Feldman And Rangers Meet Halfway

The Texas Rangers have avoided salary arbitration with Scott Feldman. Feldman and the Rangers agreed on a 1-year deal worth $2.425. Feldman is now signed through the 2011 season.

Feldman had been asking for $2.9 million while the Rangers offered $2.05 million. If Feldman can duplicate what he did last season, the Rangers definitely got a bargain.

Ausmus Re-Signs With Dodgers

Brad Ausmus has agreed to a 1-year deal with the Dodgers worth $850,000. The deal also includes a mutual option for 2011 worth $1 million.

Ausmus hit a career-best .295 last year in 107 PAs as the Dodgers' backup backstop. He finished the season tied for 8th on the all-time list of games caught with Benito Santiago. He also finished the season 1 game shy of Shawn Green's 1,951 games played, a record among JMLs.

The Indians Tribe Has A New Member

Didn't catch this one. Brian Horwitz was picked in December by the Cleveland Indians in the Rule 5 draft. Ron Kaplan has more on this story at Kaplan's Korner.

The Indians now have 4 MOTs in their farm system. Horwitz joins Eric Berger, Jason Kipnis, and Jason Knapp.

The Indians have 2 of the best outfielders in all of baseball in Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo, but Choo may have to serve 2 years in South Korea's military in the near future.

If Matt LaPorta is moved permanently to 1st base, Horwitz could see some playing time in left field as a 4th or 5th outfielder.

Containing 5' 9" Cammalleri A Tall Order

Michael Cammalleri had 4 points tonight (2 goals, 2 assists) against the New York Rangers, tying a season-high for points in a game. Cammalleri has scored a goal in 4 consecutive games. And in his last 6 games, he has 9 points (6 goals, 3 assists).

Through 53 games, he has 46 points (26 goals, 20 assists). Cammalleri has 22 even strength goals on the season, surpassing his previous high of 20 he set last season. He ranks 3rd in the NHL in even strength goals, 8th in goals and shots on goal (185), and 10th in goals per game (0.49).

Jeff Halpern didn't have any points against the Atlanta Thrashers, but he did find the net in the 5th round of a shootout to seal the victory for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ice in his veins.

Braun Can Hit With The Best Of 'Em

Ron Kaplan over at Kaplan's Korner found a Jayson Stark column that touts Ryan Braun as a premiere hitter against elite pitching. Good stuff.

College Hoops And Casspi

(A special thanks to The Great Rabbino for compiling this list of college players.)

After scoring 20 or more points 4 games in a row, Omri Casspi has come back down to earth in his last 4 games, struggling from the field. However, he appears to be crashing the boards. The 6' 9" forward is averaging 7.8 rebounds per game in his last 11 games, reaching double digits 3 times during that span.

Jon Scheyer is averaging 19.6 points, 6.0 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game for the Blue Devils. Through 16 games, the 6' 5" senior guard is shooting 45.1% from the field, 39.5% from behind the arc, and 90.3% from the free throw line.

Sylven Landesberg is averaging 17.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game for Virginia. Through 14 games, the 6' 6" sophomore guard is shooting 44.4% from the field, 40.0% from behind the arc, and 81.7% from the free throw line.

Jared Mintz is having a breakout season for Lafeyette. Through 17 games, the 6' 8" junior forward is averaging 15.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Mintz is shooting 59.3% from the field and 88.5% from the free throw line. Mintz shot 72.6% and 66.7% from the stripe the previous 2 seasons.

Dane Diliegro is nearly averaging a double-double in his 3rd season with New Hampshire. Through 14 games, the 6' 8" center is averaging 11.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He's shooting 49.2% from the field and 70.4% from the free throw line. Diliegro shot under 50% from the stripe the previous 2 seasons.

Brett Harvey is averaging 13.8 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game for Loyola. Through 14 games, the 6' 1" senior guard is shooting 43.5% from the field, 41.8% from behind the arc, and 88.2% from the free throw line.

