Holes In The Hall; Why Aren't Jim Kaat and Tommy John In The Hall Of Fame?

Admittedly, for most of this morning, I had no idea as to what I would write about today. The disappointment of my Yankees getting swept at Fenway and virtually ending any hopes at the postseason weighed on me and I couldn't come up with any topics that I felt compelled to write on. So, in need of some inspiration, I began playing my all-time favorite game, Strat-O-Matic baseball. For those of you unfamiliar with the game, it is a card and dice baseball simulation in which the players' cards are supposed to reflect on that particular player's real life performance.The game has been around since the early '60s, and I still have no idea why it took me until my freshman year of college to find it. The game is a great two person game, and I will recommend it strongly to any baseball fan. However, there is another aspect to it that I love just as much. There is a computer version that allows you to do season replays with boxscores and stats that the computer keeps and updates after every at bat. I am in the process of replaying the 1927, 1964, 1977, 1998, and 2012 seasons currently. But my inspiration for today's post came from the 1977 replay.

In an early May Dodgers-Mets game I played this morning, Los Angeles sent the 3-1 Tommy John to the hill to face John Matlack, who was 1-1. The Mets scored a run in the 5th frame, and again in the 9th, but in between the Dodgers scored 3 runs to take a 3-2 victory. More importantly for this story, Tommy John went the distance, allowing just 3 hits. This would be right on par for John, who, in real life went 20-7 in 1977. That is one of the other cool things about this game; It allows you to see just how good players (who you may have actually never seen) were. One of the next games I played took place at old Jack Murphy Stadium, as the Phillies took on the Padres. I saw that Jim Kaat was on the mound. In the real 1977, Kaat finished the year 6-11 with an ERA over 5. On this particular" Strat-O-Day" (in Kendrick-speak, any day where I play more than 5 baseball games), Kaat surrendered a first inning home run to Merv Rettermund, but a 6 run second inning for the Phillies gave him all the cushion he needed. A master of "pitching to the scoreboard", Kaat went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs, and picked up the win for Philadelphia.

Now, without looking up the stats, I know a few things about Kaat. I know he played for a long time. I know he won somewhere in the neighborhood of 280 games (I checked it a little while later...Kaat won 283 games in his career). I know Kaat won 16 Gold Gloves, and is widely regarded (along with Greg Maddux and possibly Mike Mussina) as being one of the best defensive pitchers of all-time. And lastly, I know that Jim Kaat is NOT in the Hall of Fame.

So, having played Strat baseball games that involved both Kaat and John, I thought "those are two really solid pitchers who aren't in the Hall of Fame. Why?" And there ya have it! That's how we got to today's topic. I also considered adding Jack Morris to the list (1991 World Series Game 7 anybody?) but for the time being, we'll just assume the 3.90 career ERA has swayed the voters negatively. Now, without further ado, let's look at the careers and Hall of Fame cases for John and Kaat.

TOMMY JOHN              

"When they operated on my arm, I asked them to put in a Koufax fastball. They did, but it turned out to be Mrs. Koufax."

A 26-year career that spanned from 1963 to 1989 is incredible and remarkable enough, but today Tommy John is known more for the surgery that now bears his name. It's unfortuante, if you ask me, that his career is barely remembered. In fact, I remember talking to someone about his career over the summer, and when I mentioned John's name they said "Isn't that the guy the surgery is named after?" But in his career, John was a 3 time 20-game winner and 4 time All-Star. Interestingly enough, he never won 20 games before the surgery and only had 1 All-Star appearance before it.

John's career began in 1963, when he spent the end of that season, and part of the next in Cleveland. He posted a record of just 2-11, but the 3.61 ERA that accompanied it suggests he was a victim of poor run support. It is a little telling when only 1 player has more than 20 home runs and only 2 players drive in 75+ runs. The Tribe's best pitcher that year, Sam McDowell, sported a 2.70 ERA but only won 11 games. Unfortunately for John, the run support only got worse when he was traded to the White Sox before the 1965 season. The Sox were notorious for awful offense, not just at the time, but seemingly throughout their history. In 1906 when they won the World Series, they were known as the "Hitless Wonders". In 1959, when they won their first pennant since the ill-fated 1919 team, the White Sox finished worst in the league in home runs, 6th in runs scored (out of 8 teams) and 6th in batting average. It wasn't really until the early '70s of Bill Melton and Dick Allen and the late '70s of the "South Side Hitmen", that the White Sox really began to shed their label of being an awful offensive team.

