Cervelli and Denorfia: Entirely Different Septembers

Just prior to leaving for Italy on September 2, I wrote my "Where Are They Now?" posts about Italian WBC players Chris Denorfia and Francisco Cervelli, giving both of them some props for their contributions to their respective playoff-contending teams this year. Well, if you believe in superstition, then I gave good luck to one while completely jinxing the other, as they experienced entirely different individual and team results from that point until the end of the season.

Denorfia went 8-for-45 (.178) in September, walking three times for a .245 OBP, with just one RBI and two runs, in 20 games. He tried to make up for it by going 5-for-11 in three October games, but overall his performance from September 2 on (.232 BA, 3 BB, 7 SO, 1 RBI, 3 R, 2 SB) did not help his team in their quest to make the playoffs. As you may recall, at the time I wrote my post about Denorfia, the Padres had the best record in the National League. After that, they lost 16 of 30, and ended up losing the NL West by two games to the Giants, and the wild card by one to the Braves.

Cervelli, on the other hand, shrugged off the slump I wrote about in my post and went 13-for-31 (.419), with 6 RBI, 8 runs, 12 walks and a .578 OBP, in 15 games after September 2. The Yankees' performance (12-16) didn't exactly mirror his, but they won enough games to qualify for the postseason.

Where Are They Now? The 2009 Italian WBC Team, Part 3

Alex Liddi was born in Sanremo, less than an hour from the border of France in northwest Italy. He was signed by the Seattle Mariners just a month after his 17th birthday in 2005. He started two of Italy's three World Baseball Classic games in 2009, going 3-for-8 and driving in two runs, both in the team's 6-2 upset victory over Canada.

Following the WBC, Liddi proceeded to tear apart the high-A California League, batting .345 with 44 doubles, 23 HR and 104 RBI in 129 games for the High Desert Mavericks. This performance won him league MVP and the Mariners' 2009 Minor League Player of the Year honors. For a little perspective, though, I should point out that the California League is a hitters' league and High Desert is an extreme hitters' ballpark.

Liddi was promoted to AA this year and turned in a solid season for the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx. While his numbers were not as eye-popping as those he produced last year, he did lead the league in RBI with 92, while batting .281 with 37 doubles and 15 HR in 134 games. Having just turned 22 in August, Liddi's 2010 performance showed definite progression and, while I'm far from an expert on the Mariners farm system, there's a strong chance he'll be promoted to AAA in 2011.

According to Wikipedia, Alex is the first Italian-born position player to play professional baseball in the United States. However, this is not true. Reno Bertoia (1953-1962) and Hank Biasetti (1949) were major league players born in Italy, but since they both grew up in Canada rather than Italy, I suspect this is where the Wikipedia article is misinformed. Regardless, if and when Liddi does reach the majors, he'll be the first native of his country to do so since Bertoia.

Where Are They Now? The 2009 Italian WBC Team, Part 2

Francisco Cervelli was born in Venezuela, to an Italian father and a Venezuelan mother. He was the starting catcher for Italy in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. With just three major league games under his belt at that point, significantly less than veterans Nick Punto and Frank Catalanotto, he was clearly one of the emotional leaders of the team.

Recalled by the Yankees in early May of 2009 due to an injury to Jorge Posada, he was pressed into full-time duty a few days later when backup catcher Jose Molina went down as well. He went 12-for-42 (.286) for the month, and posted a respectable .298 average in 94 at bats for the season. This year, the Yanks opted not to bring Molina back, and entrusted the backup catcher role to Cervelli. He played tremendously when Posada was injured earlier this year, but has since come back down to earth. Prior to games of September 2, he was hitting .251 with 32 RBI in 235 at bats, including a .371 mark (13-for-35) with runners in scoring position and two outs.

Cervelli's lack of power—1 HR in 334 career AB—and solid, but not outstanding, defensive skills—15.8% caught stealing rate in 2010—probably mean his career outlook is as a backup catcher, but his exceptional leadership ability at the ripe young age of 24 ensures that he'll be welcome in almost any clubhouse.

Where Are They Now? The 2009 Italian WBC Team: Part 1

Connecticut native Chris Denorfia was easily the player whose 2009 World Baseball Classic performance stood out the most to me. He played a very good center field and was 4-for-10 with three doubles at the plate. Italy scored just seven runs in their three WBC games, with Denorfia scoring two and driving in another pair. This didn't translate into success in professional baseball, however. The 28-year old spent almost the entire 2009 season at the Oakland Athletics' AAA affiliate, Sacramento, batting .271 with 9 HR, 49 RBI, 15 SB and 62 runs.