Derek Glasser is averaging 10.8 points, 5.0 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game for Arizona State. Through 18 games, the 6' 1" senior guard is shooting 40.6% from the field, 44.4% from behind the arc, and 89.9% from the free throw line.

Jake Cohen is having a fine freshman season for Davidson. The 6' 10" forward is averaging 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. Through 17 games, he's shooting 46.9% from the field and 64.6% from the free throw line.

Obsessed With OPS+?

You might be asking yourself, what is OPS+? Don't worry, it's not that complicated; OPS+ measures the performance of a player against the rest of the AL or NL in a given year.

An OPS+ of 100 is considered league average performance. Anything above 100 is above league average. Conversely, anything below 100 is below league average. Fairly simple.

However, what's considered league average fluctuates from year to year. It fluctuates even more dramatically from era to era. That's why you may be surprised by where some of the names fall on this list. I know I was. One thing to remember is OPS+ is adjusted to a player's ballpark(s).

Minimum 500 PAs

1. Al Rosen (Cleveland Indians, 1953) - 179 (1.034 OPS)

2. Mike Epstein (Washington Senators, 1969) - 176 (.965 OPS)

3. Hank Greenberg (Detroit Tigers, 1937) - 172 (1.105 OPS)

4. Hank Greenberg (Detroit Tigers, 1940) - 171 (1.103 OPS)

5. Hank Greenberg (Detroit Tigers, 1935) - 169 (1.039 OPS)

5. Hank Greenberg (Detroit Tigers, 1938) - 169 (1.122 OPS)

6. Hank Greenberg (Detroit Tigers, 1946) - 163 (.977 OPS)

6. Mike Epstein (Oakland Athletics, 1972) - 163 (.866 OPS)

7. Al Rosen (Cleveland Indians, 1952) - 159 (.911 OPS)

8. Hank Greenberg (Detroit Tigers, 1934) - 156 (1.005 OPS)

8. Hank Greenberg (Detroit Tigers, 1939) - 156 (1.042 OPS)

8. Sid Gordon (Boston Braves, 1950) - 156 (.960 OPS)

9. Shawn Green (Los Angeles Dodgers, 2001) - 154 (.970 OPS)

9. Shawn Green (Los Angeles Dodgers, 2002) - 154 (.944 OPS)

10. Sid Gordon (New York Giants, 1948) - 148 (.927 OPS)

10. Ryan Braun (Milwaukee Brewers, 2009) - 148 (.937 OPS)

11. Al Rosen (Cleveland Indians, 1954) - 147 (.910 OPS)

12. Kevin Youkilis (Boston Red Sox, 2009) - 145 (.961 OPS)

13. Al Rosen (Cleveland Indians, 1950) - 144 (.948 OPS)

14. Sid Gordon (Boston Braves, 1951) - 143 (.883 OPS)

14. Shawn Green (Toronto Blue Jays, 1999) - 143 (.972 OPS)

14. Kevin Youkilis (Boston Red Sox, 2008) - 143 (.958 OPS)

15. Sid Gordon (New York Giants, 1949) - 142 (.909 OPS)

15. Sid Gordon (Boston Braves, 1952) - 142 (.866 OPS)

16. Richie Scheinblum (Kansas City Royals, 1972) - 140 (.800 OPS)

17. Buddy Myer (Washington Senators, 1935) - 138 (.907 OPS)

18. Buddy Myer (Washington Senators, 1938) - 137 (.918 OPS)

19. Goody Rosen (Brooklyn Dodgers, 1945) - 134 (.840 OPS)

20. Ian Kinsler (Texas Rangers, 2008) - 133 (.892 OPS)

21. Hank Greenberg (Pittsburgh Pirates, 1947) - 132 (.885 OPS)

22. Ryan Braun (Milwaukee Brewers, 2008) - 130 (.888 OPS)

23. Mike Epstein (Washington Senators, 1970) - 129 (.815 OPS)

24. Elliott Maddox (New York Yankees, 1974) - 127 (.781 OPS)