Tommy John spent seven seasons on the White Sox pitching staff. He won 14 games his first two years there, but never won that many again. All told, when he was traded to the Dodgers in 1971 (which , coincidentally was the trade that sent Dick Allen to Chicago), John posted an 82-80 record with the White Sox, despite a glistening ERA of 2.95. John went 11-5 and 16-7 his first two years in Los Angeles, and it seemed to everyone that he was finally on the verge of becoming a star. And in fact, the following year, he was well on his way towards having the best season of his career. With the Dodgers en route to the 1974 pennant, John was leading the charge, thanks to his 13-3 record and 2.59 ERA, when in his 22nd start, he tore his UCL. When noted surgeon Frank Jobe performed the procedure in late September of that year, it was expected that John's career had reached a premature ending. John sat out the entire 1975 year while undergoing rigorous rehab. In 1976, John made his triumphant return to the Majors, winning 10 games for the Dodgers. Starting with his age-34 season, John then began the most dominant stretch of his career. Over the next four seasons (2 with the Dodgers and 2 with the Yankees, who he signed with as a free agent), he won 20, 17, 21 and 22 games. Injuries plagued him the remainder of his career, but he would go on to win double digit games four more times. When he retired at age 46 in 1989, John had amassed a 288-231 record, 3.34 ERA, and had logged over 4,700 innings pitched. The spotlight was never an issue for Tommy, as he achieved a 6-3 record and 2.65 ERA in the postseason (including three trips to the World Series).

The biggest knocks against John are threefold. First, his record of only 288-231 is skewed horribly because of the poor run support he received early in his career. Had he not labored so long as a member of the offensively challenged White Sox, there is no doubt John could have won the 12 additional games needed for 300 victories. Secondly, many people say the only reason John won as many games as he did is simply because he played for so long. But the argument to that is simply that a player who wasn't good enough would never have made it as long as John did. Baseball Reference has a section called Similarity Scores, in which a players' career is compared to other players to give an indication of who their numbers were most similar to. The pitchers who scored the 2nd through 10th most similar careersincluded Hall of Famers Blyleven, Robin Roberts, Jenkins, Wynn, Glavine, Grimes, Sutton, and Rixey. The player who was the most similar to John? Jim Kaat.

JIM KAAT      

Like John, Jim Kaat's critics will point to the length of his career as a negative, not a positive. It took Kaat 25 years to register his 283 victories, and yes, there are Hall of Famers who did it in much shorter amounts of time. But again, Kaat would not have lasted that long if he weren't a valuable asset to the teams he played on. And not only was he a valuable asset pitching from the mound, but he carved out a long career showing his prowess fielding from it as well.

Also like Tommy John, Kaat's first two seasons in the Majors were only partial seasons, as he pitched (rather forgettable years) for the Washington Senators. When the Senators moved to Minnesota to become the Twins in 1961, Kaat finally completed his first full campaign. Despite a 9-17 record, Kaat's 3.90 ERA and 3.53 FIP (Fielding Independant Pitching, which, in the most watered down terms, is his ERA without any effect of his defenders behind him) indicated that he was certainly better than his record would lead one to believe. In 1962, Kaat was named to his first All-Star game, winning 18 games for the Twins. He also won the Gold Glove award as the best defensive pitcher. He would not relinquish that title for 12 years.

From 1962 to 1976, Jim Kaat had double-digit win totals every season and only twice saw his ERA rise above 4.00 (10 years apart, in 1963 and 1973). His best season came in 1966, when he led the majors in victories with 25, posted an ERA of 2.75, and also led the league in starts with 41, innings with 304.2, and complete games with 19. For good measure, he also paced the league with the lowest BB/9 ratio at 1.6 and the best K/BB ratio at 3.73. 

His stranglehold on the American League Gold Glove award came to an end in 1973, but after a two-year period, he regained the award again and held it for another four years through 1977. 1978 was the last season in which Kaat was primarily a starter, when he went 8-5 with a 4.10 ERA. For the next few seasons, until he retired after the 1984 campaign with the St. Louis Cardinals, Kaat was used primarily out of the bullpen with mixed results. All told, he compiled a 283-237 record, 3.45 ERA, 3 All-Star appearances and 16 Gold Glove awards.

"I'll never be considered one of the all-time greats, maybe not even one of the all-time goods. But I'm one of the all-time survivors."

