BASEBALL DRAFT TO BE TELEVISED ON MLB NETWORK

Next month’s annual First-Year Player Draft will be broadcast live on the MLB Network, according to Major League Baseball. The draft begins at 6PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, June 9, and the first day will be held at MLB Network’s faux-ballpark studio named after Jackie Robinson in Secaucus, New Jersey. This year, the draft is being expanded from two to three days, with the final two days to be held via conference call at MLB headquarters in New York.

After MLB Network broadcasts the first round of the draft live, the MLB.com website will air a live video stream from Studio 42 for the rest of Day One’s selections, starting with the first compensation round (which begins with the 33rd pick). MLB.com will provide comprehensive coverage of the final two days online.

It is widely expected that the Washington Nationals will take San Diego State junior pitcher Stephen Strasburg with the first overall selection.

SPRINGTIME = SWINGTIME: LEAGUES OPENING ’09 SEASON

Springtime has arrived, which means several baseball leagues around the world are opening their 2009 regular seasons, including Major League Baseball.

The World Champion Philadelphia Phillies will host the Atlanta Braves Sunday in the first game of the season, an honor that used to go to Cincinnati (home of baseball’s first fully professional team). All other MLB teams will begin playing for real Monday.

The regular season has already begun in other countries. In Taiwan, the President Lions topped the Brother Elephants, 5-1, in the Chinese Professional Baseball League’s lidlifter last Saturday in front of a sellout crowd of 10,000 in Taipei Municipal Stadium.

The Mexican League is a week into their schedule with the Mexico City Diablos Rojos and Reynosa Broncos tied for the Northern Zone lead at 6-1, while the Quintana Roo Tigres and Yucatan Leones lead the LMB South with 5-2 records.

In Europe, the Spanish League is three weekends into their season, and the defending champion Puerto Cruz Marlins are unbeaten at 6-0 after sweeping Pamplona last Saturday.

MLB UMPS TO GET A LITTLE “HELP” ON CALLS

This season, a new video system will be used in all 30 Major League Baseball parks to monitor umpires’ pitch calls. According to the New York Times, a new system called Zone Evaluation will be used to record a pitch’s position in flight from a pitcher’s hand to a catcher’s mitt 20 times, while also recording the umpire’s call of the pitch. Zone Evaluation will replace the QuesTec system, which had been used since 2001 in about one-third of MLB ballparks.


Baseball’s vice president for umpiring, Mike Port, told The Times, “It’s an upgrade from where we were. The umpires don’t want to miss a pitch any more than a batter wants to strike out.” Port added that the World Umpires Association union has approved the change.

TIGERS CUT GARY SHEFFIELD

When Gary Sheffield whacks the 500th home run of his major league career, it won’t be as a Detroit Tiger. The Detroit Tigers cut the 40-year-old outfielder last week, even though they’ll owe him a guaranteed $14 million salary for this season. The well-traveled Sheffield, who has been on an opening day roster every MLB season since 1989, signed a deal Friday with the New York Mets.


Sheffield struggled to a .225 batting average in 2008 with 19 homers and 57 RBIs. Lifetime, the Florida native is a .292 hitter with 499 homers, 251 stolen bases and 1,633 RBIs.

PARK MAKES PHILLIES STARTING ROTATION

When Chan-Ho Park signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason, it was because the world champions promised him a fair shot for a berth in their starting rotation. After a solid spring for the Phillies, the team proved as good as their word by penciling in Park as their fifth starter.

Park was 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA in 21.1 innings this spring. While he was a solid starter between 1994 and 2001, going 78-51 with a 3.74 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he has struggled since then, even spending most of 2007 in the minor leagues. Park was 4-4 with a 3.40 ERA out of the bullpen for the Dodgers in 2008 prior to signing with Philadelphia in January.

MLB TO HOLD SEVEN TRYOUTS FOR EUROPEAN ACADEMY SLOTS

Major League Baseball continues its drive to make inroads in Europe this spring with a series of seven tryout camps across the continent. Players from Sweden to Italy will be auditioning for a chance to attend the 2009 MLB European Academy at the Italian Olympic Training Center in Tirrenia from August 11-29. The first tryout camp will be held April 26 in Stockholm, Sweden, followed by a one-day trial in Rouen, France on April 29 and another in Tirrenia, Italy on April 30. In May, tryout camps will take place in Barcelona, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; Amsterdam, Holland; and Bad Homburg, Germany.


The various tryout camps will be run by staff members of MLB Europe as well as members of the Major League’s Central Scouting Bureau, although there will be no scouts on hand in Stockholm. In past years, the European Academy has resulted in 28 players signing contracts with MLB organizations. The tryouts will be held for players ranging in age from 15 to 18 who have been nominated by their respective national baseball federations.

