Interesting MLB News, Notes, Trivia: LA Dodger Player's Weird Part Time Job; Jonathan Sanchez Struggling; Matt Cain's Contract Status

Back in the days before multi-million dollar baseball contracts, Major League Baseball players actually had to work for a living during the offseason.

Although Willie Mays was one of the best major league baseball players, he had to work in the winter for a living

San Francisco Giants' legend Willie Mays, perhaps the greatest ball player of all time, did not have a multi-year contract where he can support himself for the rest of his life. He had to take on a second job in the offseason just to make ends meet for most of his playing career.

Today, only minor leaguers regularly take on second jobs, but there is at least one current MLB player who is actively working to make a living in the offseason. You can find him playing with one of the Giants' biggest rivals.

According to Charlie Steiner during a Los Angeles Dodgers' radio broadcast, Jerry Sands, first baseman for the Dodgers, works as a substitute teacher during the winter months. He was actually called into work during spring training, but he had to politely decline.

By brendan-c on Flickr [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Working for the MLB definitely has a lot more perks than working as a substitute teacher--and a lot more upside.

Any other players or coaches work during the offseason?

You bet. Giants' third-base coach Tim Flannery works as a musician and makes albums, but I am sure it is more for passion than necessity.

If Sands pans out and overtakes James Loney as a regular, it is safe to say his teaching days are over. However, it's always good to have a back-up plan in case he suffers a career-ending injury.

...

Remember our old friend Jonathan Sanchez?

Apparently, he has had a rough go as a Kansas City Royal. The inconsistency continues...

Sanchez has a 21.00 ERA, albeit it in just three innings pitched. He has given up seven earned runs in those three innings on seven hits and two walks.

Opponents are hitting .438 against him and his WHIP is 3.00. A bad start or the Giants looking good for trading him?

According to Jon Miller during a Giants' spring training broadcast, the Royals' brass were concerned about Sanchez's velocity being down. His average fastball was around 89 mph, which concerned Kansas City.


However, during one spring training game, Sanchez was clocked throwing 99 mph.


Knowing Jonathan Sanchez and his tendencies, I believe the sudden velocity jump was a product of Sanchez's frustration. He probably saw people getting on him about his low velocity, so he wanted to prove 'em wrong.


So he aired one out. Gotta love Johnny Sanchez.


...


For those who think Matt Cain will be donning the orange and black for a long time, think again.


According to Andrew Baggarly of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Cain said he was "really torn"about his future with the Giants.


CSN Bay Area also reported that Cain was "excited" about the possibility of free agency.


This does not bode well for the Giants. Anytime a player is excited for free agency, it means big money for the player--money the Giants have had a track record of shying away from.


The Giants do not like to overpay for players, so if Cain demands C.C. Sabathia money, $20-25 million, the Giants' right-handed hurler could be wearing pinstripes. If this were the case, I think Cain would be overly thrilled rather than just excited.


The good news is there is hope that Cain and the Giants could work something out.


Baggarly also reported on March 10 that "it would be a surprise" if Cain's deal does not get done before the season starts.

The Giants open up in Arizona in less than three weeks.


...

By eürodäna via Wikimedia Commons

Will the Giants re-sign Matt Cain? Will Cain get an extension this season? Will Cain get $25 million or more?




Was Jonathan Sanchez's trade worth it? Will Cabrera be more valuable than Sanchez? Is Sanchez's velocity going to be closer to 99 mph or 89 mph? How will Sanchez do in Kansas City?


Will Jerry Sands be a substitute teacher after this season? Will major league players ever work again in the offseason?


We will find out in the weeks and months ahead.

Leave a comment below.

Don't forget to take my poll on the left. Who will start for the Giants at first base this season?




Information from Extra Baggs and MLB.com contributed to this article.

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San Francisco Giants Weekend Wrap-Up: Giants Continue Cactus League Dominance

The San Francisco Giants' biggest concern coming into the 2012 season has been anything but worrisome, at least during the start of the 2012 Cactus League.

The Giants have swung the bats so far in their first 10 games this spring. They stand at 7-3-1 for the spring and have slugged a .326 team batting average.

San Francisco's power numbers have been the best in the Cactus League so far. In 11 games, the Giants lead the league with 18 home runs and 70 RBIs.