I have to disagree with you, Mr. Kaat. Sure, your pitching numbers aren't like Nolan Ryan or Randy Johnson, sure your name isn't mentioned with the likes of Bob Feller and Whitey Ford, but you are an all-time great in your own way. My biggest issue with Kaat's absence from the Hall of Fame is this: Ozzie Smith and Bill Mazeroski are in the Hall primarily for their fielding, and rightfully so. They were easily some of the greatest defenders at their respective positions, if not of all time. Neither of them were particularly gifted offensively (although the Wizard of Oz sure had some speed he used to his advantage on the basepaths). In the same way, look for Omar Vizquel to eventually make a case for the Hall as another top defensive player. So, with that being said, why ISN'T a guy who won the award for best defender at his position 16 times not included in the Hall of Fame? Oh by the way, he also missed the 300 victory mark by only 17 wins. It seems almost a crime to me. Kaat, in an interview earlier this year, suspects that the mediocre ending to his career has hurt his chances. He also thinks if he had retired after 15 seasons (after the 1975 season when he went 20-11 with the White Sox), that he would have had a better chance at being inducted.

Ultimately, I believe it is a shame that two of the greatest pitchers of their era have been denied entrance into the hallowed halls of Cooperstown. There is no doubt in my mind they deserve to be there. Kaat and John both achieved great success, and their longevity should be viewed as a testament to their ability, not as an excuse for their statistics. Greatness deserves to be recognized, and in this case, it simply has not been given due recognition. Your move, MLB Veterans Committee.

Card Connections: Topps 2003- Where My Baseball Fan-dom Begins

I remember sitting on the living room floor in Virginia at my Grandma's house. Next to the shorter couch on the side of the room furthest from the TV. It was Easter morning 2003. Which, now that I think about it, was a little unusual. As far as I can remember, that year, and maybe the next year (where I have a vague memory of being at an uncle's house) were the only years Easter wasn't celebrated at our own home. Anyways, I remember sitting on the floor, looking down into my Easter basket, and seeing two packs of baseball cards.

Now, I had played tee-ball for a few years, and I was in my first year of kid-pitch as a third grader (I skipped coach and machine pitch), and needless to say, I was awful my first year. If we're being completely honest, I was still very much a football guy that year. My Oakland Raiders were just coming off a disappointing Super Bowl loss to Tampa Bay, but I had every reason to believe next year would be better (Only it wasn't. And for the next decade-plus, it has downright sucked to be a Raider fan. But I still am. And I AM SO FREAKIN' PUMPED ABOUT THIS 2016 TEAM!  Oh wait, this is a baseball blog...right...my bad). Needless to say, baseball wasn't really my favorite sport at the time.

Having been a football fan for a few years by this point, and having gotten into football card collecting by this time, I already knew of the magic feeling that you get from opening a pack of cards. It's the anticipation of not knowing who you're going to get. As you tear away the wrapper, you hope for a card of your favorite team, or a favorite player. And then you had to wonder what was worse, getting a card of someone you didn't like, or getting your third duplicate of the same card.The point being, for all card collectors, regardless of the sport, the feeling of opening up a brand new pack is the same eager anticipatory feeling. And even now, when I open a pack (which admittedly, I do a lot less often because my buying style has changed to online buying), I get that same feeling, and it's like being a kid all over again.

As I picked up those two packs of cards from the Easter basket, I got that familiar feeling of excitement, but at the same time, I had no idea what I was hoping for. My Little League team was the A's, but that was pretty much all I knew. I guess I'll hope for an A's card in here. Well, I didn't get one, but in a way, I got so much more. Cliff Lee draft pick card, Vinny Castilla, Denny Hocking, Jorge Posada, Cole Hamels draft pick card, Dave Roberts, Michael Young gold border, Chipper Jones, Gary Matthews Jr., Ruddy Lugo rookie card. Just like that, I was introduced to the world of baseball. And, for those that know me well, I never looked back.

The Topps 2003 set featured 720 cards, from 1-721. The 2003 set was in the middle of Topps' phase where they "retired" card #7 in honor of the late Mickey Mantle. They also produced the Updates and Highlights set again (I love those mini-sets. as it provides traded cards and midseason call-up cards). I just saw online today, actually that the 2003 Update card of Robinson Cano (rookie card) was selling for $63.  Some of the biggest prospect cards that year included Hanley Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis (both with Boston), Hamels and Lee (what are the odds I got both of them on that fateful Easter morning?), and Alexis Rios. The Updates series also included the rookie card of future Hall-of-Famer and current Tigers' star Miguel Cabrera, while he was still in the Marlins organization.

This blog post is not so much about the history of this card set, but rather it's personal and sentimental value to me. With that being said, I should say that I do not have this entire set, although I very easily could go by the complete box set today and be done with it. That's what I tend to do now, because you can get all the cards at once, without worrying about paying $4 for a 7 card pack, in which you'll already have 5 of those cards. But for the Topps 2003 set, since it was the one that got me introduced into the wonderful world of baseball, I decided that I would go about it the hard (but arguably more fun) way of piecing the set together one card at a time. So, with my 2003 set about 1/5 complete, here are a look at some of my favorite cards I have already acquired.


