It looks like former Detroit Tiger outfielder Jacque Jones has found a new home. According to Mike Phillips of the Miami Herald, Jones will be the Marlins starting Center Fielder. Right now the Marlins (at top the NL East) have been using a Cody Ross/Alfredo Amezaga platoon.

With the signing, Amezaga will return to his duties as utility infielder, and Ross will assume the role of fourth outfielder. Now, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, is reporting the same thing - but the stories similarity's end there. Rosenthal is reporting that Jones will report to extended Spring Training, and then will ride the pine as the Marlins fourth outfielder.

In 79 at-bats Jones was hitting .165/.244/.253 with a OPS+ of 38 in 24 games before getting cut loose by the Tigers.

Ryan Howard had a great week, perhaps the first time he can say that all season. Starting May 13 and ending May 18, Howard put up a line of .318/.400/.773 including 3 HR and 6 RBI. However, he also struck out 10 more times to bring his total to 64 and put him on pace for 220 if he gets a reasonable 650 plate appearances.



Taking a look at Josh Kalk's card for Howard once again, we see that he still hasn't done anything with sinkers and sliders though it seems he hasn't been given too many sinkers. He's only done as well as singling on curve balls and change-ups.

His BABiP has climbed to .233, indicating that some of his bad luck is turning around. As we noted in the third installment of The Ryan Report, Howard's LD/GB/FB percentages were 18.6/42.9/38.6 but the last week has brought them to 21.0/43.0/36.0 showing that Howard has been hitting what would have been lazy fly balls two weeks ago for line drives. His batted ball ratios are now almost exactly in line with his line for 2006: 21.9/41.9/36.2.

Finally, for my favorite part of The Ryan Report, a pointless comparison between his strikeout total and that of the game's elite starting pitchers.

Major League Baseball Strikeout Leaders

Ryan Howard, PHI: 162 AB, 64 K

Tim Lincecum, SFG: 56.1 IP, 63 K

Edinson Volquez, CIN: 54.1 IP, 62 K

Jake Peavy, SDP: 58.2 IP, 60 K

Javier Vazquez, CHW: 58.2 IP, 58 K

Johan Santana, NYM: 60.0 IP, 57 K

Roy Halladay, TOR: 72.0 IP, 57 K

Felix Hernandez, SEA: 67.1 IP, 57 K

C.C. Sabathia, CLE: 54.1 IP, 57 K

As for homers, Howard's 10 is still tied with 5 pitchers and behind 5 others, including teammate Brett Myers who has been wracked with 15 jacks.

Exit the warrior

Today's Tom Sawyer

He gets high on you

And the energy you trade

He gets right on to the friction of the day

Why did I just quote Rush?

It's early in the season still, but what the heck, let's have some fun. Here are some “brand name” free agents that signed this past winter, along with their “generic” equivalents. This is an extremely superficial analysis, so don't get too hung up on it. Just havin' some fun here…

Silva works a little deeper into games, which is nice. And in a rotation that also includes Miguel Batista and Jarrod Washburn, he'll never be mistaken for the worst option.

Yeah, Cordero's got the big advantage in strikeouts and he's more likely to sustain his current level of performance, but still…

I still don't understand why you sign a 36-year-old catcher to a 4-year deal.

There weren't any significant signings of first basemen.

Bleh to both.

The third base market was kind of silly. There was Alex Rodriguez, Mike Lowell, and everyone else that teams other than the Yankees and Red Sox could afford. No shortstops of note either. Left field? Sorry, the only big name there still hasn't signed.

Not that Patterson has been very good, mind you, but at least he is cheap and hits the occasional home run.

The irony of this one, of course, is that the Royals signed Guillen to replace Brown. What they've gotten is a more expensive version of Brown. Seems to me when you're going for this skill set, you shouldn't pay top dollar for it.

Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and there's plenty of season left. Still, it's interesting to see how similar some of these guys have been so far. As they say, if you can't see the difference, then why pay for it?

Most people hate Monday's, and that includes me. But around Major League Baseball it seems to be one of those busy days.

….According to this mornings Oregonian (print edition) San Diego Padres Catcher Michael Barrett (15 Day Disabled-List) will have a short re-hab stint with the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League starting tonight against Tucson.

