Baez Named National League Championship Series Co-MVP

Posted on October 23, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Javier Baez has etched his name in the MLB history books…

The 23-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball infielder for the Chicago Cubs has been selected as a National League Championship Series co-MVP alongside starter Jon Lester on Saturday night, after leading the Cubs to their first NL pennant since 1945.

Baez hit .318 (7-for-22) with five RBIs against the Los Angeles Dodgers, picking up right where he left off in the division series.

The versatile Baez also made a couple of the most exciting plays in the NLCS, stealing home during Chicago’s victory in the opener and robbing Adrian Gonzalez of a hit with a terrific, bare-handed scoop in Game 5 on Thursday night.

“Just having fun,” Baez said. “Living my dream, playing like a little kid, moving everywhere, catching the ball and making plays.”

Next up for Baez and the Cubs: the World Series against Francisco Lindor and the Cleveland Indians, beginning Tuesday night in Cleveland.

Baez and Lindor are part of a dynamic group of young players from Puerto Rico that also includes Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa.

Baez “grew up in Puerto Rico, played a lot of baseball as a youth, played a lot of winter ball,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s been taught properly and well. And when he goes out there, man, you saw him before the game sitting on the bench, saw him waving into the camera. He’s just being himself. I love that.”

Lester and Baez became the first NLCS co-MVPs since Cincinnati Reds relievers Rob Dibble and Randy Myers in 1990.

The Cubs grabbed Baez with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 amateur draft. He made his major league debut in 2014 but really turned into a consistent force this year, batting .273 with 14 homers and 59 RBIs while playing several different positions.

Urias to Make MLB History During Game 4 of the National League Championship Series

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Julio Urias is ready to hit the mound while making history in the process…

The 20-year-old Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers will start in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs.

When he throws his first pitch, Urias will become the youngest postseason starting pitcher in Major League Baseball history, surpassing a mark previously held by Bret Saberhagen, when he took the mound as a 20-year-old in 1984.

Urias will be 20 years, 68 days old when he pitches in Game 4.

“Julio, I think that we expect him to just go out there and compete, use his pitch mix and go after these guys,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Give us a chance to win a baseball game. It’s what Julio’s done all year long.”

The Mexico native made his major league debut at the age of 19, when he took on the New York Mets in New York on May 27. It was a rough night, as he lasted just 2 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on five hits and four walks.

Five days later, he made his first of two appearances against the Cubs and struggled again, giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits in five innings at Wrigley Field.

Urias rebounded to go 5-2 in his rookie season with a 3.39 ERA in 18 appearances, 15 of them starts. Taking out those first two outings, Urias posted a 2.73 ERA. In his second matchup with the Cubs, at home on Aug. 27, he gave up one run on six hits in six innings while matching a season high with eight strikeouts. He earned his fifth victory of the season in that game.

He will enter Wednesday’s outing, though, having been used sparingly down the stretch. Urias pitched just 14 innings in September as the Dodgers curtailed his innings. They had originally decided to move him to the bullpen in an attempt to limit his innings, but he has been on hand as a fourth starter since the postseason started.

He was not asked to start in the five-game NL Division Series, although he did pitch two scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ Game 5 victory, earning a spot in the NLCS.

Urias has thrown as many as 100 pitches just once this season and reached the 90-pitch mark just four times. Roberts said he is less concerned with pitch count this time around and will primarily monitor effectiveness.

“I think that we’ve kind of monitored his usage throughout the regular season, but I think right now for me, it’s not necessarily the pitch count,” Roberts said. “A lot of it is the stressful innings, too. It’s going to be a big game. So if he’s throwing the baseball the way we expect, then I’m not afraid to push him to help us win a baseball game.”

Baez Makes Chicago Cubs History in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Life’s a steal for Javier Baez…

The 23-year-old Puerto Rican Chicago Cubs second baseman stole home in the second inning of Saturday’s National League Championship Series game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, becoming the first Cubs player to do so in the postseason since 1907.

Baez reached second base on a hustle double and advanced to third on a wild pitch before stealing home.

With pitcher Jon Lester at the plate, Baez ventured off third base as Lester turned to bunt. Lester took the pitch, and catcher Carlos Ruiz immediately threw to third base, trying to catch Baez napping.

Instead, Baez took off for home, beating third baseman Justin Turner’s throw back to Ruiz and scoring the Cubs’ third run of the game.

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Baez is the first player to steal home in any postseason game since Elvis Andrus in the 2010 American League Championship Series.

Arrieta Homers Against the San Francisco Giants to Help the Cubs Make MLB History

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

He may be an all-star pitcher, but Jake Arrieta has batted his way into the headlines.

The Chicago Cubs became the second team in history to have two pitchers hit home runs in a postseason series when Arrieta took San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner deep in the second inning of Monday night’s Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

The 30-year-old part-Puerto Rican baseball star hit a 1-2 pitch out to left field for a three-run home run, two days after Cubs relief pitcher Travis Wood homered against the Giants in Game 2.