Card #400: Derek Jeter  

Considered one of the key cards from this set, it features Jeter receiving the throw at second as the Mets' Jeromy Burnitz slides in. Jeter is in his late 20s by now, approaching the middle stages of his career. This card is a personal favorite of mine because it is the first card I ever had of my all-time favorite player.

Card #538: Jorge Julio   

Julio was the absolute definition of a guy who wouldn't be a closer anywhere else, but the Orioles were so bad in the early 2000s that he got the job anyways. The only reason I include him in this list is because I have many memories of watching Orioles' games at my grandma's house and seeing him pitch. He wasn't very good, but he was a main figure in my childhood baseball-viewing experience, so I included him in this list.

Card #431: Scott Strickland  

Another card of a player who was never fantastic by any means, I just really always had an unexplained fascination with this card. I think it's the colors of the Mets' uniforms with the blue border of the card. Something about that was just aesthetically pleasing to look at.

Card #113: Tomokazu Ohka   

The main reason I included this card is that it was just fun to say Ohka's name. But also, I always secretly kinda liked the Expos, even though they were garbage. When the Expos moved to Washington before the 2005 season, I officially adopted them as my National League team.

Card #32: Deivi Cruz   

I don't really have a reason for liking this one. I just always thought it was a cool action shot.

Card #556: John Smoltz   

At the moment, Smoltz is my only HOF pitcher from this set. Plus, how about those retro Braves uniforms?

Ok, last two card's I'll share today.

Card #390: Ken Griffey Jr.   

I had to include the Hall-of-Famer with the sweetest swing ever. (Side note: It's not as good as Griffey's but wouldn't you say Cano has a pretty sweet swing too?)

And lastly...

Card #180: Barry Zito   

Derek Jeter may have been my favorite player, but Zito was probably my first favorite player, and my favorite pitcher. I loved that "Big 3" rotation of Zito, Tim Hudson, and Mark Mulder the A's had from 2003-2004(ish). In fact, when I played travel ball, I wore #75 as a tribute to Zito.

So there you have it, my favorite baseball card set of all time. What's your favorite set? What set got you into collecting? I'd love to hear about it in the comment section!

Prospect Profile: Dylan Cozens

NAME:Dylan Cozens
AGE: 22
POSITION: RF
TEAM:Reading Fighting Phils (AA affiliate of Philadelphia Phillies)
DRAFTED: By the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2nd round of the 2012 draft


SCOUTING REPORT: The Phillies always knew Cozens could hit for power, but it wasn't until this past season that we really got to see just how powerful Cozens is. He strikes out a lot, largely in part because he struggles to recognize breaking pitches. Some scouts are concerned about his swing, saying it appears "stiff" at times. Pitch selection can be an issue, but the Phillies are willing to overlook that because of his enormous power potential. Will most likely never hit for high average, and will probably top  out in the .280s. At the beginning of the 2016 season, Baseball HQ said he had speed but because of his size (6'6", 235 lbs.) that aspect of his game wasn't likely to stay around. But Cozens proved them wrong, swiping 21 bases this past year.

STATS: In 50 games as a rookie in 2012, Cozens hit .255/5/24. The following year, he spent the entire season at Low-A Williamsport where he hit 9 home runs and drove in 34. He also reached double-digit steals for the first time with 11. In 2014, he spent the entire season with Class A Lakewood, again increasing his homer count to 16. He also doubled his previous games played high with 132. This was the first look at how Cozens would do over the course of a full season. He also participated in the Australian Baseball League that winter. Then, in 2015 the power numbers dipped. He only launched 8 home runs in 111 games. The run production was still there, as he drove in 59 runs, and he hit a (so-far) career high .280 with most of his playing time coming at High-A Clearwarter. He then went to the Puerto Rican Winter League. There, the power numbers increased slightly, perhaps enough to give the Phillies confidence he was getting his home run stroke back, but certainly not enough to provide any indication of what was to come in 2016. Cozens spent the entire 2016 season at AA Reading,where he hit a very solid .276 in 134 games. But he truly found his power stroke, leading all of Minor League Baseball with 40 home runs, to go with 125 runs driven in. For good measure, Cozens stole 20 bases for the third time in his five minor league seasons.

PROJECTION: Cozens has power that every big league team wants in their lineup. He projects as a solid everyday player who should have no trouble keeping a job for 13-15 years. May make a few All-Star games in his prime as well. The MLB comparisons for Cozens are Mike Cameron, Raul Mondesi, and Reggie Sanders, but Cozens will have just a tick less speed than those players did. An average line for Cozens in the Majors should be a .260 average, 25-35 home runs, 80-100 RBI, 15-20 steals, and upwards of 160 strikeouts.

