Tagged: Raul Ibanez

Winter 2013 Free Agent Offensive Leaderboard

Games Played

  1. James Loney Rays 81
  2. Melky Cabrera Blue Jays 78
  3. Josh Hamilton Angels 76
  4. Adam LaRoche Nationals 76
  5. Carlos Pena Astros 75
  6. Ichiro Suzuki Yankees 74
  7. Mike Napoli Red Sox 74
  8. Yuniesky Betancourt Brewers 74
  9. Lyle Overbay Yankees 71
  10. B.J. Upton Braves 71

At-Bats

  1. Melky Cabrera Blue Jays 309
  2. Torii Hunter Tigers 296
  3. Josh Hamilton Angels 291
  4. Marco Scutaro Giants 276
  5. Mike Napoli Red Sox 275
  6. James Loney Rays 274
  7. Ichiro Suzuki Yankees 263
  8. Adam LaRoche Nationals 257
  9. Carlos Pena Astros 249
  10. Nick Swisher Indians 248

Runs

  1. Torii Hunter Tigers 44
  2. Josh Hamilton Angels 41
  3. David Ortiz Red Sox 40
  4. Nick Swisher Indians 38
  5. Mike Napoli Red Sox 37
  6. Carlos Pena Astros 37
  7. Adam LaRoche Nationals 36
  8. Marco Scutaro Giants 35
  9. James Loney Rays 34
  10. Nate Schierholtz Cubs 33

Hits

  1. Torii Hunter Tigers 88
  2. Marco Scutaro Giants 88
  3. Melky Cabrera Blue Jays 86
  4. James Loney Rays 86
  5. David Ortiz Red Sox 75
  6. Mike Napoli Red Sox 73
  7. Ichiro Suzuki Yankees 72
  8. Michael Bourn Indians 69
  9. Adam LaRoche Nationals 66
  10. Josh Hamilton Angels 64

Doubles

  1. Mike Napoli Red Sox 21
  2. Torii Hunter Tigers 20
  3. Nate Schierholtz 19
  4. Marco Scutaro Giants 17
  5. James Loney Rays 17
  6. Lyle Overbay Yankees 17
  7. David Ortiz Red Sox 17
  8. Nick Swisher Indians 16
  9. Stephen Drew Red Sox 14
  10. Josh Hamilton Angels & Russell Martin Pirates 14

Triples

  1. Stephen Drew Red Sox 6
  2. Juan Pierre Marlins 2
  3. Raul Ibanez Mariners 2
  4. Kelly Johnson Rays 2
  5. Nate Schierholtz Cubs 2
  6. Ichiro Suzuki Yankees 2
  7. Marco Scutaro Giants 2
  8. Melky Cabrera Blue Jays 2
  9. Adam LaRoche Nationals 2
  10. David Ortiz Red Sox & Josh Hamilton Angels 2

Home Runs

  1. Raul Ibanez Mariners 18
  2. David Ortiz Red Sox 16
  3. Travis Hafner Yankees 12
  4. Adam LaRoche Nationals 11
  5. Nate Schierholtz Cubs 11
  6. Kelly Johnson Rays 11
  7. Josh Hamilton Angels 1o
  8. James Loney Rays 9
  9. Mike Napoli Red Sox 9
  10. Jason Bay Mariners and Lyle Overbay Yankees 9

Runs Batted In

  1. David Ortiz Red Sox 57
  2. Mike Napoli Red Sox 54
  3. Raul Ibanez Mariners 44
  4. James Loney Rays 40
  5. Kelly Johnson Rays 39
  6. Adam LaRoche 35
  7. Travis Hafner 35
  8. Lance Berkman Rangers 34
  9. Nate Schierholtz Cubs 34
  10. Lyle Overbay Yankees 34

Walks

  1. Carlos Pena Astros 38
  2. Nick Swisher Indians 37
  3. Lance Berkman Rangers 36
  4. David Ortiz Red Sox 36
  5. Adam LaRoche Nationals 34
  6. Mike Napoli Red Sox 32
  7. Stephen Drew Red Sox 28
  8. Russell Martin Pirates 27
  9. Travis Hafner Yankees 27
  10. Jason Bay Mariners 25

