Bubba Links
Baseball Links
As you've no doubt heard, the Yankees' World Series MVP is a Halo now. I always liked Godzilla, but I think it was pretty clear he didn't fit into the Yankees' future. They need to get younger, and Matsui, whose bad knees have made him a full-time DH, was the obvious one to let go.
And some tidbits from Baseball America's minor league transaction report:
The Pirates outrighted Jeff Karstens to AAA. TJ Beam signed with Diamondbacks. Chad Moeller re-signed with the Orioles. Josh Towers signed with the Dodgers. Eric Duncan signed with the Braves.
They have this to say about Eric Duncan:
The Yankees’ first-round pick in ’03, Duncan has regressed in each of his three seasons with Scranton as he counted down the days until free agency. The 25-year-old New Jersey native never has shown much feel for hitting (.242 career average) or for the finer points of playing third base. But if you go back far enough you can see the trappings of power that made him a premium draft pick in the first place. Duncan smacked 19 homers with Double-A Trenton in ’05.
Then there's this:
Voluntarily retired: 1B Blake Crosby
Bobby Crosby’s younger brother, Blake (a 42nd-round pick this year) retired to take an amateur scouting position with the Blue Jays.
I didn't know Blake Crosby was Bobby Crosby's brother. Bobby Crosby and Bubba Crosby were reported to be brothers when they first came up. (They're not related.) Bubba said in one interview that he frequently got autograph requests, cards, and baseballs meant for Bobby, and vice-versa. Even the media confuse them. I was afraid things would get even more confusing, with Blake Crosby and Bryan Crosby lurking in the minors (I've already seen a Bryan Crosby card being sold as a Bubba Crosby on eBay).
Blake Crosby hopes to be a GM one day; I guess he's on his way.
And the Japan Times expresses surprise that the Carp let Andy Phillips go:
Surprisingly, the Hiroshima Carp released infielder/outfielder Andy Phillips, who put up great half-season numbers of 15 homers and 50 RBIs with a .265 batting average.
Maybe they didn't like his beard:
Perhaps another Japanese team will sign him.
Labels: Andy Phillips