….If you're holding your breath waiting for the Atlanta Braves John Smoltz to return from the Disabled List - may have to wait a bit longer.

“It could be anywhere between the [late May] timetable I discussed and
a lot longer,” Smoltz told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for
Monday's editions.

…Cy Young Award Winner and San Diego Padres Ace Jake Peavy will be missing his scheduled start tonight in St. Louis with a cranky elbow (elbow soreness). He'll see team doctors to find out exactly whats wrong. He's feeling discomfort in every pitch.

The Bloggers Roundtable is back this week and we present two Pittsburgh Pirates bloggers to debate five questions.

Charlie - Bucs Dugout
Pat - Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke?

Question 1: With their recent success against competitive teams and climb of the standings, do you see the Pirates making a run for the Wild Card?

Charlie: No. The Pirates' decent start has been driven primarily by four hitters: Xavier Nady, Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit and Jason Bay. Doumit is now injured and I'm not convinced that Nady's start is in any way the real deal. Their rotation is a complete joke and doesn't have much hope for improvement. I think Pat agrees with me on that last point about the rotation, so I'll leave it to him to describe why.

Pat: There are so many things wrong with the rotation right now, I don't even know where the start. Ian Snell seems to have lost his zip, Tom Gorzelanny has lost velocity AND control this year (paging Dr. Andrews…), and the best starter to this point has been Zach Duke, who I don't think could strike out a blindfolded Adam Dunn. Paul Maholm has been his usual inconsistent self, and I really don't think Phil Dumatrait is a major league starter (though he's been better in the rotation than I expected, which doesn't say much). There's some reason to think that Snell and maybe Gorzelanny will come around, but Duke's numbers will almost certainly catch up to him and balance that out. Throw in the fact that there's just no one in AAA to back these guys up in the case of injury, and this truly might be one of the worst rotations in the league.

Ryan Doumit (Bill Richardson/BDD)

Question 2: Which player is the most likely to get traded before the July trade deadline? Why?

Pat: I've got to believe that the answer here is Nady, for a number of reasons. He is off to a great start and I think that GM Neal Huntington knows he's hitting a bit over his head right now. That immediately marks him as a trade candidate. Huntington's asking price is going to be a bit lower for Nady than it is for Bay and to be honest, I'm not certain he's going to be able to convince teams that Bay is worth a lot more given his recent history. Nady's also going to be a free agent after the 2009 season, has Scott Boras as his agent, and plays two positions the Pirates think they have well covered between Andrew McCutchen, Steve Pearce, and Adam LaRoche (whether that's true or not is a different discussion). I don't think Nady's going to be the only player traded, but if I had to pick one, it'd be him.

Charlie: You may have a good point about Huntington's asking price for Bay. Then again, Huntington has to know that he's not going to get a king's ransom, even given Bay's decent start. Huntington shopped Bay in the offseason and the reported returns were disappointing (the Indians offered Cliff Lee and a couple of youngsters, which would have turned out very well, but didn't look so great at the time). I think it's pretty likely that Nady and Bay both go, along with a reliever or two.

Nate McLouth (Bill Richardson/BDD)

Question 3: Is Nate McLouth for real? Please present the player and your projections for this year and the future.

Pat: Honestly, I'm not all that surprised by McLouth's great start. I mean, I didn't think he'd have 11 homers before Memorial Day and I didn't think he'd ever be slugging .615 after the first week of the season, but he's shown pretty good progression as a hitter and was downright productive when the Pirates gave him a shot in the second half last year. He's maybe the first Pirate since Brian Giles who has really able to take aim at the short wall in right in PNC and use it to his advantage. He's going to come back to earth some, because I don't think he's a 1.000 OPS guy or a 30 homer guy, but to see a final .280/.380/.500 line with maybe 25 homers doesn't seem out of the question to me. How he finishes this season will go a long way towards informing us as to whether or not he can do this again. Honestly, though, I'm more intrigued by Ryan Doumit's hot start because it's a little more surprising to me.