25. Cal Abrams (Pittsburgh Pirates/Baltimore Orioles, 1954) - 125 (.793 OPS)

26. Mike Epstein (Washington Senators/Oakland A's, 1971) - 124 (.780 OPS)

27. Al Rosen (Cleveland Indians, 1951) - 123 (.809 OPS)

27. Mike Lieberthal (Philadelphia Phillies, 1999) - 123 (.914 OPS)

28. Harry Danning (New York Giants, 1939) - 122 (.838 OPS)

28. Morrie Arnovich (Philadelphia Phillies, 1939) - 122 (.811 OPS)

29. Sid Gordon (Milwaukee Braves, 1953) 121 (.834 OPS)

29. Mike Lieberthal (Philadelphia Phillies, 2003) - 121 (.825 OPS)

30. Buddy Myer (Washington Senators, 1934) - 120 (.835 OPS)

Under 500 PAs, Over 150 PAs

1. Greg Goossen (Seattle Pilots, 1969) - 175 (.982 OPS)

2. Hank Greenberg (Detroit Tigers, 1945) - 167 (.948 OPS)

3. Phil Weintraub (New York Giants, 1944) - 162 (.935 OPS)

4. Ron Blomberg (New York Yankees, 1973) - 154 (.893 OPS)

4. Ryan Braun (Milwaukee Brewers, 2007) - 154 (1.004 OPS)

5. Ron Blomberg (New York Yankees, 1972) - 153 (.843 OPS)

6. Ron Blomberg (New York Yankees, 1974) - 147 (.856 OPS)

7. Ron Blomberg (New York Yankees, 1971) - 143 (.840 OPS)

8. Art Shamsky (New York Mets, 1969) - 139 (.863 OPS)

9. Richie Scheinblum (Cincinnati Reds/California Angels, 1973) - 136 (.808 OPS)

10. Phil Weintraub (Philadelphia Phillies, 1938) - 133 (.844 OPS)

11. Norm Sherry (Los Angeles Dodgers, 1960) - 126 (.853 OPS)

12. Jimmie Reese (New York Yankees, 1930) - 123 (.871 OPS)

12. Phil Weintraub (New York Giants, 1945) - 123 (.806 OPS)

12. Sid Gordon (Pittsburgh Pirates, 1954) - 123 (.843 OPS)

13. Art Shamsky (Cincinnati Reds, 1966) - 121 (.842 OPS)

13. Elliott Maddox (New York Yankees, 1975) - 121 (.776 OPS)

14. Steve Yeager (Los Angeles Dodgers, 1974) - 119 (.771 OPS)

14. Gabe Kapler (Milwaukee Brewers, 2008) - 119 (.838 OPS)

15. Hank Greenberg (Detroit Tigers, 1933) - 118 (.835 OPS)

15. Cal Abrams (Brooklyn Dodgers, 1951) - 118 (.813 OPS)

15. Cal Abrams (Baltimore Orioles, 1955) - 118 (.773 OPS)

Obscure But Impressive Stat of the Month

Only 5 players in MLB history have posted back-to-back 20-HR seasons while playing at least 30 games at both 1st base and 3rd base in each season. They are Harmon Killebrew (1960-61), Mike Schmidt (1985-86), Dave Kingman (1972-73), Al Rosen (1954-55), and Kevin Youkilis (2008-09).

Given who the Red Sox just signed to play 3rd base (Adrian Beltre), I figured this was not only an obscure and impressive stat but also appropriate. Youk will once again be a full-time 1st baseman and will, in all likelihood, not play 30 games at 3rd base this year, as Beltre has generally been very durable. But on the bright side, Youk will have another crack at getting his 2nd Gold Glove. This move across the diamond will also be beneficial to Youk's back, which acted up on him a few times last season.

Jordan Starmar

Wouldn't you know it? Right after I snub Jordan Farmar, he goes out and puts on a display. Farmar tied a career-high by scoring 24 points in just 27 minutes against the Dallas Mavericks on 8-14 from the field and 2-2 from the line. Farmar led all scorers in the game.