Strikeouts

  1. Mike Napoli Red Sox 98
  2. B.J. Upton Braves 85
  3. Josh Hamilton Angels 80
  4. Carlos Pena Astros 77
  5. Adam LaRoche Nationals 74
  6. Stephen Drew Red Sox 67
  7. Nick Swisher Indians 63
  8. Kelly Johnson Rays 63
  9. Michael Bourn Indians 60
  10. Rick Ankiel Astros/Mets 60

Stolen Bases

  1. Juan Pierre Marlins 18
  2. Ichiro Suzuki Yankees 12
  3. Michael Bourn Indians 11
  4. Shane Victorino Red Sox 9
  5. Angel Pagan Giants 6
  6. B.J. Upton Braves 6
  7. Kelly Johnson Rays 6
  8. Nate Schierholtz Cubs 5
  9. Russell Martin Pirates 5
  10. James Loney Rays & Jason Bay Mariners 3

Batting Average

  1. Marco Scutaro Giants .319
  2. Eric Chavez Diamonbacks .319
  3. David Ortiz Red Sox .318
  4. James Loney Rays .314
  5. Michael Bourn Indians .3o3
  6. Shane Victorino Red Sox .299
  7. Torii Hunter Tigers .297
  8. A.J. Pierzynski Rangers .287
  9. Nate Schierholtz Cubs .286
  10. Melky Cabrera Blue Jays .278

On-Base Percentage

  1. David Ortiz Red Sox .407
  2. Marco Scutaro Giants .372
  3. James Loney Rays .367
  4. Lance Berkman Rangers .362
  5. Eric Chavez Diamondbacks .362
  6. Mike Napoli Red Sox .349
  7. Shane Victorino Red Sox .349
  8. Michael Bourn Indians .348
  9. Torii Hunter Tigers .342
  10. Russell Martin Pirates .339

Slugging Percentage

  1. David Ortiz Red Sox .610
  2. Eric Chavez Diamondbacks .571
  3. Nate Schierholtz Cubs .541
  4. Raul Ibanez Mariners .538
  5. James Loney Rays .474
  6. Mike Napoli Red Sox .447
  7. A.J. Pierzynski Rangers .444
  8. Delmon Young Phillies .441
  9. Travis Hafner Yankees .437
  10. Adam LaRoche Nationals .434

On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage

  1. David Ortiz Red Sox 1.017
  2. Eric Chavez Diamonbacks .933
  3. Nate Schierholtz Cubs .876
  4. James Loney Rays .841
  5. Raul Ibanez Mariners .832
  6. Mike Napoli Red Sox .796
  7. Marco Scutaro .789
  8. Adam LaRoche .777
  9. A.J Pierzynski Rangers .766
  10. Delmon Young Phillies & Travis Hafner Yankees .757

Wins Above Replacement

  1. Russell Martin Pirates 3.0
  2. Shane Victorino Red Sox 2.4
  3. David Ortiz Red Sox 2.1
  4. Marco Scutaro Giants 2.1
  5. Nick Swisher Indians 1.7
  6. Nate Schierholtz Cubs 1.7
  7. Michael Bourn Indians 1.6
  8. James Loney Rays 1.6
  9. Mike Napoli Red Sox 1.6
  10. Ichiro Suzuki Yankees 1.3

These stats are through Saturday’s games.

Raul Ibanez only gets better with age

Raul Ibanez is the baseball equivalent of a fine wine, he just gets better with age. Ibanez leads the Mariners in both home runs (17) and RBI (42). He is tied for 6th in home runs in the American League. Ibanez has more home runs than former home run champs Jose Bautista and David Ortiz. With his two home runs in today’s game, Ibanez becomes the first 40 plus year old player to hit home runs in consecutive at-bats since Moises Alou in 2007. He is the second oldest player on the team at 41 years old. Henry Blanco is the oldest player at 41 years and 298 days old.