It’s the first time since the 1924 Giants that two pitchers from the same team have gone deep in a playoff series; 1924 also was the last time a relief pitcher hit a home run in the postseason.

“It was probably the best pitch I threw to (Arrieta) in the at-bat,” Bumgarner told the Chicago Tribune. “I was thinking about going to the breaking ball, but the way it looked to me, I didn’t see any need to. Sometimes you feel like you can help a guy out by slowing it down. But from what I saw, I felt like I was making the right pitch. He just made a good adjustment.”

Arrieta’s homer gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead, but the Giants battled back and eventually prevailed 6-5 in 13 innings in a game that lasted more than five hours. The San Francisco victory prevented a Cubs sweep.

Arrieta is the fourth Cubs pitcher to hit a home run in the playoffs, while Bumgarner gave up his first long ball to an opposing pitcher in his seven-plus major league seasons. It also ended Bumgarner’s 24-inning postseason scoreless streak and his separate streak of 24 shutout innings with the Giants facing postseason elimination.

It was Arrieta’s fifth career home run and third this season.

Puig Hits First Home Run Since Being Recalled by the Los Angeles Dodgers

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Yasiel Puig strikes back…

The 25-year-old Cuban baseball player hit a three-run homer in the third inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ come-from-behind, 7-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.

Puig’s blast put the Dodgers ahead 3-2 in his second start since being recalled last week after a month-long demotion to the minors. It was his first homer since he returned to majors.

“The homer was great. It was a big hit for us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But the at-bat quality he had throughout the day, hitting the cutoff man, throwing to the right base, backing up — there’s a lot of things Yasiel did today to help us win a baseball game.”

In the Dodgers’ 4-2 loss to San Diego on Friday, Puig went 2-for-4. In his two stints with the Dodgers this season, Puig is hitting .265 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs.

“I’m very happy with the opportunity my teammates have given me, very thankful for their support, and it motivates me to do better on the field,” Puig told MLB.com after the game. “When you do your job, everything works out better — when you prepare, when you’re in the dugout. Those are the things I didn’t do before and now I’m doing them.”

The NL West-leading Dodgers took two of three from last-place San Diego, increasing their lead to three games over the San Francisco Giants, who lost to the Chicago Cubs 3-2 in 13 innings.

Arrieta Undresses for ESPN The Magazine’s “The Body Issue”

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Jake Arrieta is baring it all…

The 30-year-old part-Puerto Rican baseball star appears in only his birthday suit in ESPN The Magazine‘s eighth annual The Body Issue.

The Chicago Cubs ace dropped trou for photographer Marcus Eriksson for the special issue, in which the world’s top athletes take off all their clothes and pose for photographs that help celebrate the athletic form.

Arrieta, a Cy Young Award winner who has pitched two no-hitters, is considered one of the best pitchers in baseball, appears on the cover of this year’s Body Issue.

“The offseason is where I really put my body to the test. I try and push the boundary as far as I can while still getting a decent amount of recovery time,” says Arrieta of his workout regime. “The days where I really want to tax myself and replicate late-inning situations where your legs are heavy, I’ll do about an hour of cardio beforehand, usually on a StairMaster. So I can replicate situations late in games, late in the season, where that nervous energy is at a heightened point and you have to control your emotions knowing your body is not completely where you need it. That’s where the mental mindset comes in most.

Arrieta, who trains with Pilates in the offseason and in-season on a daily basis, believes his flexibility is his No. 1 asset.

“Three years ago, the splits was something I told myself I was going to be able to do by the end of that offseason; it took me two years to actually do it,” says Arrieta. “Hamstring flexibility and hip mobility for me are the two most important factors on the field. Obviously we need to have a strong shoulder, strong scap, strong lats and a durable elbow to have longevity as a pitcher, but being durable and being mobile in the hips and flexible in the hamstrings take so much pressure and stress off of my arm. My flexibility is a huge asset.”

But Arrieta is also fit mentally, especially when he’s on the field.

“The way that you present yourself on the mound is so tremendously important. That was one of the biggest takeaways for me as a young kid from Nolan Ryan, from Roger Clemens, from Randy Johnson,” says Arrieta. “The look in their eyes that they had, whether they were a nice guy or not, they looked like they wanted to tear your head off when they took the mound. That’s the way I like to be. I expect to win, I expect to beat everybody I play. It’s kind of that quiet confidence that I have inside that I try to present to the opponent without getting too overboard. Because there are times when I seem composed but inside I’m losing my mind.”

Arrieta to Bare All in ESPN the Magazine’s annual The Body Issue

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

He may play for the Chicago Cubs, but that doesn’t mean Jake Arrieta isn’t afraid to show he’s also a Chicago Bare…

ESPN has released the starting lineup for ESPN the Magazine’s annual The Body Issue, in which the world’s top athletes take off all their clothes and pose for photographs that help celebrate the athletic form.

