Ken Davidoff Says No to Piazza; Dodgers Interested in Bobby Parnell

As we all know, January 9th is when the results for who will be included in the 2013 MLB Hall of Fame class is released. The list of this year’s first-timers is star-studded, but also has plenty of question marks because of the steroid era. However, that doesn’t seem to bother Ken Davidoff.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York posted about Davidoff’s votes for the hall, which he tweeted out to his followers. Who made the cut for him? Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Kenny Lofton, Edgar Martinez, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling, Alan Trammel, and Larry Walker. Was Mike Piazzabarely on the outside looking in? No, in Davidoff’s opinion, who ranked him as the 14th most deserving player on his ballot. I don’t know about you, but this is atrocious. I am biased because I’m a Mets fan, but there are plenty of people out there who think Piazza is by far the most deserving of the first timers on the ballot. He was one of the most consistent offensive forces during his career, while playing the hardest position on the diamond, which none of Davidoff’s other selections did. Plus, I can’t believe he would rather vote in players like Bonds and Clemens, who have been linked to performance-enhancing drugs more than anyone else. It goes to show you the kind of people who get the privilege to vote for these things. Everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinion, but come on, bro!

September 11, 2011; Flushing, NY, USA; New York Mets former catcher

before the game against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Sandy Alderson made an appearance on WFAN a couple days ago, and touched upon a few things. First, he’d like to bring in a veteran starting pitcher that has the ability to win approximately 10-12 games this season, and Francisco Liriano is on that list (more to come on that later); they’re still looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder, and he’s aware there is still plenty of work to be done for 2013, especially since he thinks New York can be competitive.

Lastly, Sandy touched upon the year Daniel Murphy had in 2012. He felt Murph adjusted well to his position change at second base, and is becoming serviceable at that spot, but hopes he can show some more power. The 27-year-old hit .291/.332/.403 with 6 homers and 65 RBI in 571 at-bats last season. Although he didn’t trot around the bases much, he did hit 40 doubles, which is a career high. Sandy also said he hopes Murphy can focus more on his approach to the plate now that he has a full year of playing second base under his belt and he’s more comfortable over there. That’s some good logic and I certainly hope he’s correct. Since he he hit so many doubles last season, the power is there; he’s a gap to gap type hitter that will probably top out at 10-15 homers per season, and I think we’ll see him pass that 12-homer personal best he set in 2009.

The Dodgers are still looking to make moves, even after winning the Zack Greinke sweepstakes. They’ve been rumored to be shopping Andre Ethier, and are also looking for bullpen help. While they prefer a left-hander, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports LA has an interest in Bobby Parnell. It would be interesting to see what the Dodgers would offer in such a trade, especially since we found out that Parnell is virtually untouchable this winter. They have a surplus of blue-collar starting pitching in Aaron Harang and former Met Chris Capuano that may be of interest to Sandy, but it would likely take more than that for him to move one of the few relievers that was more productive than not last season.

As a fun fact to get you through the morning, Travis d’Arnaud is the first player in MLB history to be traded twice in exchange for Cy Young award winners before he gets his first Big League at-bat. Talk about respect.

And last, but most certainly not least (especially in Mets world), David Wright is celebrating his 30th birthday today. It’s nice knowing he’s going to be a Met no matter what for the next eight years, without having to worry about any trade speculation. It’s hard to believe he’s already 30, it’s crazy how time flies. It feels like yesterday he was called up during the 2004 season, which was the end of my junior year of high school. A lot has changed in my life since then, but I’m glad Wright being a Met has stayed the same, and will remain the same for the rest of the decade.