HALL OF FAMER GEORGE KELL DEAD AT 86

Hall of Fame third baseman George Kell has passed away at the age of 86.


Kell broke into the major leagues with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1943, and went on to spend 15 seasons with the A’s, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles. One of just eleven third sackers enshrined in Cooperstown, Kell was a 10-time All-Star who batted .306 for his career, barely nipping Boston’s Ted Williams for the American League batting title with a .343 average with the Tigers in 1949. Kell posted nine seasons with a .300 or better batting average before retiring at age 35 in 1957.

Kell then spent nearly 40 years as a broadcaster, mostly with Ernie Harwell doing Tigers games, before retiring from the booth in 1996. Kell was voted into the Hall in 1983.

A-ROD SIDELINED FOLLOWING HIP SURGERY

It’s not even April yet, but Alex Rodriguez might be forgiven if he is already looking longingly at the end of the 2009 season. On the heels of the firestorm of controversy over his admission of using performance-enhancing drugs, the New York Yankees third baseman underwent surgery on his right hip Monday that kept him out of the World Baseball Classic and out of the Yankees’ lineup until at least mid-April.


Colorado surgeon Dr. Marc Philippon said about Rodriguez’ surgery, “There were no surprises. It was exactly what we prepared for.” Philippon repaired a torn labrum in A-Rod’s right hip while working on cartilage from a paralabral cyst. Rodriguez will eventually have another procedure performed, likely in November.

Rodriguez is in the second year of a ten-year, $275 million contract with the Yankees.

NATIONALS’ “MYSTERY PROSPECT” STUCK IN VISA HANGUP

Another player who has endured a long offseason is Washington Nationals prospect Carlos Alvarado Daniel Lugo, or “The Player Formerly Known as Esmailyn Gonzalez.” It was discovered before spring training that the 19-year-old Gonzalez, who hit .343 for the Nats’ rookie level team in the Gulf Coast League last year, is really the 23-year-old Lugo, who received a $1.4 million signing bonus from the Nats in 2006.


Now, Lugo is embroiled with work visa issues in his native Dominican Republic which are keeping him out of the Nationals’ Florida training camp. Lugo’s agent, Stanley King, says “it’s an immigration issue at this point.” Washington manager Manny Acta says, “Regardless of his age, if he can really play, he’ll be able to make it to the major leagues. He has to get on the field, play and compete at whatever level they have him play in.”

ATTENDANCE UP IN SPRING GAMES

America’s national recession apparently hasn’t touched America’s national pastime, at least not in spring training. Attendance at exhibition games in Florida and Arizona was up two percent through 154 contests as of last week, not including games with World Baseball Classic national teams which have drawn well.


Grapefruit and Cactus League games were averaging 5,659 fans per opening through last weekend, an increase over the 5,548 turnstile clicks per contest in 2008. The New York Yankees drew 10,685 for their first four home games in Tampa, tops in the majors, followed by the 9,866 average for the Chicago Cubs after eight games in Arizona.

The Cubs are the top draw away from home, averaging 7,879 fans on the road. The top road draw in the Grapefruit League is Tampa Bay, with 7,749 turning out in Florida parks.

KUO MAKES SPRING DEBUT IN “B” GAME FOR DODGERS

The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to bulk up their bullpen this spring, making Kuo Hong-chih’s first mound appearance in a “B” squad game against the Chicago White Sox more important than usual. The 27-year-old native of Tainan, Taiwan hurled a scoreless inning against the ChiSox last Monday, and said he felt fine. The lefty has had elbow problems the past few years, usually the day after he pitches. Dodgers manager Joe Torre said Kuo’s curveball needs work, but that he was spotting his fastball effectively.


Kuo pitched 80 innings for the Dodgers last year, posting a 2.14 ERA out of the bullpen, but missed the National League Championship Series. He pitched for Taiwan in the 2002 Asian Games, but has since undergone four elbow surgeries.

VALENTINE LIKELY DONE WITH MARINES AFTER NEXT SEASON

Former major league player and manager Bobby Valentine may be out as skipper of Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines after his four-year contract expires following the 2009 season. Valentine told the Associated Press last week that the Marines have decided not to offer him a contract extension, saying “they just wanted to go in a different direction.”
Valentine led the Marines to a Japan Series championship in 2005, but the team finished fourth in the Pacific League standings in 2008 and did not make the playoffs. Valentine managed the New York Mets to a National League pennant in 2000 before losing the World Series to the rival New York Yankees in five games that fall. He managed the Texas Rangers from 1985 to 1992 before running the Mets between 1996 and 2002, winning 1,117 major league games against 1,072 losses.
As a player, Valentine made his major league debut in 1969 as a 19-year-old infielder with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After a final season in the minors in 1970 (when he was the Pacific Coast League’s Most Valuable Player with the Spokane Indians), Valentine spent nine seasons in the majors, batting .260 with 12 homers and 157 RBI for five teams before retiring in 1979.