The Giants are also second in the league in runs scored with 73. The only team better in that statistic is the Seattle Mariners with 74 runs scored.

Their ability to get on-base has also been encouraging this spring. The Giants lead all of baseball (Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues) in OPS with a .919 clip, and they have a team on-base percentage of .376, good for third in the Cactus League.

Is this foreshadowing the team's 2012 season, or is it a mirage?

It is difficult to say since the ball flies in Arizona, but a couple of players stand out as in-shape and ready to go (I would like to hear your thoughts by commenting below).

Keith Allison/Flickr, Creative Commons

Melky Cabrera continues to have a torrid spring training. Over the weekend, he went 3-for-7 against Milwaukee Brewers Saturday and the Seattle Mariners Sunday, with another double and three RBI.

Cabrera's spring average is now at .542, with three home runs, four doubles, and nine RBI in seven games. He leads the Cactus League in both home runs and RBI.

Here is a quick wrap-up of the Giants' three weekend spring training games:

Saturday (SS):

• Brewers 3    Giants 13  (Tommy Joseph, 2-for-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB)
• Barry Zito: 3 IP, 0 ER, 0 R, 1 H, 1 K
• Giants 5     Angels 9 (Aubrey Huff, 2-for-3, HR, RBI)
• Huff hitting .316 this spring.

Sunday:

• Mariners 5   Giants 7 (Hector Sanchez, 2-for-2, HR, 3 RBI)
• Eric Surkamp (3 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3K)
• Sunday's box score can be found here. 

That is 25 runs in 3 games. It is safe to say that the Giants had a swinging weekend.

On the injury front, Buster Posey and Brian Wilson each played in the game Sunday against the Mariners. Both looked encouraging and appear to be back to form.

Buster Posey went 0-for-2 on Sunday, but caught four innings. With Brian Wilson on the mound and a runner at first base in the second inning, Posey fired a strike to second base to gun down the Mariners' Carlos Peguero in an inning-ending strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play.

Rob Shenk (Flickr) [Creative Commons]

 

In that same game, Wilson pitched a scoreless fourth inning. He gave up a one-out single to Peguero and struck out one.

Wilson's velocity was in the low 90s, but he still effectively and efficiently completed a scoreless inning. Most importantly, Wilson pitched nine pain-free pitches.

I am sure Wilson will crank up the velocity once the games count.

As I write this, I see Aaron Rowand, now with the Miami Marlins, on ESPN strike out on a low and away slider. Classic Aaron Rowand. I smile.



Materials from MLB.com.

Giants go 1-1-1 in Cactus League Opening Weekend; Hector Sanchez Deserves the Backup Catcher Role

If there is one positive sign from this weekend's 1-1-1 Cactus League opening start, it is that there are signs of life.

The Giants scored 18 runs in three spring training contests (albeit one of the games was a split squad with their "B" lineup). In doing so, the Giants looked like a faster, more athletic team and not the station-to-station snoozer offense the Giants displayed in the last couple of years.

Yes, the home runs will be less, but the runs will be there. San Francisco has also added more seasoned, professional hitters such as Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan, who both did excellent in their two games.

In Sunday's 11-1 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks, each went 2-for-4, with an RBI from Pagan that day. For the spring, both are 3-for-7 (.429) and hitting the ball with authority and confidence--even on outs.

Another competition may emerge at first base. Brett Pill and Brandon Belt 3-for-6 and 4-for-8 respectively so far this spring. The incumbent, Aubrey Huff, is 2-for-5 and could be ousted in 2012 if he does not perform in spring training or the first half of the regular season.

The Giants proved last year they have no patience with over-the-hill veterans who do not produce, no matter how much they are paid.

By Cbl62 (via Wikimedia Commons)

To me, Huff's key to success is take more walks, swing at strikes, and go the opposite way more like he did in 2010.

Another bright spot so far this preseason is Hector Sanchez, who is vying for the backup catcher role to compliment Buster Posey. Sanchez, in two games, went 4-for-5, with a home run and four RBI.

Sanchez's counterparts, Chris Stewart and Eli Whiteside, will certainly have their hands full this preseason. Sanchez is coming off a winter ball season where he scorched the ball, hitting .339 with 9 home runs and 39 RBI in 51 games.

Here is my two cents on the catching situation...


