Can Albert Pujols Get the MLB Phat Back?
Another domincano who inked a 10-year, $240 million deal, albeit a few years back, was Albert Pujols. It brought him from St. Louis to Artie Moreno’s Anaheim Angels. The results thus far, have been less than phantastic. The Angels have failed to reach the World Series his first two years, which should not be an indictment of Pujols, as he posted similar numbers his first year with the Angels as he did with the Cardinals. Yet, 2013 saw injuries resulting in only 99 games played and a significant decrease in production. At 34-years-old, Pujols still may have a few years in him, but he will need to return to his old form and see the Angels go deep into a playoff run in order to quell the naysayers.
Is Johan really No-han?
It seems like only yesterday when Johan Santana pitched his no-hitter for the Mets, a first in the club’s history. It gave the franchise a bright spot and hope that Santana would return to form and lead them to similar moments. Yet, in early 2013 Santana re-injured his shoulder and required season-ending surgery. In 2014, the Met’s brought out the remainder of Santana’s contract making him a free-agent. It’s a tough place to be for a pitcher who sat out an entire year and is coming back from his second major shoulder surgery. Enter the Baltimore Orioles. They have signed Santana to a minor league deal and invited him to spring training. While it’s pretty clear he won’t be on the Opening Day roster, don’t count him out yet. Word has it he is being closely monitored by the organization and brought along cautiously. While a long shot, we may see the venezolano as a mid-season option for the birds.
Puig Blowback
Last June, 23-year-old Cuban dynamo Yasiel Puig arrived on the MLB scene and almost single handedly turned the Dodgers fortune around. Since then he’s been under a microscope unlike no other in pro baseball. Everything he does – good or bad – is dissected, analyzed and reported on ad nauseam. Outlets like HuffPo and SBNation are already writing about Puig fatigue. Will the backlash begin this season? About a week ago, the Dodgers held a team meeting to address Puig’s performance on, and off, the field. Who called the meeting is up for debate. Many sources indicate Don Mattingly did so he could squash any beef before the season started. Yet just a few days ago, in a tweet by @DodgerNation, GM Ned Colletti confirmed to @MLBNetworkRadio that “Puig called the team meeting and asked his teammates how he could get better.” To channel Allan Iverson, we say: “Team meetings, we talkin’ about team meetings?” Who called the gathering is irrelevant. What is important, is that everything this kid does will continue to be scrutinized. Here’s a tip Yasiel, call Derek Jeter, he’ll give you the playbook on how to handle big market media on a big market team and come out on top.
