When I think of Josh Hamilton and Bryce Harper in the same breath, I wonder what could have been and what could be. Harper homered and doubled tonight so far, his 8th double and 6th homer on the year. He's only played in 35 of the Nats 55 games.

Just saw Harper's homer tonight. Deepest part of Fenway in straightaway center. The kid can hit. He's got all the tools.

I think it's safe to say that Cliff Lee will NOT win the Cy Young award this year. I just hope he wins a game, for the sake of my fantasy team!

I hope nobody still thinks the Indians would be better off with this guy now:

Wed, Jun 6
DH/OF Vladimir Guerrero, 37, is 3-for-17 (.176) with one double, no homers and no RBI through four games for Las Vegas. He had gone 9-for-20 (.450) with four homers and eight RBI in four games for high Class A Dunedin after signing with the Blue Jays last month.
(Yahoo! Sports)
Sat, Jun 9

Guerrero left Saturday's game against Triple-A Fresno after he was hit by a pitch on his left hand, the Fresno Bee reports.

Recommendation: Guerrero had been struggling at the plate since being promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas on Jun. 2, but a hand problem could be more injurious to his prospects of cracking the Jays' active roster. More news about the severity of Guerrero's injury should trickle through in the coming days.
(Rotowire.com)

Blue Jays release Vlad from Minors deal

Anthopolous: Talks with Guerrero's agent 'completely amicable'

By Gregor Chisholm / MLB.com | 06/12/12 6:19 PM ET

TORONTO --

Vladimir Guerrero's tenure with the Blue Jays has come to an end before it ever really got off the ground.

Toronto granted Guerrero's request to be released from his Minor League contract on Tuesday morning. The veteran designated hitter gave the club an ultimatum on Monday night to either promote him to the Major Leagues or grant his unconditional release.

The Blue Jays chose the second option, which makes Guerrero a free agent and enables him to seek employment with another organization.

"We always told him throughout the process that anytime he felt that he didn't want to be here, he had the ability to leave any time," Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. "Even though we don't have out clauses, we had a handshake agreement that any time he could indicate to us that if [he] wanted to go that [way], we would grant him his release."

Guerrero's path to the big leagues hit a road block in recent weeks with the performance of David Cooper. Toronto's first baseman is off to a hot start after being called up to the Majors, entering play Tuesday hitting .314 with two homers and six RBIs in 15 games.

Cooper's presence has kept Edwin Encarnacion in the designated-hitter role, which is where Guerrero would have played if he was promoted to the big league club. Guerrero also has the ability to play some left field, but with declining defensive skills, it's unlikely the Blue Jays would have wanted to give him anything more than a spot start at that position.

The Dominican Republic native has received some positive reports on his production at the plate in the Minor Leagues, but the club felt it still hadn't seen enough to justify a promotion to the next level.

"I told [Guerrero's agent, Bean Stringfellow], 'Look, if we have to make a decision right now, we're not prepared to call him up,'" Anthopoulos said. "So if he wants his release right now, we certainly would do it. If not, I said [assistant GM] Tony LaCava is going to be there [Tuesday], and for the next three or four games. If you'd like, we can just strictly go day to day, when he has obviously has the ability to control the process and he can go whenever he likes.

"But I said if the decision needs to be right now, we'll certainly grant him his release. ... From that standpoint, he played last night and he decided that that was going to be enough for him. He felt that he was certainly worthy of a call up. We're just not prepared to do that right now."

Guerrero made headlines in late May with a strong debut for Class A Dunedin after a stint playing extended spring games. He proceeded to post four homers and eight RBIs in his four games with Dunedin before moving up to Triple-A Las Vegas.

The 17-year veteran then struggled during his first few games in the Pacific Coast League, and received a slight setback after he was hit on the hand during a game on Saturday. He returned Monday night and proceeded to go 4-for-5 with a triple, to up his overall average to .314 in eight games.

Following Monday night's game, Guerrero informed Triple-A manager Marty Brown that he had played his last game for the 51s. He returned to California and said the Blue Jays needed to decide right away whether to promote or release him.