STAT SHEET: A look at the AL Rookie of the Year race

With less than one month remaining in the 2016 MLB season, we have reached the point where races, both for playoffs and awards, are coming down to the wire. For much of the season, the American League Rookie of the Year battle has been between the Tigers' Michael Fulmer, the Indians' Tyler Naquin, the ChiSox' Tim Anderson, and the Rangers' Nomar Mazara, and the Twins' Max Kepler (although he seems like a bit of a longshot). A look at this list brings up two main questions. First, is there any chance for Yankees' young slugger Gary Sanchez? The second question is the more obvious one: who will win the award? A lot can happen in the final month of the season, but let's take a look at all these players in contention, and see who has the strongest case for AL ROY.

MAX KEPLER, TWINS. The German-born Kepler has certainly impressed with his display of power this year, swatting 16 home runs through 99 games. He has also driven in nearly 60 runs (which would project to 97 RBI for a full 162-game season. Perhaps in other years, voters could look past his .238 batting average and his .971 fielding percentage and still vote him ROY strictly on power (let's face it, home runs are a sexy stat that everyone is guilty of putting too much stock into) but the truth of the matter is this year's rookie class is pretty deep in the AL.

NOMAR MAZARA, RANGERS. If you are one of those aforementioned people that put too much stock into home runs (before you get upset or offended, let me come out and say I'm totally one of those people), make sure you see THIS. Even if you're not one of those people, watch that home run video anyways. There are 491 reasons in that video why scouts rave about his power. Not only does he have exceptional power, but he's hitting a respectable .270. Now, like a standard power hitter these days, he DOES have 100 strikeouts, but that's not uncommon anymore. Quite frankly, he's already put up the numbers to have won this award. But unfortunately for Mazara, the AL ROY class is deep this year. He'll be an exciting player to watch throughout his career, but he won't be bringing home the hardware as a rooke.

TIM ANDERSON, WHITE SOX. I'll be the first to tell you; I watched Anderson play minor league ball with Hi-Class A Winston-Salem and I like this kid. Slick glove, speed and a little bit of pop. Anderson was a top prospect in the minors and I expect he can carve out a nice long career in the middle infield. A .286 hitter, 7 home runs, and 10 steals in 80 games this year, Anderson has done a little bit of everything and has already established himself as a key part of this White Sox lineup. While his glovework was slick in the minors, he has made 12 errors this year in Chicago but that number will only get better as he gets older. Every rookie class has their "jack of all trades" candidate, and Anderson assumes that role in 2016.

TYLER NAQUIN, INDIANS. In spring training, Naquin was expected to take over the starting CF position but struggled out of the gate and was sent back to AAA. But since his return to Cleveland, he has shown why he belongs in a big league uniform. On the season he's batting an even .300, with 14 homers and 42 RBI in 102 games. He is a big reason the Cleveland Indians offense has been so productive this year, pairing with guys like Lindor, Kipnis, Santana, and Mike Napoli (side note: I am absolutely astounded how well he is hitting this year). It seems like Naquin has earned his spot and should patrol centerfield at Progressive Field for a long time. He would be my pick for AL ROY if it wasn't for...

MICHAEL FULMER, TIGERS. There's a really simple explanation for why Fulmer gets my vote for AL ROY. Sure a 10-6 record as a rookie isn't bad. 117 strikeouts in 143 innings isn't either. But here's the big reason that I chose Fulmer: He leads the American League in ERA. Sure, it may sound a little simplistic but anytime a rookie leads a league in a "Triple Crown" category, that's a big deal. I watched Fulmer pitch against the Yankees the last time those two teams met and I was absolutely astounded. He doesn't look like a rookie. His demeanor, confidence, and poise on the mound would never lead one to guess he was new to the big leagues. Fulmer and a resurgent Justin Verlander are a huge reason the Tigers are in the hunt for a Wild Card position and they will be all the more valuable if they make the postseason. They'll give the Tigers that dominant 1-2 punch they've lacked since Scherzer left and Verlander had a few down years.

Does GARY SANCHEZ, YANKEES realistically have any chance at winning? That's a very interesting season. Since getting called up at the beginning of August, Sanchez has been, without a doubt, the Yankees best hitter. A .333 hitter, 13 home runs, and 24 RBI in his first 35 games have helped his club climb from 8 games out of the playoffs to just 2 behind the second Wild Card spot. But it seems difficult to give the award to a guy who hasn't been at the big league level for more than a month (2 months by the end of the season). For comparison, howerver, Hall-of-Famer Willie McCovey won Rookie of the Year in 1959 for the Giants by hitting .354 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI in just 52 games. Sanchez would finish the season having played a similar number of games. So, I suppose it isn't inconceivable to see Sanchez winning the award, but I think it is hard to pick him over a guy who has had the season that Fulmer has had. If we get to the end of the season and Sanchez is still hitting .300 and has 20-25 home runs, get back to me because he might have played himself into the top spot.