Charlie: Giles is an interesting comp for McLouth not just because they're both lefties who are well suited to PNC, but because they're both small-ish outfielders who didn't have a ton of power in their early 20s but otherwise had well-rounded skill sets. Giles gained a bunch of power in his mid-20s, adding home runs to decent speed, excellent contact ability, and a good batting eye. McLouth clearly isn't going to be as good as Giles was, but I'm willing to buy that a lot of the power he's flashed this year is real. Like Giles, he showed good contact ability and a good eye in the minors. McLouth also had speed and doubles power. If a player starts with a skill set like that, it can't be too surprising when other good things happen as he gets older. Maybe I'm looking at this through black and gold-colored glasses, but I think McLouth is a legit 25-homer player. .280/.380/.500 seems optimistic, but not unreasonable.

Question 4: Present a prospect in the farm system that you think is under the radar.

Charlie: This would be an easier question to answer if the Pirates had more prospects to pick from. I'll take Jamie Romak, who was acquired from the Braves with LaRoche. He has a skillset that's unusual among Pirates prospects — power and walks are his game — and the Pirates are moving him slowly despite some impressive performances. They sent him to the Low Class A Sally League last year even though he'd already hit well there the previous year, and this year they did the same thing, sending him back to High A Lynchburg even though he had an .863 OPS there in 2007. Another who comes to mind is Andury Acevedo, a big shortstop who played a handful of games for the Pirates' rookie league team last year as a 16-year-old (!) and hit .444 with three extra-base hits in 18 at bats. That may not mean anything, but I want to see more. The problem is that former general manager Dave Littlefield pursued a low-reward strategy in the draft, so the Pirates' minor league system is now littered with draftees who weren't even all that good in college. Presumably, new GM Neal Huntington's drafts will be different. Pat, what do you think this year's draft will look like?

Pat: That is the million dollar question, isn't it? Huntington and team president Frank Coonelly swear that they're not going to skimp on the draft this year, but that's something that has to be seen to believe. Honestly, I just want them to take a player I feel like I can be excited about. Andrew McCutchen was really the only pick of the Littlefield era that fit that bill, beyond that the drafts were uninspiring “safe” picks that weren't that safe at all. I know the MLB draft is no sure thing, but it's insane how many picks Littlefield pissed away.

Question 5: If you were the general manager, would you commit to a long-term contract with Adam Laroche? Why?

Charlie: No, because he's simply not that good. He's 28, his OPS as a Pirate is now below .800, and his career OPS is .816. Give him a long-term deal that covers his decline years, and he's the next Kevin Young. In fact, LaRoche's late twenties are turning out to be pretty similar to Young's: some power, some glovework, a bunch of strikeouts. Young's decline was hastened by knee problems and LaRoche has healthy knees, but still — aging first basemen generally aren't good investments unless they're great, and LaRoche isn't. Even when he has a run of success, it feels so incredibly fragile. He has a long swing and appears to be lost at the plate for months at a time. LaRoche becomes a free agent after next season. Pat, who do you want to see starting at first for the Pirates in 2010?

Pat: First off, I agree with everything you've said about LaRoche. Acquiring him to be the lefty to take aim at the short wall in right was exemplary of Littlefield's complete lack of understanding of baseball — LaRoche isn't a pull hitter and never has been, but because he took Snell deep a couple of times, Littlefield decided he was. As for first base in 2010, I'd maybe say Steve Pearce. I haven't seen him play the outfield a whole lot, but he's probably better off in his natural position and if McLouth can keep hitting the need for a corner outfielder isn't nearly as pronounced as it was before, presuming McCutchen is the centerfielder in 2010. That said, I'd love a Carlos Pena-type finding at first base (though those sorts of successes are admittedly rare), some big lefty to come in and just take aim at the 310 sign. I don't know how realistic that is, but a guy can dream, right?

Adam LaRoche (David Watson/flickr)

Rick Ankiel is hitting .285/.370/.483 for the St-Louis Cardinals.

Boston  

Jonathan Van Every - Optioned to Pawtucket (AAA).
Chris Smith - Contract purchased from Pawtucket (AAA).
    
Chicago Cubs    

Micah Hoffpauir - Contract purchased from Iowa (AAA).
Daryle Ward - Back injury, 15-day DL (retroactive to May 14).
    