Farmar also made 6 three-pointers on 8 attempts, establishing a new career-high in that category. Farmar last scored 24 points against the Miami Heat on February 28, 2008.

Casspi Just Getting Started

Since joining the Kings' starting lineup, Omri Casspi is averaging 16.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

He's even shooting better from the free throw line. As a starter, he's shooting 79.6% from the stripe the last 10 games.

He has 3 double-doubles on the season and has scored 20 or more points 6 times, including a season-high 23 points against Jordan Farmar and the Lakers.

Shooting 46.9% from behind the arc, Casspi ranks 4th in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage.

Through 12 games, Jon Scheyer is making a strong case for getting drafted in June. He's averaging 18.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. He's shooting 45.4% from the field, 43.6% from behind the arc, and 91% from the stripe. Scheyer's 5.50 assist to turnover ratio leads all of college basketball. He also recently set a career-high in assists with 11 against Zack Rosen and Pennsylvania.

Michael Cammalleri has 7 points in his last 6 games. Through 43 games, Cammalleri has 20 goals and 17 assists. He ranks 8th in goals and 3rd in even strength goals (16) in the NHL. His +/- rating is +12, which is a career-best. Cammalleri is also averaging more time on the ice than ever before.

Bringing in the New Year with Bill James

Bill James, the godfather of the sabermetric movement and Senior Advisor on Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox, gives us his 2010 projections. And I give you my impressions.

*There were no projections for Aaron Poreda and Brad Ausmus.

Ryan Braun - .315/.378/.593 for an OPS of .971, 154 games, 668 PAs, 615 ABs, 194 hits, 42 doubles, 6 triples, 39 HRs, 53 BBs, 17 SBs, 6 CS, 112 runs scored, 119 RBIs, 365 total bases

Wow, that's a big year. Braun would be setting career-highs in HRs, doubles, RBIs, and total bases. But is he capable of putting up numbers like these? Absolutely. It's hard to believe, but he is only now just entering his prime. I think it's possible he could draw more walks and steal more bases. In fact, I think if Braun wanted to and his manager let him run more often, he could steal around 30 bases.

Craig Breslow - 5-4, 0 saves, 3.39 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 72 games, 77 innings, .238 BAA, 7.9 H/9, 0.7 HR/9, 3.7 BB/9, 8.1 K/9

I think James is selling Breslow a little short. Breslow could easily post a lower WHIP. His WHIP the last 2 seasons was 1.13 and 1.11. I think his BAA and H/9 will also be much better than what you see here. He gave up 6.5 and 6.2 H/9 the last 2 seasons, so 7.9 seems a bit high. It'd be nice to see him with a K/9 as high as 8.1, but that's probably not going to happen.

Scott Feldman - 11-11, 4.06 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 32 starts, 195 innings, .261 BAA, 9.0 H/9, 0.9 HR/9, 3.4 BB/9, 5.2 K/9

Feldman is hard to project, as he's only been a starter the last 2 seasons, and last year was his breakout year. I think he'll have more wins than 11. I could see the ERA around 4.00, but I think the WHIP will be a little lower than what you see here. I could also see Feldman with a lower BAA and H/9. The nasty cutter Feldman developed worked wonders for him last season. I see no reason why it wouldn't work wonders for him again.

Sam Fuld - .261/.346/.357 for an OPS of .703, 65 games, 129 PAs, 115 ABs, 30 hits, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 14 BBs, 5 SBs, 2 CS, 17 runs scored, 9 RBIs, 41 total bases

From what I've seen, Fuld has a patient approach at the plate and hits well to all fields. His OBP will be higher than .346, and his SLG will be higher than .357 because his BA will be higher than .261. I also think he'll get a lot more ABs than this. Newly acquired CF Marlon Byrd will obviously get the bulk of the playing time, but given how injury-prone and streaky Soriano is and how bad Fukudome is against lefties, I would expect Fuld to get somewhere between 200 and 250 ABs.