With no clear spot on the roster, Guerrero was released, but contrary to an online report early Tuesday morning, he has not retired. Anthopoulos also disputed a report that said Guerrero was unhappy with the way he had been dealt with, and that he had been lied to by the Blue Jays' organization about what his role would be.

Anthopoulos never had any direct communication with Guerrero, and instead always went through Stringfellow. The two have developed a strong working relationship over the past few years, as the agent also represents Jose Bautista, Francisco Cordero and Luis Perez.

"We stayed in communication, we never forced anything," Anthoplous said. "It was always to make sure everyone was on board with what we were doing.

"Even when [Guerrero] was in Florida, wanted to stay in Florida a little bit longer, no problem. We really worked to the schedule -- other than being called up here -- the way they wanted it set up. We never had any problems at all."

Guerrero spent last season in Baltimore, where he hit .290 with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs while posting a career low .733 OPS. Guerrero has amassed 449 home runs with a .318 average and 1,496 RBIs over his career.

Anthopoulos referred to him as a future Hall of Famer and felt there would still be opportunities for Guerrero somewhere in the American League. Just not in Toronto.

"He was getting better slowly," Anthopoulos said. "Timing was better, more hard-hit balls, but [our staff] didn't necessarily feel that he was all the way there yet. They said he was a great worker, a great teammate, played hard, ran ground balls out, did all those things, everything you want.

"Maybe just timing, felt like he just needed a few more at-bats. He didn't agree, and that's fine. But the dialogue with his agent and everything has been outstanding, completely amicable."

I still think that Guerrero would be worth offering a deal to. Can he possibly do any worse than Damon, Cunningham, Duncan, LaPorta, or even Hafner? Forgot to mention Kotchman! I would be on the phone checking into a deal right now. Couldn't come much cheaper and he knows there is an immediate opening.

Blue Jays release Vladimir Guerrero

Updated: June 12, 2012, 8:08 PM ET

By Enrique Rojas | ESPNdeportesLosAngeles.com

The Toronto Blue Jays have parted ways with Vladimir Guerrero, granting the slugger's request to be released from his minor league contract Tuesday.

Guerrero asked to be released when the Blue Jays decided against promoting the former American League MVP to the majors, his agent told ESPNdeportesLosAngeles.com.

"Toronto informed us that it had no space in the majors for Guerrero, so now we move forward," said Jesus Alou, one of Guerrero's representatives.

Alou said Guerrero, who signed with Toronto on May 10, still intends to return to the majors with another team.

"Vladdy did all he could do to show that he is ready to play in the major leagues," Alou told ESPNdeportesLosAngeles.com. "We believe that another team will appreciate that."

Guerrero gave the Blue Jays an ultimatum earlier Tuesday, a soft deadline that had been extended one day because he missed a game after being hit by a pitch on his hand Saturday.

"We went into this with our eyes wide open, there were no guarantees he was going to come up here," Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. "No promises in that respect. We were going to continue to evaluate him."

After going 4-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs for Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday, Guerrero gathered his belongings and went to his home in Anaheim, Calif.

"Guerrero is ready to play today in the big leagues," a source close to the nine-time All-Star said.

Guerrero, 37, batted .358 with four homers and 12 RBIs in 12 minor league games with the Blue Jays' organization. He agreed to a pro-rated deal last month with a base salary of $1.3 million.

Anthopoulos never saw Guerrero play in the Blue Jays system, but assistant GM Tony LaCava arrived in Las Vegas on Monday for a brief scouting trip. Anthopoulos said reports indicated Guerrero was "slowly starting to get better."

"More hard-hit balls but they didn't necessarily feel he was all the way there yet," he said.

The AL MVP in 2004, Guerrero has batted .318 with 449 homers and 1,496 RBIs during his 16-year career in the majors. He spent last season with the Baltimore Orioles, batting .290 with 13 homers and 63 RBIs.

Washed up is washed up.

Tribe has enough washed up players without adding Vlad.

We have to do something Seagull.