                             (Penner, USA Today Sports)

MAILBAG

Here's the first installment of our Mailbag post where YOU get to send in questions or topics to me on facebook or on Twitter @kendrick_fruits. So without further adieu, here is what's in the mailbag this week.


"TIM TEBOW. Whatever you wanna write about his baseball career. I just wanna see something about Tim Tebow."

-Kevin, UNCW


Well, Kevin, there's not too much to say quite yet. Here's what we do know at this point. Tebow has signed a minor league deal with the Mets and has been sent to Port St. Lucie for Instructional League. From there, the Mets will decide whether they will send him to the Arizona Fall League or not. Some early reports indicate that Tebow could begin the season as high up as AA but I think that's asking a lot from a guy who hasn't played organized ball in over 10 years. 

As far as his tools go, the calling card for Tebow will be power. On the 20-80 scale that scouts use to rank a player's tools, Tebow scores around a 60 for raw power, which is very impressive for a guy who, as we said earlier, hasn't swung a bat in a while. But in order for power to mean anything, he has to first make contact and this may be one of the biggest things for him to work on in instructional league. During his tryout, he struggled once the speeds of the pitches increased, and he will have to re-learn how to recognize breaking pitches all over again. In the field, Tebow showed off his wheels and had very good closing speed. His throwing arm needs work (ironic for a former QB) and most scouts expect his defense to improve with more reps.

Tebow reports to Instructional League on Sunday, September 18th. It is a low risk investment for the Mets, at least in the beginning, as instructional league is just what it sounds like. Roster spots, at-bats, and instruction isn't limited so Tebow isn't "taking anyone's spot" as some people have accused him of doing. Rather, he's just (for now) another long shot prospect who is getting in some extra work.

Pop Flies and Pop Songs: Baseball's Representation In Music

I woke up this morning with John Fogerty's "Centerfield" in my head, and that song remained there most of the day. So for today's post, I decided to make this post about baseball songs Baseball and music have gone together from the very beginning, not just baseball in music, but music at baseball games (this is a whole other topic for another time). From the 1800s music, such as the 1889 song "Slide, Kelly, Slide" (which is a tribute to one of the early stars of the game, Mike "King" Kelly) to any of the different pieces by The Baseball Project (which includes a few members from R.E.M.). You'll get your share of songs that make no sense whatsoever, of course, but you also end up with some classics. And so, without further ado, it is my top 5 baseball songs!


#5- TIE Joltin' Joe DiMaggio, Les Brown (1941). A big band tribute to not only one of the greatest players of all time, but one of the greatest achievements in baseball history.

#5- TIE Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball? Count Basie (1949). Another big band song, this 1949 song is a good example of the excitement and popularity of Jackie Robinson a few years after he broke into the majors.

#4- Glory Days, Bruce Springsteen (1984). This one needs a little explaining. Yes, verse 1 talks about a former high school pitcher, but that's about it. But when you think about it, baseball is just as much about the past as it is about the present and future. Everything about baseball's present is linked to it's long and illustrious past, and the "Glory Days".

#3- Home Run, Geoff Moore & the Distance (1995). In my opinion, this is '90s music at it's finest. A catchy tune with a rock feel to it. Geoff  Moore was an early star of the CCM genre, and this was one of his biggest hits. Many people associated with baseball like to draw metaphorical comparisons between baseball and life, and this was Moore's version.

#2- Take Me Out To The Ballgame, Jack Norworth (1908). This particular recording is the original recording by Edward Meeker. Fun fact about this song: Jack Norworth had never even been to a baseball game when he wrote this classic and iconic song. The inspiration for the lyrics came one afternoon while riding a New York subway and he saw an advertisement for an upcoming game at the Polo Grounds. He did, eventually, go see a game.

#1- Centerfield, John Fogerty (1985)- Yes I know, it seems almost scandalous for me to not have Take Me Out To The Ballgame at the top of the list, but this was always one of my favorites. The descriptions, the excitement of wanting to get into the game, and (since I'm a Yankees fan) they even mentioned Joe DiMaggio. What are the odds of Joltin' Joe making this list TWICE (DiMaggio was also mentioned in Simon and Garfunkel's Mrs. Robinson, but that was the only baseball line in the song).

Got a favorite baseball song that was left off this list? Comment below!

