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The American League Central is going to be one of the tightest divisions in baseball. Four of the five teams have a very good chance of coming away victors.
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With the Detroit Tigers only making a few changes over the offseason so far, they expect Joakim Soria to step up and be a quality setup man in front of Joe Nathan, and a possible replacement if Nathan continues his 2014 struggles.
Soria made 13 appearances for the Tigers after being acquired by the Texas Rangers. During mid-August, he had an oblique injury that wiped him out for about a month. The right-handed pitcher held a 3.25 ERA over 26 appearances between the Rangers and Tigers in 2014. He dominated with a 0.992 WHIP, while gibing up just 0.4 home runs per nine innings. However, with just the Tigers he put up a 4.91 ERA, with a 1.364 WHIP. Soria, a Mexico native, struggled during the back-end of this season, but he needs to step up big if the Tigers even what a chance to make the playoffs. Soria needs to carry the bullpen and give help when needed. He has the talent, but Detroit is just waiting for him to show it to the world. -Evan Petzold I was able to take time and talk with Alex Tomasovich of the Eugene Emeralds about his past, present and future. The Emeralds are the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.
Tomasovich hit .311 with 18 RBI's over 132 at-bats and 37 games in 2014. He went to Charleston Southern and led the team to four solid seasons. He started 208 games and hit .331 for his college career. He struck out just 71 times in his career, while drawing 84 walks. His best season was his senior year, where he hit .361 with five home runs and 44 RBI's. He started 56 games that year. Tomasovich was named first team All-Big South. --------- INTERVIEW: EP: How have things been in the Cubs organization to this point? AT: Well, this will be my first full season coming up and everything so far has been great with the Cubs. The Cubs have a ton of great young talent so to be a part of that group is special. EP: How soon do you think you could be on the Cubs MLB roster? Or do you think it will be awhile? AT: It's a process so I understand it could be a few years. Obviously, it's a dream to make it to the MLB one day. EP: What are some of the biggest challenges you face on and off the field? AT: On the field would probably be the physical grind of playing everyday. Off the field would probably be the travel. EP: How did CSU help set you apart from a lot of other players in the draft? Obviously, you left college as one of the top players in the history of the program. AT: Well at CSU we played a tough schedule against top programs in the southeast so I got to compete against some of the best competition. I feel like that helped scouts see me and how I stack up against top competition. EP: How have your high academic honors helped you in the MiLB? A lotta kids think that if they have a shot they don't have to study. However, you know it is important to study and prepare for your future. Also, what motivated you to achieve those academic honors? AT: Well going into my senior year I wasn't certain that I would get drafted so I approached the classroom with the mindset that I wouldn't get drafted. I wanted to set myself up with the best possible situation if baseball didn't work out. EP: How stressful was the entire drafting process? AT: Well it's stressful because it's really a turning point in your life. Either you get to keep playing baseball or you have to get a job. Thankfully, I get to keep playing. Once again, thanks to Tomasovich for the great answers. I can only wish the best of luck to him moving forward. -Evan Petzold Atlanta Braves right-hander Shae Simmons underwent Tommy John surgery on Thursday to fix the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. The Braves have lost multiple players to this same injury. Last offseason, they lost Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy, Jonny Venters and Cory Gearrin. After undergoing the surgery, they moved on from the Atlanta organization. Mark Bowman of MLB.com reported that Simmons began feeling the discomfort in his right elbow about a week ago. During 2014, Simmons pitched in 26 relief situations. He held a 2.91 ERA with 23 strikeouts over 21.2 innings.
-Evan Petzold Milwaukee Brewers catcherJonathan Lucroy will miss four-to-six weeks with a mild right hamstring strain, as the team announced on Wednesday. It was not made clear how the All-Star suffered the injury, bit it was diagnosed on Monday and then by another doctor on Tuesday. Gord Ash, the assistant general managers, said that Lucroy will not be shut down fully. He will be able to work on multiple aspects of his game. However, he must refrain from running at all costs.
Lucroy had a breakout 2014 season. He held a .301 average, with 13 home runs and 69 RBI's. He led the National League in doubles with 53 and the catcher finished fourth in MVP voting. -Evan Petzold After tons of trade rumors involving Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. claimed that he expects the Hamels to take the mound on Opening Day.