Signed by San Diego in the off-season and called up to the big club in May, he has made the most of his major league opportunities with the National League's top team this year. Aided in part by injuries to Scott Hairston and Tony Gwynn Jr., but mostly due to his own performance, Denorfia has seized the starting center field position and been a key contributor to the Padres' surprising season. Prior to games of September 2, he was hitting .281 with 9 HR, 35 RBI, 6 SB and 38 runs in 76 games.

Denorfia is a solid all-around player, but pretty much a career minor leaguer until this year. Already reaching his 30th birthday in July, there's not a lot of upside for Chris's major league career, although it appears there's potential he could settle into the role of solid fourth outfielder for several more years.

Where Are They Now? The 2009 Italian World Baseball Classic Team

With KJ and I headed to Italy for our belated honeymoon, I got to thinking about how the Italians rate in terms of this blog's three major subjects: baseball, music and beer.

Well, it's pretty safe to say that Italy is not known for its craft beer—I believe there's another alcoholic beverage it's considered famous for—and successful musicians from there are not really my cup of tea. Certainly no offense intended to Italian composers, but it really can't be said that I love the way Puccini lays down a tune, nor is Verdi always creeping from my room.

So, I decided that baseball is the realm of the three mentioned that Italy is best at. After all, it is the second best European country at the sport, with the Netherlands being the best, of course.

I got to see the 2009 Italian World Baseball Classic team in action when I traveled to Toronto back in March of 2009, so I thought I'd write a few entries about the post-WBC success of a few of those players. Of course, many of the players on that team were actually Americans of Italian descent, but there were a select few who captured my interest and who have gone on to achieve modest success in American professional baseball.

Unfortunately, I had intended to write more, but only completed two entries before leaving on my trip. I've scheduled them to appear in this blog over the next couple of weeks. I'll have to continue the series after I return, as time permits.

WBC/Toronto Highlights

My trip to Toronto for the opening round of the World Baseball Classic certainly had its share of highlights, some related to baseball and some not. The following is a wrap-up of some of the trip's most memorable moments and some of my favorite observations, about subjects ranging from Canadian beer to Dutch coaches.

Canada certainly is not known for its quality beer, but that's not to say I didn't check out a few of their offerings. I have to say that nothing I drank in Toronto really changed my opinion, though, but it wasn't for a lack of trying. Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale was a very drinkable brew, but they have no business calling it an IPA, as it went down more like an above average golden ale. Rickard's Red was my most commonly ordered selection, despite the fact that it was quite mediocre. I didn't realize it was brewed by Molson Coors until I got home and read about it on their web site. I drank a couple Sleeman Cream Ales at the Rogers Centre and, although it was served in plastic cups and is far from my favorite style of beer, it was probably the best I had on the trip.

One myth that was debunked during my time north of the border was a prior impression that Canadians are much nicer than Americans. Not only did I find out that this is not true, I came away feeling that Toronto fans may actually be almost as obnoxious as their counterparts in Boston and New York. In case you're scoring at home, this would rank them as worse than your average Americans. Their primary targets were Adam Dunn, apparently for having the nerve to defend himself against completely undeserved criticism from Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi; Ted Lilly, because Toronto's former manager, John Gibbons, was an even bigger idiot than Ricciardi, and came out on the wrong end of a confrontation with the former Jays pitcher; Derek Jeter, due to the fact that he's the captain of a franchise that puts theirs to shame; and Frank Catalanotto, because he was only good enough to make an Italy team that embarrassed Canada by knocking them out of the Classic.

On the other hand, Venezuelan fans—who, by the way, greatly out-numbered fans of Team USA—had a much better reason for booing Magglio Ordonez and Victoria Mata. Ordonez is a supporter of Hugo Chavez, and Mata—the country's sports minister who threw out the first pitch prior to last Sunday's game—is one of the Venezuelan president's minions. It was interesting being there and getting to ask the opinions of these very proud people first-hand.

The Rogers Centre, although built prior to Major League Baseball's wave of modern stadiums, was a pretty nice place to witness a game. Our seats were seventh row and just to the first base side of directly behind home plate, so I have to admit it would have been difficult to not be in awe considering that. One unique thing about the park that my traveling companions and I got a real kick out of were the vending machines that dispensed 20-year old packs of baseball cards, with the original gum still in them. We didn't chew the gum, but I got a John Smoltz rookie card in the first pack that I bought.

