Tuesday, January 09, 2007 |
Pickoff Moves
Today's Birthdays
Ferrell Anderson BRO b. 1918, played 1946, d. 1978-03-12
George Crable BRO b. 1885, played 1910
Ivan DeJesus LAN b. 1953, played 1974-1976. Not an especially interesting player in his own right despite a 15-year career, he was a slick fielder with marginal offensive value who played on the last of the Walter Alston-led teams. Blocked by Bill Russell at short, the Dodgers sent him and Bill Buckner to the Cubs for reliever Mike Garman and Rick Monday, thus earning the wrath of those of us who know how to properly pronounce the Spanish surname "Encarnacion". DeJesus blossomed in Chicago, immediately replacing Mick Kelleher, filling a void in the Cubs' lineup present since the team traded Don Kessinger.
Though the Cubs haven't been known for their trading acumen over the years, they have made some excellent deals from time to time, and one of them was sending DeJesus to the Phillies for Larry Bowa and Ryne Sandberg, a deal Mike Carminati panned as one of the 50 worst trades of all time. The Phils got a younger shortstop while giving up their older one (Bowa was 36 at the time of the deal), but gave up a Hall of Famer in Sandberg. And while the deal worked in some sense for Philly — they won the National League pennant in 1983 after a second-place finish the year before — DeJesus turned into a World Series goat when he hit .125 and booted a ball in the seventh inning of Game 3, allowing the winning run to score for Baltimore.
Bob Duliba LAA b. 1935, played 1963-1964
Ray French BRO b. 1895, played 1923, d. 1978-04-03
John Hall BRO b. 1924, played 1948, d. 1995-01-17
Stan Javier LAN,CAL b. 1964, played 1990-1993. The least heralded outfielder of the late-80's Oakland terrors, he was originally signed by the Cards, who traded him to the Yankees, who sent him to Oakland for Rickey Henderson. A very solid fourth outfielder who could steal bases very effectively, but never hit for enough power to justify a starting job in the corner outfield. With the A's, Javier has the distinction of being the only player to drive in runs against the unbeatable Orel Hersheiser in the 1988 World Series.
With the Dodgers starting in 1991, he forgot how to hit, and during the team's disastrous 1992, he became a pinch-hitter, occaisionally playing the corner outfield slots to replace Kal Daniels in left or to replace whoever was subbing for Darryl Strawberry in right at that moment. After the Dodgers moved him to Philadelphia in midseason, he signed as a free agent with the Angels in 1993, mostly backing up the unremarkable Luis Polonia in left, but also getting some time in at first base; it was one of the best single seasons of his career. After stints with both Bay Area teams, Houston, and Seattle, he retired after the 2001 season.
Julio Navarro LAA b. 1936, played 1962-1964
Otis Nixon LAN b. 1959, played 1997
Harley Payne BRO b. 1868, played 1896-1898, d. 1935-12-29
Angels, Dodgers Announce Minor League System Assignments
The Angels and Dodgers have both announced their minor league assignments for 2007. Notable movement:- Angels: The big news would seem to be that Ty Boykin is not returning this year as manager at Arkansas, but instead Bobby Magallenes will take that job. Ken Patterson becomes the pitching coach at Rancho, from Arkansas. Dick Schofield, the former Angel, is hitting coach at AZL Tempe, while Pedro Borbon becomes the pitching coach for Cedar Rapids. Of the roving assignments, Kernan Ronan becomes the team's roving pitching instructor (recall Angels present pitching coach Mike Butcher had that position before becoming the Devil Rays' pitching coach), Todd Takoyashi moves from roving catching coach to roving hitting instructor, and Tom Gregorio, who spent six years in the Angels' system as a catcher, becomes the roving catching coach.
- Dodgers: Ex-Dodger Charlie Hough will be the new pitching coach for Cal League affiliate San Bernardino. Lorenzo Bundy will manage AAA Las Vegas, off a long stint in the Diamondbacks' organization. Low-A Great Lakes will be managed by Lance Parrish, who moves up from Pioneer League Ogden; in turn, Ogden will be piloted by Jeff Carter, coming in from the Kansas City system. Casey Deskins becomes the pitching coach for the GCL Dodgers. Matt Martin, fresh from the Yankees system, has been tapped as the minor league field coordinator. Finally, the team has hired Gene Clines as its minor league baserunning coordinator, whose "Go, ball, go!" is indelibly etched in my mind following one of Barry Bonds' homers in the 2002 World Series.
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