AGRI Biz

Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is a smart man. He graduated from Stanford with a B.S. in Human Biology and from all accounts has been a fundamental aspect of the Phillies' success in recent years.  Amaro is also a baseball man.  He played in the major leagues for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, and Toronto Blue Jays. He spent 10 years as assistant general manager to the Phillies under Ed Wade ...

As I begin to write this article the Jays just blew yet another game in the late innings.  Perhaps I should write about our Bullpen. Moving on. At no other time are roster decisions more paramount to a team's long term success as when that team is rebuilding. The Blue Jays are in a significant transition phase that hasn't been seen in these parts since the early 80's and as I ...

Jermaine Dye. He was the slugging Right Fielder for the Chicago White Sox last season, but has not found a home yet due to his slow finish in 2009. Overall though, he finished the year with decent numbers: 27 HRs 81 RBIs .250 average. He isn't about to retire yet, as he can still provide some power. This offseason, Dye was reported that he was negotiating on a contract with the Padres, first alerted ...

The Yankees lost a tough one yesterday as their bullpen blew a close lead given to them by Phil Hughes who held the Orioles to just one run despite not having his best stuff. It’s a tough way to watch a team lose, but that’s baseball. Here are some news items: Nick Johnson didn’t start yesterday even though he was expected to, but he did pinch hit. Johnson said that his back ...

Caption: Pinch-hitter Mike Lowell heads to first base after drawing a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning…the Red Sox scored the game-winning run on the play en route to a 2-1 win in Toronto. The Red Sox bullpen is so tattered that the front office started the day by promoting starting pitcher Fabio Castro from Pawtucket. In the wake of ineffective performances by LHP Hideki Okajima and RHP Ramon Ramirez, the ...

There were no hit parades between the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Tuesday night. This time, it was a pitcher's duel. The Red Sox came out victorious, outlasting the Blue Jays 2-1 in game two of the three-game series. Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz pitched eight strong innings, allowing one run on seven hits, walked two, and struck out four, while throwing a total of 117 pitches. Blue Jays ...

Thanks to a rain-out on Monday the Mets played the Dodgers twice yesterday. The Mets won the first game 4-0 behind a strong pitching performance by Johan Santana. The offense powered them towards a 10-5 victory in a second game where Oliver Perez couldn’t pitch past the fourth inning. The pair of victories left the Mets in first place, half a game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies. Game 1 Notes Johan Santana’s ...

Everyone take a deep breath. Please remain calm. Promise me you won't give away your stereo, Whitesnake record and other possessions like the depressed guy from that one after-school special. The Yankees are in a slump. They've lost four of their last five games, and now sit 2.5 games behind the Rays in the American League East. Again, do not part ways with your Whitesnake record. Chances are strong the Yankees will right ...

The New York Mets have found themselves atop the NL East after the best home stand to date in Citi Field. The team was falling apart last week, but seem to have turned things around completely. They're arguably the hottest team in baseball right now. What are the Mets doing differently these days? They're taking advantage of other team's mistakes. They're playing clean and smart baseball. They're getting timely hits, solid pitching, ...

Prior to the season I wrote an article entitled “Nolan Reimold: A Solid Option, But Not A 2010 Fantasy Sleeper” (click here to view).  The piece was in response to the many people who were considering Reimold a great sleeper selection to fill out their outfield after hitting 15 HR in 358 AB in ‘09. Over the season’s first month, Reimold has looked even worse than “solid”, and for all intents ...