Prospect Profile- David Paulino

(MILB)

NAME: David Paulino
AGE: 22
POSITION: P
TEAM: Houston Astros
DRAFTED: Not Drafted, signed by DETROIT as an International Free Agent


SCOUTING REPORT:Aquired in trade with Tigers in 2013, part of the Jose Veras deal. Has responded well after Tommy John surgery in 2014. Has good control and maintains exceptional K/BB ratio. At 6'7", he can be an imposing opponent on the mound, and he adds to that figure with a mid-90s fastball that can get up to 97-98. He also has a very sharp curve with very crisp action that causes issues for opposing batters. He keeps the ball in the yard (only 6 home runs allowed in his minor league career that spans almost 200 innings) and his FIP of 1.96 is borderline phenomenal. It seems the only knock against Paulino is simply his lack of experience, but there is no questioning his talent or enormous potential.

STATS: Barely pitched from 2011-13 in the Tigers organization due to injuries. During that time he went 3-2 in 12 starts, spanning just 39 innings. His first extended work came with the Astros in 2015, when he made 12 starts in the farm system, posting a 5-3 record and 2.81 ERA. In 2016, he spent most of his season at AA Corpus Christi before making 3 starts at AAA Fresno. In 3 different levels this year, Paulino posted a 5-4 record with a glistening 2.00 ERA, along with 109 strikeouts in 90 innings.

PROJECTION: Paulino is an interesting case, because the book is still somewhat out on him. Clearly he has the stuff to be a dominant pitcher and could rank among the league leaders in strikeouts But again, because of his limited workloads, scouts have a very difficult time pegging what he could potentially become, ranking him anywhere from a #1 to a #3 starter. Personally, I will call him a high end #2, with the potential to be a low end #1. For a big league comparison, let's equate Paulino to Brandon Webb at his peak (16-18 win potential, ERA around 3) but with more strikeouts.

Life after 43? What is left in the tank for Bartolo Colon?

(ESPN)

Bartolo Colon has said that he would like to pitch next year. Given the 13-7 record for the New York Mets, there's no reason to think he wouldn't get some interest in the offseason. The first big question is where would he play? In New York, he would be little more than an insurance policy/long reliever, much in the way we saw him down the stretch and into the postseason last year. However there are some other teams (possibly the Marlins, Angels, Pirates) that would be interested in his services as well. But there is one huge wild-card in all this. Colon is 43 years old. Once players reach that age, it's almost impossible to be able to project what they will do. Take A-Rod for example. In 2015 he hits 30 home runs, and in 2016 his bat goes so cold that the Yankees were forced to cut him. On the other hand, David Ortiz is having yet another stellar season at age 40. Even Julio Franco was swinging a bat well into his mid-50s (ok, I know he's an extreme case but you can't tell me that's not mind blowing that a guy could be so consistent for that long).

So first, let's take a look at some of Bartolo's contemporaries and see how their production held up after the age of 40. For this example. we will look at Randy Johnson, Jamie Moyer, and Roger Clemens.

NOTE: I am not including Blue Jays starter R.A. Dickey or former Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield because knuckleball pitchers have a bit of a different "shelf life" than non-knuckleballers. Also, guys like Arthur Rhodes and LaTroy Hawkisn didn't make the comparison because they spent most of their later careers in the bullpen.

RANDY JOHNSON: Career 303 Wins, 3.29 ERA, 22 seasons. The Big Unit was one of the most well known, well-respected, and dominant pitchers of his day (and most likely, all time. Johnson won 5 Cy Young awards, including four in a row with the Diamondbacks. Here is a look at his 40+ year old.

AGE 40- 16-14, 2.60 ERA, 290 K's (led league), 245 innings. (2004 w/Diamondbacks)
AGE 41- 17-8, 3.79, 211 K's, 225 innings (2005 w/Yankees)
AGE 42- 17-11, 5.00 ERA, 172 K's, 205 innings (2006 w/Yankees)
AGE 43- 4-3, 3.81, 72 K's, 56 innings, INJURED (2007 w/Diamondbacks
AGE 44- 11-10, 3.91, 173 K's, 184 innings (2008 w/Diamondbacks)
AGE 45- 8-6, 4.88 ERA, 86 K's, 96 innings (2009 w/Giants)

So, with the exception of 2006 and 2009, where he was clearly bailed out by high run-supports, Johnson continued to be a valuable and top quality starter after he turned 40. Note though, the numbers do dip in terms of ERA and the K/Innings ratio drop more at the end, but still, he remained a solid #3 starter at the very least as he finished his career in San Francisco. The injury shortened what could have been a very strong 2008 campaign, and that is another thing to keep in mind. While production past 40 is key, injuries also play a large factor in determining a player's value as they age.