While the USA-Canada game last Saturday was quite exciting, the most memorable World Baseball Classic action we witnessed was on television. On Tuesday night, on our way back to the hotel after Venezuela's second victory over Italy, we stopped off at a bar to watch the final few innings of the elimination game between the Dominican Republic and the Netherlands. During one of the Dutch team's frequent celebrations—they even poured out of the dugout when Gene Kingsale, representing the potential winning run, went from first to third on Carlos Marmol's throwing error—I noticed the name Meulens on the back of one of their jerseys. When I commented to my friend Dave that it must be former Yankee Hensley Meulens, he didn't know who that was. This was a little surprising considering that Dave's extensive knowledge of the game rivals that of almost anyone I know. Then, following the Netherlands' exciting come-from-behind 11th inning victory, we opened the packs of cards we had purchased from the Rogers Centre vending machine earlier in the evening. One of Dave's cards was none other than Curacao native Hensley Meulens.

We did do some non-baseball related sightseeing while we were there. The Hockey Hall of Fame was, as expected, nowhere near as impressive as its baseball counterpart, but it certainly measured up to the museums celebrating immortality in the other "lesser" sports—football and basketball. The CN Tower provided some awe-inspiring views of the city, but the day we visited it was too windy to go all the way up to the skypod of the Western Hemisphere's tallest free-standing structure.

I find the concept of international baseball to be pretty exciting, but there are a number of factors preventing the Classic from truly rising to the level of a tournament to determine the champions of the world. That discussion, however, will have to wait for a later post.

WBC Update #3

Without either Felix Hernandez or Armando Galarraga available, and with Victor Zambrano the starting pitcher for Venezuela—coming off a rough outing in his last appearance versus Team USA—it seemed the pitching matchup for Wednesday night’s Toronto pool finale favored the U.S. team. But, in fact, the Americans’ fourth starter, Jeremy Guthrie, turned out to be the weakest link. After starter Ted Lilly gave up one run in three innings of work, and relievers LaTroy Hawkins and John Grabow combined for a scoreless fourth, Guthrie’s ineffectiveness turned out to be the United States’ downfall. Allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks in two-plus innings of work in a 5-3 loss, Guthrie’s outing was easily the worst of any U.S. pitcher in the Classic so far.



Venezuela rested their regular catcher, Ramon Hernandez, and second baseman, Jose Lopez, and it was their replacements who provided the spark the team needed, both at the plate and in the field. Henry Blanco—filling in for Hernandez at catcher—and Marco Scutaro—starting for Lopez at second base—combined to produce four of their team’s five runs, and both contributed key defensive plays. Blanco’s, though, was the game-changer, as he alertly threw out Derek Jeter on the back end of a double steal in the 9th to thwart a potential US rally.

Neither of Team USA’s stars from Sunday’s victory over Venezuela—Chris Iannetta and Mark DeRosa—started in Wednesday’s game, but Iannetta came off the bench to hit a two-run homer that cut a 5-1 deficit in half and got them back in the game in the 8th. However, an ill-conceived double steal—or base-running mistake by Jeter—and a rare poor at bat by Kevin Youkilis spoiled a potential 9th inning rally against Venezuela closer Francisco Rodriguez. These outcomes also prevented an interesting matchup between K-Rod and his new teammate David Wright, who was in the on-deck circle when Youkilis struck out to end the game.



The win for Venezuela makes them the winner of the Toronto pool, although in a true double-elimination tournament the two would square off for one more game to decide the champion. But, that’s basically a moot point, as both teams earned a berth in the next round. Venezuela will take on the Classic’s dark horse, the Netherlands, while Team USA draws a matchup with the winner of the San Juan pool, Puerto Rico.

WBC Update #2

For Saturday’s game versus Team USA, the pro-Canadian crowd exceeded 42,000 and provided a considerable amount of energy to their strong effort and near upset of the bracket’s favorite. On Monday night, in an elimination game against lowly Italy, only 12,000 were in attendance. Was it because a victory over the Italians was a foregone conclusion? Apparently not, as Italy pulled off a 6-2 upset to knock the hosts of the Toronto bracket out of the tournament.

Italy scored single runs in each of the game’s first four innings, with center fielder Chris DeNorfia plating the first run on an infield single, doubling and scoring the third, and doubling home the fourth run. Overall, the Oakland Athletics prospect was 4-for-4, with three doubles, a walk, RBI and two runs scored.

Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the 4th, it looked like Canada’s vaunted offensive attack was poised to get them back in the game when Joey Votto, Justin Morneau and Jason Bay started the inning with three consecutive doubles. But, the two runs those hits produced were all the scoring the Canadians would generate for the entire game, as Mark Teahen and Pete Orr would strike out to spoil that rally, and the team would be held to just three hits and three walks for the remainder of the game.