With half the team batting under .230, including Santana and Hafner not that much better, Guerrero could provide a spark. Guerrero is high profile player and a professional hitter. If he does well, at least as well as last year with Baltimore, I think the fans would enjoy watching him hit.

The guys in the front office paid a lot of players this past off season to come in here and protect us against injuries or prolonged slumps. Where are they? I'll take a washed up Guerrero over all the players that signed with us this past off season.

Meggie: Phillips adds Silver to his Gold

Three-time Gold Glove winner presented with first Silver Slugger

By Meggie Zahneis | Archive

06/14/12 12:04 PM ET

Most baseball fans have heard of the Gold Glove Award, the trophy given out to the player deemed to be the best fielder at each position in the American and National Leagues.

But fewer know about its cousin, the Silver Slugger Award, which is presented to the best offensive player at each position, as judged by managers and coaches.

"I think the Gold Glove is more recognized," said Scott Rolen, an eight-time Gold Glove Award winner and a one-time Silver Slugger winner. "I think most people know more about it. I am partial to the Gold Glove. It's an unselfish award to me and shows you play defense behind your pitcher and the team."

Rolen didn't sell the Silver Slugger Award short, though.

"It is rightly so that you recognize a player for being the best hitter in their position," he said. "If you put everybody together, the second baseman or the catcher aren't known as well for their hitting as much as a first baseman or some outfielders. It is good that you get an opportunity to see who the league thinks is the best hitter in the position."

Added Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, who has three Gold Gloves to his name: "Honestly, winning the Gold Glove is so much better than winning the Silver Slugger, because I feel that when you are out there with eight other guys, it is more important to catch the ball than hit the ball."

But Wednesday, it was all about the Silver Slugger Award, as the Reds celebrated Phillips' 2011 trophy as the best offensive second baseman in the NL by giving away an appropriately-colored miniature bat emblazoned with Phillips' name to the first 10,000 fans who entered the ballpark.

Phillips celebrated the night by going 3-for-3 with three RBIs, including a two-run home run off Indians left-hander Nick Hagadone in the seventh inning that gave the Reds an important three-run cushion in their eventual 5-3 victory.

"It's an award for me to be the best offensive player in the league, and it shows that managers and players and people pay attention to my work ethic and how hard I play," Phillips said. "Especially for myself, hitting in different parts of the order, it really shows how versatile I am and how much I put in to win this award. I really never thought that I would win this award. It is just something that really means a lot to me."

And for good reason, according to teammate Ryan Ludwick, who won a Silver Slugger Award in 2008.

"I think it was much deserved," Ludwick said. "[Phillips] worked hard to get that. I'm really proud of him. I played with DatDude [a reference to Phillips' Twitter handle, @DatDudeBP] back in the Minor Leagues, and to see how far he has come and how good of a player he has been at this level for this long period of time here in Cincinnati, it is good to see."

Phillips admitted that he's had to adjust as a hitter, having batted in both the leadoff and cleanup slots this season.

"Hitting leadoff, I had to change my approach to getting on base to help the team, and when I am batting fourth, it is all about driving in the runners," he said. "I try to go out there and drive in runs.

"It is really different for me this year. I thought I was going to be hitting leadoff for the majority of the year, but that hasn't really happened. But I'm just happy that I have my job and try to do what's best for the team."

Hitting cleanup might be what's best for the team, but in Phillips' case, snaring a Silver Slugger Award doesn't hurt, either.

Fri, Jun 15
Manny Ramirez was granted his outright release from the Athletics on Friday, the team's official Twitter reports.
Recommendation: Ramirez requested the release after it appeared he wouldn't get a chance anytime soon to make a return to the big league level. In 63 at-bats with Triple-A Sacramento, Ramirez batted .302 with zero home runs and 14 RBI. Ramirez remains best suited for DH duty, and if the anemic A's offense couldn't find a place for him, it's doubtful he will appear in the majors with any other AL team.
(Rotowire.com)
Fri, Jun 15
DH Manny Ramirez asked for and was granted his release by the A's. He had hit .302 (19-for-63) in 17 games with Class AAA Sacramento. He had not homered during his minor league stint. He had been hitting better recently, however, batting .371 (13-for-35) with 11 RBI in his last nine games. Ramirez, 40, finished a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy on May 29 and he was eligible to play for the A's the following day. More than two weeks had passed since that date, however, and when Oakland returned from playing in National League parks on Friday and did not summon him, Ramirez realized that there was unlikely to be a spot for him soon.
(Yahoo! Sports)

I guess the Phillies signed Thome for his couple weeks as DH. Through yesterday his stats as a DH:

11 hits in 24 AB 3 homers 13 RBI.