Do whatever you can to inject offense into the Giants' lineup, and yes, that means sending Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart down to Fresno or cutting them. Hector Sanchez is a blossoming young hitter who deserves a chance, and although his catching skills need work, he will only get better with major league experience as Buster Posey's backup catcher.

Whiteside and Stewart will just cost the Giants outs in their lineup, something they cannot afford to have. These two hitters are already over 30 and are unlikely to hit any better than .250 at any point in their future careers.

It is time that the Giants do more of seeing what players have--not what they have left. Sanchez is definitely worth a closer look in the big leagues.

...

A rather interesting moment occurred at the ballpark yesterday.

In the top of the second inning, a swarm of bees infiltrated Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, delaying the game for 41 minutes. As the bees moved in from the outfield towards the infield, Diamondbacks and Giants players exited the field.

The bees made their way to the Giants' first-base dugout. Grounds-crew personnel and local fire officials were summoned to get rid of them.

You can see pictures of the bees in this MLB.com article.

Giants' broadcaster Jon Miller described the workers trying to rid the bees as something you would see out of the movie Ghostbuster's. They wore space-men like suits that protected the workers from head to toe.

Runners were at second and third with nobody out at the time of the delay. There was no score.

When play resumed, Giants' catcher Hector Sanchez ripped a single bringing in the first run of the game.

You never know what you will see when you come to the ballpark. Baseball is back folks!



Information used in this article came from MLB.com

Manny Ramirez Goes 0-For-2 in Oakland Athletics Exhibition Debut

Oakland Athletics' slugger Manny Ramirez had a less than stellar first day on the job.

By User shgmom56 on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as "DSC03222") [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Ramirez took two at-bats in the A's Cactus League opener and grounded out both times, including into a double play in the bottom of the first inning. He was the starting designated hitter for that game.

Although Ramirez struggled at the plate today, he told ESPN he felt good.

"At least I was seeing the ball pretty good," Ramirez said.

Ramirez signed a minor league deal worth $500,000 back in February. If he makes the big-league club, Ramirez will have to serve a 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy.

As for Ramirez's new green-beanied wardrobe?

"I like the white uniform. It's beautiful," Ramirez told ESPN. "My friends, they'll be calling, 'Man, you look so good in green.'"

...

Before you all bring out the "I told you so" comments, consider this...

It was Manny's first baseball game in a year. He has not faced live pitching in a real game since the very beginning of last season, and it is a good sign that he even put the bat on the ball today.

Does this mean he is going to start mashing the ball like he did back in his heyday? Definitely not, but if he can give the A's .265, with 20 home runs and 75 RBI, I think Oakland would be very happy.

The bottom line is it is simply too early to tell how Ramirez will do this season based on one preseason game. Even the best of the best go hitless in a game, and look way worse than Ramirez did, but the first game is always overblown simply because there is no past history to go by.

Ah, the quandary sports sometimes is. Strap em' on folks. It's going to be a bumpy ride with Mannywood in town.

...

Will Manny be a contributor for the Athletics this season? Was today's two failed at-bats a microcosm of Manny's 2012 season? Or do you think Manny will tear it up this season?

Will Ramirez do more harm than good for the A's? Will Manny be Manny?

Lastly, is an opening game (whether it be opening day or the preseason opener) overblown too much by the media or is a good start crucial to a baseball player's success.

We will find out as the soap opera called a 162-game baseball season unfolds. Stay tuned....

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Angel Villalona expected to be in spring training (From FeedCrossing.com)

By Troy Nelson

Angel Villalona, the 21-year old phenom who made headlines when he was arrested on murder charges in 2009, will be in camp when the Giants begin preparing for Cactus League action in Scottsdale, Ariz. next month.

According to Bobby Evans, the Giants’ VP of baseball operations, Villalona is still working on getting his U.S. work visa approved but doesn’t anticipate any problems.

Villalona was signed by the Giants for $2.1 million when he was just 16 years old, but fell into trouble in his home land of the Dominican Republic when he was charged with the Sept. 19, 2009 murder of a bar patron in La Romana.

Those charges were dropped when the victim’s family asked the judge to drop the case. (Translation: somebody got bribed.)

Villalona lost over two years of development time because of the legal issues, but the Giants believe he still has the talent to become a major league player someday and placed him on their 40-man roster back in December.

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