MLB TO HOST SPRING GAMES WITH EURO NATIONAL SIDES

Major League Baseball teams will play three games apiece against two national teams from Europe during spring training in Florida next March. The Italian National Team is scheduled to play the Washington Nationals, Florida Marlins and New York Mets; while the Dutch National Team is slated to face the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins after playing a contest against the University of South Florida.
The two three-game sets with big league teams are scheduled to take place between March 3 and 5 as both the Italian and Dutch teams prepare for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. While they are considered the two strongest baseball countries in Europe, neither is expected to contend for the WBC title.

YANKS SIGN WANG TO ONE-YEAR DEAL

The New York Yankees will have new players and a new ballpark in 2009, but the team will welcome Taiwanese pitcher Wang Chien-Ming back into the fold next season. The Yanks have signed the 28-year-old Wang to a one-year contract for $5 million, avoiding salary arbitration for the right-hander.
Wang was 8-2 with a 4.07 ERA in 15 starts for New York in 2008 before his season ended June 17 with injuries to his right foot. He began the year with six consecutive wins after starting the Yankees’ final opener in Yankee Stadium April 1 with a 3-2 win over Toronto. He was 5-0 in April, earning his 50th career win on April 22.
Signed by the Yanks as a non-drafted free agent in 2000, Wang won 19 games in both 2006 and 2007, and his .754 winning percentage since 2006 is second only to Boston’s Jon Lester among major league pitchers during that period. Wang has won more MLB games than any other Taiwanese-born pitcher, and ranks third all-time in wins by Asian-born hurlers, trailing only the 123 victories by Japan’s Hideo Nomo and 117 by Korean Park Chan-ho.
The Yankees have signed first baseman Mark Teixeira and pitchers C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett as free agents, and will move into their new billion-dollar stadium next season.

MLB CUTS TIES WITH HAWAIIAN WINTER LEAGUE

Major League Baseball and Hawaii Winter Baseball have severed their ties for a second time, this time after three MLB-affiliated seasons of winterball in the Aloha State. HWB fielded four teams in 2008, with the Waikiki BeachBoys winning the pennant by defeating the Oahu CaneFires, 5-1, in the title game last month. San Francisco’s first round draft pick, catcher Buster Posey, whacked a three-run homer for Waikiki that afternoon.

MLB is expected to create a similar four-team league in Arizona, where expenses would be much lower than in Hawaii. Like HWB, a new league in Arizona would feature players with less professional experience than those in the Arizona Fall League, which just concluded its 17th season. Both leagues would use the same training camp complexes.

Winterball has had two runs in Hawaii, the first spanning from 1993 through 1997 with young players from Japanese and Korean teams as well as MLB organizations, including future stars Ichiro Suzuki, Jason Giambi, Todd Helton and Mark Kotsay.

ROYALS SIGN MEXICAN RELIEVER TO MINOR LEAGUE CONTRACT

Hoping to repeat the great success they’ve had with the signing of Mexican closer Joakim Soria to a contract two years ago, the Kansas City Royals have inked another reliever from south of the border. Federico Castaneda was a classmate of Soria’s at the Mexican baseball academy near Monterrey, and (like Soria) is a 24-year-old with a good fastball and slider who has shown well in the Mexican Pacific League prior to signing with Kansas City.
A native of Torreon, Castaneda pitched last summer with the Mexican League’s Laguna Vaqueros, going 4-1 with a 4.28 ERA in 58 appearances out of the bullpen. Pitching for the Culiacan Tomateros in the MexPac this winter, the 6’3” righty middleman has a 1.19 ERA in 19 relief stints with 16 strikeouts in 22 innings. He has not been involved in any decisions.
Castaneda is expected to open the 2009 season with Northwest Arkansas in the Class AA Texas League after signing a minor league contract with the Royals, but may be invited to Kansas City’s major league training camp in February as a non-roster pitcher.

GREG MADDUX CALLS IT A CAREER, RETIRES WITH 355 WINS

Future Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux announced his retirement late last week, ending a career in which he won 355 games, struck out 3,371 batters and had an ERA of 3.16. Maddux was a 20-game winner for the Chicago Cubs in 1992 and the Atlanta Braves in 1993, and was an eight-time All-Star. He spent his entire 23-year major league career in the National League, and recently earned his record 18th Gold Glove.
Maddux split the 2008 season between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers, going 8-11 with a 4.22 ERA. He made three relief appearances for the Dodgers in the playoffs, tossing four shutout innings.