I assume he is required to fake another injury when interleague play ends. Are there more of these games later in the summer, after which he can be released, unless the Phils think they'll be in the World Series and will need him for 3 or 4 games in October.

Clemens Is Found Not Guilty in Perjury Trial


Kevin Lamarque/Reuters


WASHINGTON — Roger Clemens, whose hard throws intimidated even the toughest batters and turned him into one of the best pitchers in baseball history, was acquitted Monday of charges that he lied to Congress in 2008 when he insisted he never used steroids or human growth hormone during his remarkably lengthy career.

The verdict, which was rendered by a panel of eight women and four men who are largely uninterested in baseball, came on the second full day of deliberations. It was a major, especially painful, defeat for the government in its second failed attempt at convicting a player whose legal problems highlighted baseball’s continuing drug woes. As the counts of not guilty were announced in the courtroom, Clemens bit his lip and appeared to wipe tears from his eyes.

When it was clear he had been acquitted, Clemens hugged his wife and their three sons.

Last spring, Clemens’s initial trial ended in a mistrial on only the second day of testimony when prosecutors bungled by showing the jury inadmissible evidence. Critics said the prosecution of an athlete like Clemens — a seven-time Cy Young Award winner — was a waste of government time and money, but the United States attorney’s office in Washington pressed forward anyway.

This time, the trial lasted much longer. The jurors heard from 46 witnesses over more than eight weeks before retreating into deliberations last Tuesday afternoon. They had their work cut out for them.

Clemens had been charged with one count of obstructing Congress, three counts of making false statements and two counts of perjury in connection with his testimony to a House committee about his drug use. Under the obstruction count, the jury had to review 13 statements Clemens made to Congress to determine whether he was innocent or guilty of each one. To convict him on that count, the jury needed to find that he had lied only one of those 13 times. He was acquitted of all charges.

When the jurors emerged from their debate, they delivered news that came as a ravaging blow to prosecutors, who had spent more than four years and likely millions of dollars on their case against him.

For Clemens, 49, and his family the verdict was a huge victory — and an obvious relief. If he had been convicted on all counts, he would have faced 10 years in federal prison.

Still, all along, Clemens said that even a complete acquittal would not salvage his reputation, which he said has been permanently damaged by the government’s accusations that he cheated by using performance-enhancing drugs to prolong his career.

Clemens’s acquittal comes as his name is soon to appear on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time. However, the damage done to Clemens’s reputation through the long process of this case makes it highly unlikely that he will receive enough votes from baseball writers — he needs to be named on 75 percent of the ballots — to win induction.

For the government, the acquittal was yet another embarrassing disappointment in a string of failures regarding the investigation or prosecution of high-profile athletes.

Federal prosecutors in San Francisco obtained only one conviction on four counts against the slugger Barry Bonds last year. He was convicted of obstructing justice when he misled a federal grand jury investigating performance-enhancing drug use among elite athletes. He was sentenced to 30 days of house arrest, but he is appealing his conviction.

Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles did not even get that far. They spent more than two years investigating the cyclist Lance Armstrong on fraud and other charges before the United States attorney there dropped the case without any public explanation.

Efforts by the prosecutors in Clemens’s case were just as unfruitful. They spent more than four years investigating and prosecuting him before hearing that a jury did not agree with their claims.

They had begun their inquiry shortly after Clemens was named in a report created by the former Senator George J. Mitchell that exposed widespread steroid and H.G.H. use in Major League Baseball.