Italy used only three pitchers in the game, with left-handers Dan Serafini and Chris Cooper playing critical roles in shutting down Canada’s predominately left-handed lineup. Right-hander Jason Grilli pitched effectively as well, after a rough outing against Venezuela in the opener, pitching the final 3 1/3 innings and allowing no runs on just one hit and two walks, while striking out two.

After the loss, Team Canada is left to ponder what overall was a disappointing showing, considering the optimism that their upset victory over the USA in 2006—and near upset this year—provided them with. Italy’s celebration was short-lived, though, as it meant another showdown with Venezuela on Tuesday night.

I use the term showdown lightly, though, as the game was anything but. Once again, Tuesday night’s Italy-Venezuela game was scoreless for a few innings, but in the bottom of the 4th, the cream began to rise to the top. After Italy’s starter, Adam Ottavino, was removed following three innings of one-hit, no-run ball, Tiago DaSilva came on and was touched up for four runs—two unearned due to a Nick Punto error on a double-play ball that could have gotten them out of the inning with only one run across—on three hits and a walk, before he was relieved by Kasey Olenberger.

Italy’s third pitcher got out of the 4th without any further damage, but did not fare as well in the 5th. That inning started with back-to-back moon shots from Bobby Abreu and Miguel Cabrera, followed by a Magglio Ordonez double that chased Olenberger. After Italy’s fourth pitcher, Luca Panerati, retired Carlos Guillen, B.J. LaMura came on and was promptly greeted by Jose Lopez’s two-run homer on the first pitch he threw. Five pitches later, Ramon Hernandez added Venezuela’s fourth home run of the inning and the rout was officially on.

Italy did, however, manage to avoid the mercy rule, losing by a final score of 10-1, but I’m not certain they considered that much of a moral victory. As was the case with Saturday’s Venezuelan victory, their pitching staff completely shut the Italians down, with starter Enrique Gonzalez’s four innings of no-run, two-hit ball setting the pace.

A USA-Venezuela rematch on Wednesday night will determine seedings for the next round, but with both teams advancing regardless of the outcome, it will be somewhat comparable to when Major League Baseball staged one-game playoffs to break division ties in which the loser was still going to earn the wild card. Regardless, given the passion of the Venezuelan fans—who significantly out-numbered their American counterparts in Sunday’s game—and the fact that there is something to play for—even if there is zero motivation to go all-out by bringing Jake Peavy back on three days rest, for instance—the game should still provide a good deal of excitement.

WBC Update #1

The Toronto bracket of the 2009 World Baseball Classic got off to an exciting start on Saturday with the opening game between the USA and Canada. What looked like a pretty one-sided pitching matchup between 2007 NL Cy Young winner Jake Peavy and Mike Johnson turned out not to be, as Johnson performed commendably, and Canada led 2-1 after three innings.

Canada’s staff ace looked impressive in the first inning, as he yielded a one-out double to Derek Jeter and fell behind Chipper Jones 3-0, before coming back and striking out both Jones and Team USA cleanup hitter David Wright. His luck ran out in the 4th, however, as he gave up a leadoff home run to Kevin Youkilis and—two batters later—a two-run homer to Brian McCann. The Americans later built a 6-3 lead after six innings, powered by another two-run homer, this time from Adam Dunn.

Canada wasn’t going down that easily, though, as they rallied with single runs in the 7th and then in the 9th. But, J.J. Putz got Jason Bay to fly out to right, with Joey Votto—following his RBI double that capped a 4-for-5 performance, including a solo homer off of Peavy in the 3rd—representing the tying run at second base.

In Saturday’s night cap, Italy gave Venezuela a surprisingly tough battle in a game that remained scoreless until a 4-run Venezuela rally in the bottom of the 5th. By that point, Italy had squandered several opportunities, as they hit Venezuela starter Carlos Silva hard, but had nothing to show for the seven hits and one walk he gave up in his four innings of work.

Italy’s Mark DeFelice turned in the strongest performance of any starting pitcher in the bracket so far, holding Venezuela scoreless—on three hits and no walks—through four innings. But, it was Italy’s bullpen that proved to be their undoing—in addition to their lack of timely hitting—as relievers Jason Grilli and Lenny DiNardo were the victims of Venezuela’s 5th inning rally. Another run allowed by the Italians pen in the 7th and two more in the 8th added to the deficit, and Venezuela came away with a 7-0 victory.

Venezuela’s key offensive performances came from Melvin Mora, who went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI, and Jose Lopez’s 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Carlos Guillen also added a solo homer and Bobby Abreu two hits and two RBI for the victors. Felix Hernandez was the star, though, throwing four innings of one-hit ball in relief of Silva, while striking out four and walking two.