RAYS OPEN BASEBALL ACADEMY IN BRAZIL

The American League champion Tampa Bay Rays announced last week that they have entered into an agreement with the city of Marilia, Brazil to construct and open that country’s first baseball academy operated by a major league organization. The complex is expected to be built in 2009, with the cost borne by both local and Brazilian government funding. It will include two full playing fields, two diamonds for youth teams and a dormitory for up to 40 players. The academy will be overseen by Adrian de Souza, who was hired earlier this year by Tampa Bay to scout for Brazilian prospects. There are currently twelve minor leaguers from Brazil, but no player from the soccer-mad country has ever made it to the majors.

In addition to searching for baseball talent in a nation with a population of over 200 million people, the Rays will also introduce the game to groups between 7 and 14 years of age in the Marilia area. Marilia is a city of about 225,000 residents northeast of Brazil’s capital of Sao Paolo. Rays president Andrew Friedman says the team’s special assistant of baseball operations Andres Reiner has worked for years on the Brazilian project, which Friedman acknowledges is “obviously a long-term initiative” that is not “going to pay dividends in a year from now, necessarily.”

The Rays also operate baseball academies in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

TAZAWA AGREES TO DEAL WITH RED SOX

Japanese amateur pitcher Junichi Tazawa has agreed to a three-year, $3 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, according to the Boston Globe. Last week, the 22-year-old right-hander flew from Narita to Boston, where he was expected to take a physical exam prior to signing a contract with the Red Sox.Tazawa pitched the Nippon Oil team to Japan’s industrial baseball championship last spring, then shocked the Japanese baseball establishment by opting out of that country’s amateur draft to pursue a professional career in the USA. The Globe quoted a “baseball source” as saying Tazawa’s contract with Boston will be a major league deal, and that he would not be eligible for free agency until he completes six years of service. One Red Sox source told the Boston paper that Tazawa was expected to begin his career in the States as a minor leaguer because he needs additional experience.Besides the Red Sox, Tazawa received contract offers from the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves.

PHILS BEAT RAYS THREE STRAIGHT TO WIN WORLD SERIES

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win the 2008 World Series last week at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. In winning the World Series 4 games to 1, the Phils copped only the second Major League Baseball championship in a long team history dating back to the 19th century.

The Phillies and Rays were tied at one game apiece heading into Game Three last Saturday. In what turned out to be a rain-delayed marathon that lasted until 1:47 in the morning, the Phils bested Tampa Bay, 5-4, by plating the winning run in a bizarre ninth inning. With the game knotted up at 4-4, Tampa Bay's J.P. Howell hit Phils leadoff batter Eric Bruntlett with a pitch, and was immediately replaced by Grant Balfour on the mound to face Shane Victorino.

As Victorino squared off for a bunt to advance Bruntlett into scoring position, but instead, Balfour uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Bruntlett to advance to second. Rays catcher Dioner Navarro then threw the ball to second in an attempt to get Bruntlett sliding into the base, but Navarro's throw sailed past second into center field, upon which Bruntlett popped back on his feet and scurried safely into third base.

Balfour went on to intentionally walk both Victorino and pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs to fill the bases with nobody out. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon then brought Ben Zobrist in from right field to set up behind second place, giving the Rays five infielders with just two outfielders and Carlos Ruiz stepping up to the plate for Philadelphia.

Ruiz topped a dribbler on a 2-2 pitch to Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, who bobbled the ball and could not make a play as Bruntlett crossed home plate with the winning run. One bright spot for Tampa Bay was center fielder B.J. Upton, who stole three bases in the game to tie a World Series single-game record.

After Saturday's tight ballgame, Sunday's Game Four was a good old-fashioned slugfest in which the Phillies did most of the slugging as Philadelphia beat Tampa Bay by a 10-2 count. Ryan Howard crushed two of the Phillies' four homers while Joe Blanton became the 13th pitcher in World Series history to hit a longball, the first since Oakland's Ken Holtzman hit one against the Cincinnati Reds in 1974. Jayson Werth also homered for the Phils.

The Phils got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first when Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine walked Pat Burrell with the bases loaded to bring Jimmy Rollins in from third, and the home side never looked back. Carl Crawford and Eric Hinske each hit solo homers to account for Tampa Bay's scoring in the game.

The World Series finally came to a close Wednesday night when the Phillies vanquished the Rays, 4-3, in a game that began Monday night and went through two postponements because of rain. Game Five was tied at 3-3 when the Rays' Rocco Baldelli homered in the seventh innings, but the Phillies went ahead for good in the bottom of the seventh when Pedro Feliz' single up the middle drove in Bruntlett from third. It was left to Brad Lidge to record his 48th save since opening day for the Phils to put both the Rays and the Series away. Lidge did not blow a single save opportunity throughout the 2008 season.