Clemens and other players mentioned in that report testified to Congress about drug use in the sport, with Clemens proclaiming: “Let me be clear. I have never taken steroids or H.G.H.”

But prosecutors did not believe him. Clemens was indicted nearly two years ago. Throughout the trial, the government portrayed him as a liar desperate to conceal his secret drug use from the public so he could save what they called “his brand.”

Rusty Hardin, Clemens’s lead lawyer, said again and again that the case should not have happened in the first place because Congress had overstepped its bounds.

“What happened in this case is a horrible, horrible overreach of the government and everyone involved,” he said.

In the end, the trial basically ended up to be Clemens’s word versus the word of Brian McNamee, his former trainer who claimed that he injected Clemens with steroids in 1998, 2000 and 2001, and H.G.H. in 2000. Clemens said McNamee injected him with only the vitamin B12 and the painkiller lidocaine.

Prosecutors conceded that McNamee was a flawed witness, but said that they had enough corroboration of his story to elicit a conviction. The defense said McNamee “cooked the books” to set up Clemens for a fall.

Indians getting their Phil of former employee

Reds' Phillips taking it to ex-mates, making hay in cleanup spot

By Anthony Castrovince | MLB.com Columnist | Archive

CLEVELAND --

Derek Lowe vs. Dusty Baker? Yeah, that was interesting and all, until both sides wisely decided to stop yapping about it.

Mat Latos accusing the Indians of stealing signs? Well, sure, that will hold up for a day or so.

But when it comes to genuine, evergreen Ohio Cup intrigue, it simply doesn't get better than Brandon Phillips vs. his old mates.

It's there in the results, it's there in the backstory, and it's there in the sly smile that creeps across Phillips' face when the topic is broached.

"I don't hate the Indians," he insists.

He just has a funny way of showing it.

Phillips has hit .364 with nine homers, seven doubles and 31 RBIs in 39 career games against his former club, including a .611 average (11-for-18) this season. And while the game is filled with any number of individuals who have certain successes against certain teams as a matter of coincidence or comfort, Phillips' attack on the Tribe has the background to go with the bruising.

"When I was over here, it was kind of hard when people try to change you instead of letting you be your own self and adapting," Phillips says. "I was young. When you look at young players, just let them play. I wish I would have had the opportunity for them to just let me play, but I never had that opportunity. ... It's hard playing for somebody you don't get along with."

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but Phillips didn't get along with former Indians manager Eric Wedge (he referred to him as a "knucklehead" in this particular conversation), and that was the reason the Indians parted with him for a marginal Minor Leaguer named Jeff Stevens at the beginning of the 2006 season. Wedge is long gone, but Phillips hasn't stopped tormenting his old team.

"Where is beating up on the Indians going to get me?" Phillips says. "That's only six games out of 162. But it does feel good to beat up on them.

"They know what they're missing."

He showed them again in a wild one Monday night at Progressive Field, singling to spark a two-run rally in the third, ripping an RBI double in the fifth that basically morphed into an inside-the-park home run, thanks to a Johnny Damon misplay, and singling and scoring again in the ninth to make it too close for comfort for the Tribe.

The Reds ultimately lost, 10-9, because Phillips and friends could only do so much to offset the hole left behind by a brutal start from the simply shaky Latos, for whom stolen signs couldn't possibly have been the only problem. But the Reds still have the upper hand in this season series, thanks to Phillips' seven-RBI effort that propelled them to a sweep in Cincinnati last week.

When Phillips is rolling, the Reds are a particularly dangerous club. Joey Votto is on his now-typical MVP-type pace, but the fact that Phillips has asserted himself so thoroughly in the middle of the order has allowed the Reds' $200 million man some much-needed protection.

One might think that Scott Rolen's return from the disabled list might prod Baker into sliding Phillips back up into the leadoff role, but Baker has taken quite a liking to Phillips' cleanup clout.

Perhaps a speedster like Phillips is best-suited for leadoff duties, but you really can't argue with the recent results. Just as Phillips followed Votto in the long-term extension department, he's followed him with some box-score beauties of late, driving in 25 runs in his last 21 games.