Sunday night’s winners bracket matchup between the USA and Venezuela was certainly the most highly anticipated showdown of all, but the Americans put on an offensive display in a 15-6 rout. The game clearly exposed the Venezuelans major weakness as their bullpen. Starter Armando Galarraga left after four innings with a 3-2 lead, but relievers Victor Zambrano, Carlos Vasquez and Yoel Hernandez were roughed up in an 8-run Team USA 6th inning rally that was keyed by Chris Ianetta’s three-run double, Dustin Pedroia’s two-run double and Youkilis’ two-run homer. Interestingly enough, the inning had started with Youkilis reaching first on a strikeout and wild pitch, as he chased a curve in the dirt that then deflected off the catcher and over the backstop.

Another highlight of the USA's impressive rally was the following photo of Derek Jeter giving a high-five to Pedroia, which also provides a pretty good indication of how good our seats are for the games:


Mark DeRosa was also a key offensive performer for the USA, contributing a two-run double, bases-loaded walk and sacrifice fly, for a total of four RBI. Adam Dunn and Ryan Braun also added solo homers in the 7th and 9th innings, respectively. Team USA’s bullpen wasn’t dominating, but turned in an important collective performance, allowing three runs over the final 5 1/3 innings, after starter Roy Oswalt struggled, giving up three in 3 2/3 IP.

This weekend’s two victories mean that Team USA has assured that they will advance to the tournament’s next round in Miami. Tonight’s matchup is between the losers of Saturday’s game—Canada and Italy—for the right to take on Venezuela on Tuesday. The winner of Tuesday’s matchup will play the USA in the finals of the Toronto bracket on Wednesday, but the game will be virtually meaningless, as both teams will have already clinched a berth in Miami.

World Baseball Classic

On Friday, I head to Toronto for Pool C of the first round of the World Baseball Classic. Call me crazy for choosing to go north to witness an international tournament that doesn't have too many people genuinely excited, when I could have gone south for Spring Training. But, for some reason, I'm quite interested in the concept of international play, and I'll also be meeting up with a couple of old softball teammates who have since moved out of town.

Pool C's entrants are the USA, Canada, Venezuela and Italy. USA is clearly the pool favorite, as well as co-favorites with the Dominican Republic to win it all, particularly due to the fact that Johan Santana and Carlos Zambrano have bowed out of the competition and off of Venezuela's roster. Their starting rotation will likely consist of Felix Hernandez, Armando Galarraga and Carlos Silva or Ramon Ramirez, with Francisco Rodriguez holding down the back end of the bullpen. Venezuela's offense is looking fairly strong, powered by Tigers teammates Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen, in addition to Bobby Abreu, Melvin Mora, Jose Lopez, Endy Chavez and super-sub Marco Scutaro.

USA's roster has taken a few hits recently, but remains strong with starting pitchers Jake Peavy, Roy Oswalt, Ted Lilly and Jeremy Guthrie; and a deep, but not star-laden, bullpen of Heath Bell, Jonathan Broxton, J.J. Putz, Scot Shields, Brad Ziegler, Joel Hanrahan, Matt Lindstrom and J.P. Howell. Offensively, the USA squad features several serious position battles: catcher (Brian McCann, Chris Iannetta); shortstop (Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins); and third base (Chipper Jones, David Wright); but have only four outfielders on their roster (Adam Dunn, Curtis Granderson, Shane Victorino, Ryan Braun), thus making utility man Mark DeRosa all the more important. I believe they use the DH rule in the WBC, making it likely that both Jones and Wright will be in the middle of the lineup together, making for a potent offensive attack that will also include Red Sox teammates Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis.

Canada has some offensive star power, including first baseman Justin Morneau and outfielder Jason Bay, who team with catcher Russell Martin, first baseman Joey Votto, and outfielders Matt Stairs and Mark Teahen to make for a pretty solid lineup. They had better be able to score runs, though, as their team's pitching staff is unimpressive, with Scott Richmond (5 starts in 2008) and Mike Johnson (32 career starts from 1997-2001) being the only players on the roster with any experience as major league starters. Twins relief pitcher Jesse Crain will probably be there to close out a win over Italy, but that's about all the success this squad should expect to have.

The biggest names on Italy's roster are Frank Catalanotto and Nick Punto, so it will be interesting to see how competitive they are on the field. Most likely, they'll leave Toronto winless.

Two of the four teams from each pool will advance to the next round, so it's probable that we'll see the USA and Venezuela move on, but all it will take is one upset victory by Canada to put them in the mix. I suppose stranger things have happened.