And the 30-year-old part-Puerto Rican baseball star, the MLB wins leader in 2015, has made the cut, along with UFC fighter Conor McGregor, U.S. women’s national soccer team member Christen Press, Super Bowl MVP Von Miller and Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade.

Arrieta, who is following up his 2015 Cy Young Award-winning season with an impressive 2016 campaign, is a well-known fitness fanatic. He’s lauded the use of Pilates as part of his remarkable comeback story. He currently has an 11-1 record with a sparkling 1.74 ERA for the Cubs in 14 starts this season.

The Body issue will also feature the first transgender athlete to appear in its pages, American duathlete Chris Mosier. Retired diver Greg Louganis — at age 56 — is the issue’s oldest.

“HIV taught me that I’m a lot stronger than I ever believed I was,” Louganis said. “I didn’t think I would see 30, and here I am at 56.”

ESPN hasn’t released the full listyet, but has said the issue will include ten men and nine women.

Arrieta is the latest Latino athlete to be featured in ESPN the Magazine’s The Body Issue, including Major League Soccer star Omar Gonzalez, Miami Marlins star Giancarlo Stanton and futbolista Carlos Bocanegra.

Soto Agrees to One-Year Deal with the Los Angeles Angels

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Geovany Soto is heading to the city (and team) of angels…

The 32-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball catcher, a free-agent, has agreed to a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels.

The team announced the move Tuesday night, one day after losing catcher Chris Iannetta to the Seattle Mariners in free agency.

Soto has played for four teams in 11 major league seasons. The former Chicago Cubs backstop spent last season on the other side of town with the Chicago White Sox, batting .219 with nine homers and 21 RBIs in 78 games.

A solid defender, Soto also has played for Texas Rangers and Oakland A’s. He was the National League Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in 2008 with the Cubs.

Soto will team with Carlos Perez behind the plate for Los Angeles.

Perez shared the job last season with Iannetta, whose offensive production plummeted in his fourth season with the Angels.

Arrieta Wins Cy Young Award for Best Pitcher in the National League

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Jake Arrieta is a pitching god…

The 29-year-old part-Puerto Rican professional baseball player and Chicago Cubs pitcher won the Cy Young Award for best pitcher in Major League Baseball for 2015, alongside the Houston Astros‘ Dallas Keuchel.

Arrieta handily beat runner-up Zack Greinke in the voting for the National League, while Keuchel received enough votes to squeak past second-place finisher David Price in the American League.

In the National League, Arrieta finished second in innings pitched with 229 and posted a 1.77 ERA, second to Greinke, whose ERA was 1.66. Arrieta had a solid first half of the season, but he caught fire down the stretch, helping the Cubs to the playoffs for the first time since 2008. In his last 15 starts, Arrieta posted a minuscule 0.75 ERA.

Keuchel, who has been with the Astros for four seasons, led the American League in innings pitched with 232 and finished with a second-best earned run average of 2.48. He struck out 216 batters — good for fifth in the league.

Here’s how the voting broke down, from the Baseball Writers Association of America.

American League

Dallas Keuchel, 186 points (22 first-place votes)
David Price, 143 points (8)
Sonny Gray, 82 points (1 second-place vote)
Chris Sale, 30 points (3 third-place votes)
Chris Archer, 29 points (10 fourth-place votes)

National League

Jake Arrieta, 169 points (17 first-place votes)
Zack Greinke, 147 points (10)
Clayton Kershaw, 101 points (3)
Gerrit Cole, 40 points (2 third-place votes)
Max Scherzer, 32 points (13 fourth-place votes)

Ibañez Among Finalists for Tampa Bay Rays’ Manager Role

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Raúl Ibañez may soon be taking on a new role in baseball…

The 42-year-old Cuban-American professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter is among the finalists to replace Joe Maddon as manager of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Ibañez, a Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star in 2009, is up against Kevin Cash and Don Wakamatsu for the role.

Dave Martinez, the Rays’ bench coach for the past seven seasons, was among seven candidates dropped Friday. Also cut were Barry Larkin, Doug Glanville, Manny Acta, Craig Counsell, Charlie Montoyo and Ron Wotus.

Tampa Bay said interviews with the finalists will be scheduled for the week of December 1. Maddon left the Rays after nine seasons to manage the Chicago Cubs.

“The decision on Dave Martinez was especially difficult,” Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman said in a statement. “He’s played a key role in our organization’s evolution, and he’s done all he can to put himself in position to be a manager. In the end, we determined that our clubhouse would best benefit from a new voice that will add to our already strong and cohesive culture.”

Ibañez has spent 19 seasons in the major leagues with the Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels and has 305 homers and 2,034 hits. He helped the Royals win this year’s AL pennant.

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