ROGER CLEMENS- The Rocket would have been a HOFer for sure had the steroid allegations not clouded the perception of him. A 7 time Cy Young award winner, 2 World Series titles, and an MVP award as a member of the Red Sox are the only awards that currently bear witness to his greatness and dominance.

AGE 40- 17-9, 3.91 ERA, 190 K's, 211 innings (2003 w/Yankees)
AGE 41- 18-4, 2.98 ERA, 218 K's, 214 innings (2004 w/Astros)
AGE 42- 13-9, 1.87 ERA, 185 K's, 211 innings (2005 w/Astros)
AGE 43- 7-6, 2.30 ERA, 102 K's, 113 innings (2006 w/Astros)
AGE 44- 6-6, 4.18 ERA, 68 K's, 99 innings (2007 w/Yankees)

With Clemens there is another interesting possible variable that comes into play.The year before he turned 40, he posted an ERA of 4.35, and followed it up at 3.91. Both of those seasons were in the American League. His only other season in the AL from there on was in 2007 with a 4.18 ERA. But during his 3 NL seasons, he posts ERAs of 2.98, 1.87, and 2.30. Did the change of scenery help? Maybe. Did going to the NL help? Maybe. But don't forget, Johnson returned to the NL too at the end of his career and didn't fare near as well as Clemens. Maybe it was because when Clemens went to the NL in 2004, it was his first time in that league. Who knows?

JAMIE MOYER- The pitcher's version of Julio Franco. Moyer's career seemed as if it could go on forever. He certainly provided quality work well into his mid 40s. A 20 game winner as late as age 40, he was a solid contributor for the Phillies in the years to come. Even if the Rockies were the most appealing (or only) option for Moyer's final season, it was a mistake for all parties involved. The thin air and Moyer's control issues led to lots of home runs and an early season release from Colorado. All-in-all. Moyer had a very productive career and will be remembered mostly for his longevity and consistent production.

(Strikeouts won't be included in season totals, because unlike Clemens and Johnson, Moyer wasn't a strikeout pitcher)

AGE 40- 21-7, 3.27 ERA, 230 innings (2003 w/Mariners)
AGE 41- 7-13, 5.21 ERA, 207 innings (2004 w/Mariners)
AGE 42- 13-7, 4.28 ERA, 200 innings (2005 w/Mariners
AGE 43- 11-14, 4.30 ERA, 211 innings (2006 w/Mariners and Phillies)
AGE 44- 14-12, 5.01 ERA, 199 innings (2007 w/Phillies)
AGE 45- 16-7, 3.71 ERA, 196 innings (2008 w/Phillies)
AGE 46- 12-10, 4.94 ERA, 162 innings (2009 w/Phillies)
AGE 47- 9-9, 4.84 ERA, 111 innings (2010 w/Phillies)
AGE 48- DID NOT PLAY
AGE 49- 2-5, 5.70 ERA, 53 innings (2012 w/Rockies)

The big takeaway from Moyer is that after he turned 40, with the exception of his age 40 season (and maybe his age 45 season), he was no more than a #3 or #4 guy. But just as in Bartolo Colon's situation, nobody was asking him to be a star by this age. And a star is never something that Moyer ever claimed to be. He was a solid pitcher who would win 13-15 games and have an ERA around 4.25.


BARTOLO COLON- So what do all these numbers mean for the Big Sexy? Well it's hard to say because he isn't the power pitchers that Johnson and Clemens were, but he also hasn't put up worse numbers than Moyer's up to this point. The truth of what we can expect from Colon is most likely somewhere in between the two.

AGE 40- 18-6, 2.65 ERA, 190 innings (2013 w/Athletics)
AGE 41- 15-13 4.09 ERA, 202 innings (2014 w/Mets)
AGE 42- 14-13 4.16, 194 innings (2015 w/Mets)
AGE 43- 13-6, 3.22 ERA, 164 innings (2016 w/METS...SEASON NOT YET FINISHED)

Two things stand out. First, the 2016 season for Colon is probably a slight bit of an aberration. His numbers next year will probably revert back to about 14 wins and an ERA around 4.10. But that leads to the second thing that stands out. And that is where will he play? The Mets would like to trot out Syndergaard, deGrom, Matz, Harvey, and Wheeler as their everyday rotation, which relegates Colon to more of an emergency option/long reliever. But there are still some teams that could see Colon as a starting pitcher option in 2017.

My gut feeling is that Colon will sign with the Marlins, Pirates, or Diamondbacks.

I thought about American League teams that could want him, and there are a few legitimate options.

But then he wouldn't get to bat, and none of us want to live in a world without this.