton of runs if the outfield has a good enough arm to keep runners from taking advantage of him.

His speed is a tremendous asset in the field and he is more than willing to risk his body for a spectacular catch.

A healthy Bourn will be the key to the Astros getting things going early and never looking back. Ed Wade is most certainly taking a gamble, but the chance that Bourn will succeed is higher than his chance of failure.

An important aspect of his season will have to do with how much attention he is given. Jose Valverde and Tejada grabbed most of the offseason headlines. As long as the spotlight stays away from him Bourn will be fine.

The Michael Bourn experiment is definitely here to stay.