Ibanez joins a very exclusive club. The club consists of several Hall of Fame players. This club is made up of players that have hit the most home runs at 41 years old. The members of this club are: Ted Williams (29), Barry Bonds (28), Darrell Evans (22), Dave Winfield (21), Stan Musial (19),  Graig Nettles (16), Reggie Jackson (15), Willie McCovey (15), Carlton Fisk (13), Hank Sauer (12), Hank Aaron (12) and Harold Baines (11). Ibanez needs to hit 13 home runs over the next 85 games to break Williams’ home run record for age 41. He only needs 18 home runs to break Darrell Evans’ home run record for most home run after 40. Both of these records can be easily broken.

Having a fine season later in his career is not a new development for Ibanez. Last season, Ibanez hit 19 home runs and drove in 62 runs in 130 games with the Yankees at age 40. Ibanez hit a career-high 34 home runs with the Phillies in 2009 at age 37. He became a first time All-Star in 2007 as well. From ages 35-40, Ibanez has averaged 22 home runs and 89 runs driven in a season. As of today, Ibanez has 17 home runs and 42 RBIs in 55 games for the M’s. He has the chance to hit his 5-year averages in home runs and RBIs. Raul has the chance to be the most productive hitters in baseball history after the age of 40 and has the potential to play for years to come.

AL West News and Notes

-Mariners’ reliever Yoervis Medina recorded his first career. Medina worked a clean 10th inning to secure the save. He becomes the second Mariner in the four games to record his first big league save. Oliver Perez recorded his first save against the A’s on Friday.

-Josh Hamilton had a horrible time at the plate last night. Hamilton grounded into three double player and struck out twice in five at-bats. Angel fans started booing Hamilton after his third double play ground out. 

-Four of the five runs scored in last night’s Mariners vs Angels came from solo home runs (Ibanez, Smoak, Trumbo and Pujols). Kendrys Morales had the only RBI that didn’t came from a solo home run. He batted in Kyle Seager to score the game winning run in the 10th. This was the first Mariner win in Anaheim in four games. The Mariners had been outscored 30-4 by the Angels in their first three home games against the M’s.

-Astros’ third baseman Matt Dominguez hit his first career grand slam against the Brewers last night. He hit the slam in the 7th inning off reliever Tom Gorzelanny.  Dominguez is having a career year. He has already established career-highs in: games played (68), at-bats (246), runs (26), hits, (58), doubles (12), home runs (10), RBI (40), walks (7) and strikeouts (39). 

-Albert Pujols has been tearing up Mariner pitching in the last two games. Pujols is 5-9 with a home run and two RBIs in the first two games of the series.

-Ranger starter Yu Darvish hasn’t won a start since May 16th against the Tigers.

-A’s starter Jarrod Parker has won four of his last five starts. He hasn’t lost a game since May 22nd against the Rangers. Parker pitched 7 innings of two run ball to earn a win against the Rangers last night.

-Joe Blanton struck out 11 Mariners over 6 2/3 innings pitched last night. This has to be some kind of record for most strikeouts in a game for a pitcher with only a win in 14 starts.

-Mariner starter Jeremy Bonderman has performed well since a lackluster first start against the Twins. Bonderman pitched 14 innings of scoreless ball until a Mark Trumbo home run in 2nd inning of last night’s game. He has only allowed two runs over his last 20 innings of work.

Mariners News

The Mariners have signed pitcher Jeremy Bonderman to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training on Friday. Bonderman has not pitched in the majors since 2010 due to injuries. In his last big league season, Bonderman had a 8-10 record with an ERA of 5.53. At 30 years old Bonderman still has a chance to comeback and be a productive pitcher in the majors. Last season, the M’s signed veteran pitcher Kevin Millwood to a similar deal and became a solid contributor to the rotation.

This is another low-risk signing for the M’s. If Bonderman has fully recovered from his injuries, he can be a very serviceable starter in back end of the rotation. But if the injuries are too much for him to comeback from, the team could either send him down to the minors or release him. The Mariners have had success with non-roster invitees making the roster in the past. Players that have made the roster were Adam Kennedy, Mike Sweeney, David Pauley, Kevin Millwood and Sean White all were no roster players that made an impact on the club in the past.