Kansas City    

Joey Gathright - Sore left shoulder, day-to-day.
    
Minnesota    

Carlos Gomez - Missed 1 game (wrist injury).
    
NY Mets    

Scott Schoeneweis - Missed 2 games (illness).
    
Philadelphia    

Carlos Ruiz - Missed 2 games (stomach ailment).
    
Seattle    

Jeff Clement - Optioned to Tacoma (AAA).
Jose Vidro - Missed 1 game (sore back).
    
St. Louis    

Rick Ankiel - Right shoulder injury, day-to-day.
    
Tampa Bay    

Jason Bartlett - Flu, day-to-day.

• Miguel Olivo doubled twice, and Jose Guillen doubled, homered, and drove in 4 runs as the Royals cruised to a 9-3 win over the Marlins.
• Gregor Blanco reached base 3 times, and Yunel Escobar went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI as the Braves took care of the A's, 5-2.
• Shannon Stewart walked, doubled, and drove in 2 runs, and Lyle Overbay smashed a 3-run home run to lead the Blue Jays to a 6-5 victory over the Phillies. Jimmy Rollins was on base 4 times, and Ryan Howard had 2 hits, hit a home run, and drove in 2 for Philadelphia.
• Albert Pujols had 3 hits, Aaron Miles had 2 hits and 2 RBI, and Skip Schumaker singled and later doubled in the winning run as the Cardinals walked-off with a 5-4 win over the Rays.
• Brandon Backe tossed 6 1/3 solid innings, and Miguel Tejada went 3-for-5 and scored two times as the Astros edged the Rangers, 5-4.
• Casey Kotchman and Maicer Izturis each had 3 hits, and Mike Napoli went 3-for-5 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI as the Angels roughed up the Dodgers, 10-2. Jered Weaver struck out 7 while allowing 2 runs over 5 1/3 innings.
• Randy Johnson pitched 7 shutout innings, and Chris Young walked, doubled, and drove in 3 runs as the Diamondbacks blanked the Tigers, 4-0. Mark Reynolds also had 3 hits and scored 2 runs for Arizona.
• Paul Janish went 3-for-3 with a walk, and Adam Dunn and Joey Votto went deep for Cincinnati as the Reds defeated Cliff Lee and the Indians, 6-4. Edinson Volquez ran his record to 7-1, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits in 6 innings for Cincinnati.
• David Ortiz doubled, homered twice, and drove in 4 runs, and Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis each added 3 hits and a home run as the Red Sox out slugged the Brewers, 11-7. Ryan Braun hit 2 home runs and knocked in 4 for Milwaukee.
• John Lannan gave up just one run on 4 hits in 7 1/3 innings, and Cristian Guzman had 2 hits, including a home run, as the Nationals nipped the Orioles, 2-1. Jeremy Guthrie allowed just one run over 7 innings for Baltimore.
• Jason Marquis pitched 6 solid innings, and the Cubs pieced together 4 hits and 7 walks to plate just enough runs to defeat the Pirates, 4-3. Adam LaRoche had 2 hits, a home run, and 3 RBI for Pittsburgh.
• Todd Helton went 2-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBI, and Jeff Francis was solid for 6 1/3 innings as the Rockies rallied to beat the Twins, 6-2.
• Orlando Cabrera hit 2 home runs and drove in 3, and Joe Crede and Carlos Quentin each added 2 hits, a home run, and 2 RBI as the White Sox trampled the Giants, 13-8. Ray Durham picked up 3 hits and 2 RBI for San Francisco.
• Feliz Hernandez gave Seattle 6 strong innings, and Jose Lopez drove in all 3 of the team's runs to lead the Mariners to a 3-2 win over the Padres. Brian Giles had 3 hits for San Diego, and starter Shawn Estes was brilliant on the mound, allowing just one run on 2 hits over 6 1/3 innings.
• Jose Reyes doubled, homered, and drove in 3, Ryan Church walked, hit a home run, knocked in 2 runs, and scored 3 times, and Oliver Perez allowed just 2 runs on 3 hits in 7 2/3 innings as the Mets blew out the Yankees, 11-2.

Sunday's Scoreboard