"I would expect him to be in spring training with the Phillies," Amaro told ESPN's Jayson Stark. "And I would expect him to be our Opening Day starter. I don't know that for sure. That could change in a phone call or two, just like with anyone else. But I would expect him to be in camp." "As long as he's still with us, there's a chance something could happen," Amaro said. "I can't really handicap it. It certainly seems likely he'll be in camp with us, but it can change. Guys get hurt in spring training a lot. Teams can have different assessments of where they are as they begin to look at their club. There's a whole slew of different circumstances that could affect how teams view their club. So maybe somebody could change course." Hamels, 31 has a no-trade clause to a few teams that are in discussion with the Phillies. Hamels would have to agree with Amaro to be traded. Trading the left-handed pitcher probably will not be an easy thing to do. "Cole is a unique situation. (To acquire him) requires talent and money," Amaro said. "So it's a totally different dynamic than it would be for someone to acquire one of the free agents. So I'm not really sure what the direct impact is, or whether there is a direct impact." The San Diego native strung together a record of 9-9, while adding a 2.46 ERA over 30 games in 2014. He has been very healthy; pitching 200-plus innings in six of his nine MLB seasons. -Evan Petzold Victor Martinez underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair his torn left meniscus and the report is that the surgery was successful. The Detroit Tigers are also optimistic that the designated hitter can come back to start the regular season. "We are happy the surgery went well and that Victor will be ready to compete for the start of the 2015 season," Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said in a statement. Dr. James Andrews preformed the procedure in Florida. He told the team that he can resume activites to their fullness in four-to-six weeks. "I would say based on Dr. Andrews' assessment that this is about as good of news that we could have hoped for," said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus. He will stay on crutches until the swelling goes down and he gets motion in his knee, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com. "Vic was in great shape prior to the surgery," Tigers athletic trainer Kevin Rand told reporters. "That should really bode well for his rehab."
The 36-year-old had his best season of his long career during the 2014 season. He launced a career-high 32 long balls and tallied 103 RBI's. He also led the majors with a .409 OBP. The 12-year veteran played in 151 games and took 561 at-bats. -Evan Petzold Just hours after signing James Shields to a four-year deal, the San Diego Padres are reportedly going be working very hard to get another top free agent. Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada is working out for the Padres on Monday and the team is expected to be highly aggressive in pursuit of the young infielder, according to Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan. Moncada was granted free agency about a week ago and is considered the top international prospect at this point in time. He is looking to sign with a team for about $40-50 million. The switch-hitter has announced that is goal is to sign with a team soon.
The 19-year-old has also worked out for the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. -Evan Petzold While most of America was sleeping, James Shields was awake. He was finalizing a deal with the San Diego Padres. Many people expected the deal for quite some time, but now it is officially finalized. The first to report the deal between the two parties was Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. Sources told Cotillo that it was a four-year deal worth $75 million dollars. It also included a club option for 2019. If they exercise the option, the deal goes up to $91 million. Shields gets about a half of what Jon Lester got and about one-third of what Max Scherzer got. Lester signed with the Chicago Cubs earlier in the offseason and Scherzer surprisingly signed with the Washington Nationals.
-Evan Petzold The Perth Heat remain on the top of Australian Baseball League after a 12-5 win over the Adelaide Bite to win the ABL Championship Series. The Heat lost Game 1, but bounced back and won Game 2 and Game 3 to win the series.
They have won the championship for the second time in three years and the fourth time in five years. As a matter of fact, the ABL has only been in existence for five years. Proving the dominance of Perth. "We're a bunch of fighters," Tim Kennelly said. "We've done that for years, so it was good to bounce back with that win." Luke Hughes hit a superstar three-run homer in the seventh inning to put the nail in the coffin. Tim Smith also launched a home run for the Heat. Kennelly, however, started the party with a two run shot to open the game. "It's a pretty special moment for my career out here in Australia," de San Miguel said. "It's been a hell of a year. We've had our ups and downs and adversity, and to come through with that clutch hit last night and win tonight, it's a special moment." de San Miguel was the went 1-4 on the night, but earned Most Valuable Player honors for proving that he was the both offensively and defensively sound throughout all three games. He had the game winning hit in the top of the 10th inning of Game 2. "Perth got the job done tonight," Adelaide manager Brooke Knight said. "It's a shame to end on that note, but take no credit away from our guys. They've fought and fought this season, and their character as a group is undeniable." Perth struggled early in the season. They were 10-13, but finished the season with a 19-7 record, including the postseason. It was an impressive comeback that not many expected. "These guys have battled back from so much," Perth manager Steve Fish said. "It's an incredible feeling." -Evan Petzold |