John Grabow - 4-4, 0 saves, 4.00 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 78 games, 72 innings, .248 BAA, 8.4 H/9, 0.9 HR/9, 4.3 BB/9, 7.6 K/9

This projection is certainly possible, as the numbers are all right around Grabow's career marks. But Grabow has posted career-bests in just about every pitching category the last 2 seasons. I think these numbers represent the worst case scenario for the Cubs, which actually isn't too bad. Will Grabow regress? James seems to think so. To quote Futurama, my guts says maybe.

Gabe Kapler - .262/.326/.421 for an OPS of .747, 101 games, 275 PAs, 252 ABs, 66 hits, 17 doubles, 1 triple, 7 HRs, 23 BBs, 4 SBs, 3 CS, 37 runs scored, 34 RBIs, 106 total bases

Hard to argue with these numbers. I wouldn't be surprised if Kapler wound up with a season like this. But then I also wouldn't be surprised if he did a little better. Assuming Joe Maddon platoons Kapler properly and doesn't have him face too many righties, he could easily duplicate what he did last year with the Rays.

Ian Kinsler - .275/.348/.489 for an OPS of .837, 145 games, 635 PAs, 575 ABs, 158 hits, 36 doubles, 3 triples, 27 HRs, 60 BBs, 28 SBs, 7 CS, 106 runs scored, 84 RBIs, 281 total bases

Sounds about right. If Kinsler can stay healthy and play 145 games, I could definitely see him with a line like this. If he's moved into the 5th hole in that Rangers lineup, I would expect his RBI production to go up. I also think he'll be CS fewer than 7 times. This would be a good year for Kinsler. He would set career-highs in runs scored and total bases. Might even be good enough for Silver Sluggers at second base.

Jason Marquis - 12-11, 4.37 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 32 starts, 202 innings, .268 BAA, 9.3 H/9, 1.0 HR/9, 3.4 BB/9, 4.9 K/9

I believe James made these projections before Marquis signed with the Nats. They all seem very plausible to me, except the wins. I just can't see Marquis winning more than 10 games on that team. John Lannan, who is similar to Marquis, hasn't been able to win more than 9 games the last 2 seasons with the Nats. Hopefully, the newest members of their pen (Brian Bruney, Eddie Guardado, and Matt Capps) will be able to hold onto leads for Marquis. I also think Marquis will give up fewer than 1.0 HR/9 pitching at Nationals Park.

Scott Schoeneweis - 2-2, 0 saves, 4.65 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 53 games, 31 innings, .268 BAA, 9.3 H/9, 1.2 HR/9, 3.8 BB/9, 5.8 K/9

Who knows if Schoeneweis will even play in 2010? But if he does land a job somewhere, this could be as good as it gets from him. He's on the wrong side of 30, and he just came off a devastating year - in more ways than one. Obviously, last season he was emotionally compromised. Can he bounce back?

Josh Whitesell - .267/.364/.438 SLG for an OPS of .802, 46 games, 120 PAs, 105 ABs, 28 hits, 6 doubles, 0 triples, 4 HRs, 15 BBs, 0 SBs, 0 CS, 13 runs scored, 17 RBIs, 46 total bases

After hitting just below the Mendoza Line last season, I'm sure Whitesell would readily take a .267 BA. I know I would. But if Whitesell does hit around .267, his OBP will surely be higher than .364. Whitesell has excellent plate discipline. I'd like to think Whitesell will get more than 105 ABs, but it's possible he may not even get that many.

Kevin Youkilis - .289/.394/.492 for an OPS of .886, 149 games, 642 PAs, 557 ABs, 161 hits, 42 doubles, 1 triple, 23 HRs, 85 BBs, 6 SBs, 3 CS, 98 runs scored, 95 RBIs, 274 total bases

Coming off 2 stellar seasons with an OPS above .950, this is a rather conservative projection for Youk. If he hits around 10 points below .300 as James seems to think he will, I have no objections. But if he hits .300 or above as I believe he will, his SLG will be higher and his OPS will be higher. This year, I think we could be looking at an OPS around .920. I myself predicted Youk would hit under 25 HRs and over 40 doubles, so of course I have to agree with James there.