Also, the Mariners signed DH/OF Raul Ibanez to a 1 year contract worth 2.75 million tonight. Ibanez had stat lines of .240/19/62/.308/.453/.761 with the Yankees last season. Raul had a very memorable Postseason. He hit a home run to tie the game in the 9th then hit the game winning home run an in his next at-bat to beat the Orioles. Ibanez was a originally drafted by the M’s and has played two stints with the club. His first stint was from 1996-2000 while the next stint lasted from 2004-2008. During the latter stint Ibanez averaged a .290 batting average with 23 home runs and 98 RBIs a season. Ibanez was one of my favorite players during his second stint with club.

Ibanez’s role with the club will most likely be a part- time player. He will see time at DH and in the outfield from time to time. This move brings veteran leadership to a club that doesn’t have very many veteran players. Ibanez joins Jason Bay, Robert Andino, John Jaso, Kendrys Morales, Jesus Montero, Franklin Gutierrez and Oliver Perez as players with Postseason experience on the current roster. It seems like whenever the M’s have good leadership, the club performs to at it’s highest level. When the M’s made it to the players in years past it had a lot to do with the veteran leadership the club possessed.

The signing of Ibanez improves the bench. But it leaves the bench very left handed hitter heavy. This move also could mean the end or demotion of Justin Smoak. Smoak has showed glimpses of dominance during his tenure with the M’s. But he has never had a full season were everything has clicked. The M’s have signed a lot of DH/1B type players, so there is going to be an odd man out. It would appear that Smoak has the chance to be that man. Right now, the M’s would probably have to send him to Tacoma rather than trade him because his value is low at the moment, after rough 2012 campaign. The M’s still need to add another power bat in the outfield if this team is going to compete with the upper echelon teams in the AL West.

2012 All-Playoff team (Offense)

LF- Delmon Young Tigers
Reason: ALCS MVP with 4 game winning RBI. His stats lines are 2/8/.317/.364/.512/.876. He was the most consistent power threat with Cabrera and Fielder struggling in the first two playoff rounds.
CF- Nate McLouth Orioles
Reason: Most consistent hitter for the Orioles in the playoffs. Led the Orioles in playoff RBI as the leadoff hitter. His stat lines were 1/5/.308/.321/.462/.783
RF- Carlos Beltran Cardinals
Reason: Had stat lines of 3/6/.357/.440/.714/1.154. Continued his great Postseason numbers this season.
3B- Pablo Sandoval Giants
Reason: Broke a Giants franchise record with an RBI in 6 straight games. Also became the 4th player in WS history with 3 homers in game 1. His stat lines are 6/13/.368/.393/.754/1.148.
SS- Marco Scutaro Giants
Reason: Was named the NLCS MVP. Tied a NLCS record with 14 hits and currently has 7 multi hit games. Stat lines are 0/7/.339/.383/.411/.794.
2B- Daniel Descalso Cardinals
Reason: It was hard to pick him over Brandon Phillips but Descalso was a difference maker in the Cards making it to the NLCS. In the Divison Series he hit a game tying 2 run double in the 9th of game 5 against the Nationals. Stat lines were 2/6/.234/.260/
1B- Matt Carpenter Cardinals
Reason: None of the first baseman had very good postseason but Carpenter performed well in his limited At-Bats. His stats lines were 1/3/.286/.412/.571/.983.
C- Yadier Molina Cardinals
Reason: This is another category filled with under performance would have gone with Posey if he had better stats. Molina proved to be the most consistent threat at the plate for catchers and behind the plate no team tried to run on him. Stats lines were 0/4/.265/.345/.286/.631.
DH- Raul Ibanez Yankees
Reason: Hit a game winning homer and 2 game tying homers in the Division Series against Baltimore. He along with Ichiro Suzuki were the offense for the Yankees this Postseason. Stat lines were 3/5/.318/.423/.773/1.196.
Tomorrow I will be back with my picks for the bench and pitching staff.