No wonder Baker's not moving him.

"Phillips is a guy who has driven in 90-some runs before," Baker says. "It's not like this is his first time. When I first got here, he was in between Griff [Ken Griffey Jr.]and [Adam] Dunn. ... The cleanup man is exactly what it says. His job is to clean up the bases. Whether you do it with singles or doubles or however, your job is to drive in runs. The last month or so, he's been our second-most productive RBI man, and he was batting leadoff for a good portion of that. If he had been batting cleanup, who knows how many [RBIs] he'd have?"

Over the winter, Phillips focused on the speed portion of his game, doing track work in an effort to improve on last year's tally of 14 stolen bases.

"Next thing you know," he says with a laugh, "I've got two stolen bases. I wish I could steal more bases, but it's hard to do in the four-hole."

It's also hard to do with a bum hamstring, and Phillips played with one for much of the season's first two months. He's feeling better now, and it shows. Because of his low, bat-wagging stance, Phillips relies on his legs even more than most at the plate, so his improved health has had much to do with his improved plate performance.

Much is written and said about Votto's value -- and deservedly so. The guy leads the NL in batting average, OPS, extra-base hits and walks. He is a transcendent talent.

But the Reds needed somebody to shore up that No. 4 spot behind Votto, and No. 4 has stepped up in a big way.

"If it was up to me," Phillips says, "I would just hit leadoff and try to get on base and steal bases. But basically, I'm up for this challenge. Dusty believes in me, this team believes in me and Joey's happy. Somebody had to do it, and I'm happy to do it."

And he seems especially happy to do it in the Ohio Cup.

Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his columns and his blog, CastroTurf, and follow him on Twitter at @Castrovince. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Hellickson to DL; Archer to debut Wednesday

Rays opt to rest young starter due to right shoulder fatigue

By Bill Chastain / MLB.com | 06/19/12 8:05 PM ET

WASHINGTON --

The Rays have placed right-hander Jeremy Hellickson on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder fatigue, and righty Chris Archer will be recalled from Triple-A Durham before Wednesday night's game in Washington to start against the Nationals.

Hellickson said he hasn't been fighting any kind of shoulder problem.

"No, I just felt a little weak, I guess, the last few starts," Hellickson said. "I got an X-ray and everything was fine. There's really no soreness. No pain or anything, a little fatigue. Take a few starts off."

Hellickson made no bones about it, he wanted to make his scheduled start Wednesday night, but was overruled.

"He wasn't highly pleased about it," manager Joe Maddon said. "But we sat down and I talked to him about it. And just tried to reason with him the whole logic behind it, because he really believes he can still pitch [Wednesday]. But we just like the idea of backing off right now. We don't consider it to be critical. We just want to make sure he's able to pitch in the World Series this year."

The plan is for Hellickson to miss his next two starts and Archer to fill his spot.

"Arch is ready to roll, really calm about the whole moment," Maddon said. "We had a nice conversation. All I want to do is have him go out there [Wednesday] and be himself. Don't worry about the scouting reports. Go out there and throw his fastball see what happens."

Archer was 4-8 with a 4.81 ERA in 14 starts for the Bulls. He is looking forward to fulfilling a dream Wednesday night.

"I don't think words can really describe your Major League debut, especially being a starter," Archer said. "I got drafted in 2006 and it's been a dream of mine since I was real small to do this. I know only a small percentage of people get to do it, and I'm going to make the most of it."

Hellickson heads to the DL with a 4-3 record, a 3.45 ERA, 52 strikeouts and 30 walks in 78 1/3 innings.

The right-hander endured his shortest outing of the season his last time out, working 3 2/3 innings Thursday against the Mets. He allowed a season-high eight runs on nine hits, including three home runs.

The poor start followed a 4 1/3-inning effort against the Marlins on June 8 in which Hellickson issued a season-high seven walks. Hellickson's lack of command against Miami and the poor start against the Mets stood as a significant departure from his previous effectiveness.

Hellickson worked at least six innings in eight of his first 11 starts, and he won four of his first six decisions.

Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.