This is one post. This is several posts. This is both things. Individually, the things included below would probably make for pretty lame posts on their own, so I've decided to put them together so they can make for a pretty lame post as a group. Think of it like a lame family made up of lame parents and lame shitty kids. And you're friends with them for some reason, and it's better just to see them all at once than to see them one by one. What am I even talking about? I should write apology notes to all of my old chemistry professors.
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Today is Ken Cloude's birthday. It's his 37th birthday. Remember Ken Cloude? He debuted at 22. He threw 278.2 Major League innings. He was finished at 24. Ken Cloude's Major League career was over at the age that Edgar Martinez's Major League career began. Injuries dropped the axe on Cloude's career, but even before the injuries, he posted a 72 ERA+, and lefties touched him for nearly a four-figure OPS. Against Cloude, lefties batted .311/.411/.553. Jeff Bagwell batted .297/.408/.540. Against Cloude, lefties were Jeff Bagwell.
Here's an old Baseball Prospectus interview with Cloude, from when he was still pitching. Shout-outs to Greg Wooten and Brian Falkenborg. Falkenborg, incidentally, has been absolutely dominant in Japan.
Cloude reminds me of Ryan Anderson. When Anderson was 20, he struck out 146 batters in 104 triple-A innings, with 55 walks. His performance was comparable to and maybe even better than Felix's. God dammit.
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Carlos Peguero played winter ball in the Dominican. You probably knew that. He led his league in homers, by four. You might have known that. He also led his league in strikeouts, by 15. You probably didn't know that. We never put any stock in winter ball numbers, just like we never put any stock in AFL numbers, because there's too much volatility and uncertainty, but I don't think there's any denying that Carlos Peguero's winter ball numbers were very much Carlos Peguero's winter ball numbers. If he was working on anything besides being the most Carlos Peguero he's ever been, it didn't take.
He did post a .956 OPS against lefties. We have batting splits from the Liga de Beisbol Dominicano.
Luis Rodriguez played winter ball in Venezuela. He batted .302, with 31 walks and 11 strikeouts. A year ago in Venezuela, he had 25 walks and 15 strikeouts. The year before that, 24 and 11. Over the past three years playing winter ball in Venezuela, Luis Rodriguez has walked 80 times, and struck out 37 times. I can't tell if Luis Rodriguez totally gets winter ball, or totally doesn't.
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This is Ichiro and Munenori Kawasaki working out together in Japan.
The pants. Obviously the pants. Also Ichiro smiling.
Also this.
The Ichiro home run at 1:06 is the same as the Ichiro home run at 1:09. I don't know why.
Ichiro righty.
5 recs | 42 comments
My Ken Cloude and Ryan Anderson cards are to be forever worthless.
w00tah - January 9, 2012
I got Bob Wolcott's autograph~!
Aly Edge - January 9, 2012
I see your Bob Wolcott autograph and raise you a slightly faded Jose Lopez autographed ball
TIFO - January 9, 2012
Bobby Ayala autographed pennant that said "Good luck, kid". Thanks, Bobby!
Rich Amaral - January 9, 2012
Winner.
zeeehjee - January 9, 2012
Ichiro and his dino-buddy working out. Signs of spring.
Chris_FB - January 9, 2012
I remember Cloude's debut at the Kingdome because I was there.
I was sitting down the RF line. I thought he would have been a decent back-end starter if he ever learned how to throw strikes.
Jed MC - January 9, 2012
Munenori Kawasaki is very, very excited to be playing with ichiro in that video
lailaihei - January 9, 2012
I remember Ken Cloude back in the days when I would rate how good minor league players were based on their name.
Mayo - January 9, 2012
I'll admit to still doing that.
circa81 - January 9, 2012
I remember when Ken Cloude and Gil Meche were trying to make comebacks at the same time.
JY - January 9, 2012
I remember Ken Cloude playing for the Memphis Chicks
in a stadium named after Tim McCarver. How’s that for useless knowledge?
junglist215 - January 9, 2012
I need some of those pants!
mlathrop3 - January 9, 2012
Blink blink.................blink.
Goose - January 9, 2012
Yarimasu!!
skwid206 - January 9, 2012
It's Morse Code
dot dot, dash = IT
Obviously we need to look at the rest to see what message he was sending.
J0SER - January 10, 2012
Actually, I guess that was part of the "I WILL DO IT!"
Dude is managing to express his will in one language while simultaneously signalling it with his eyelids in another. Wow.
J0SER - January 10, 2012
So in addition to hearing claims that Ichiro could hit for power if he wanted to, now we'll hear about how he could switch hit too?
KC Mariner - January 9, 2012
Shut down closer too.
CMC_Stags - January 9, 2012
And amazing infielder!
TIFO - January 9, 2012
Ichi-Catcher
LeftArrow2 - January 9, 2012
Ichiro! is right handed.
harkening - January 10, 2012
Ken Cloude appears to have dropped off the face of the earth.
Also. Shiny purple capri pants. Love ’em.
msb - January 9, 2012
Not enough is being made of Ichiro's jacket.
Mariner John - January 9, 2012
That is exactly what I was hoping
Ichiro give-away shirt day was going to be like. This year there should be spandex that go with the windbreaker.
goyo70 - January 9, 2012
I'm pretty sure he's saying "Leprosy."
As in, “I’m going to give the Angels… Leprosy.”
zeeehjee - January 9, 2012
I think he's saying "yarimasu"
Which is approximately Chinese for “Ding-Donger”
Dewey N - January 9, 2012
Why would he be speaking Chinese?
Clown baby - January 9, 2012
reply fail.
Clown baby - January 9, 2012
Because he's obviously Chinese.
Just look at his picture.
zeeehjee - January 9, 2012
I get a bunch of Christmas letters from family/friends each year updating me on their lives...
and Jeff, if you wrote a 4 page Christmas letter for the most boring/lame family in the world and only talked about their “lame shitty kids”, I would read it not only once, but probably thrice. You’re a great and funny writer dammit and I love it!
KoolAidMan1 - January 9, 2012
He actually says that kind of stuff in person. To your face.
Kermit. - January 9, 2012
Don't know if anybody cares but here is the translation for the 1st video
Announver : Ichiro, who is entering his 12th season in the Major League traines with Kawasaki, who is said to share the same values as him. For his first batting practice of the year, he hit 11 HR out of the 72 swings he took.
Kawasaki received an invitation to spring training in Arizona with the Mariners. From there, he will try to take a spot on the Major league team.
Kawasaki: I really want to play on the same team as Ichiro. As for myself, I want to become better at baseball and also to enjoy it more. We only live once and therefore I want to answer to this challenge the best I can
Announcer : The place of memories : the practice session took place in Kobe and alongside Ichiro is Kawasaki who he considers as his little brother. It’s the 7th time they train together. Even if last year the consecutive 200 hits came to a stop, the timing and the control of his bat is still very good, even at age 38. Trying to catch up to Ichiro is Kawasaki who for his first experience in the Majors chose to sign a provisional contract with the mariners.
Kawasaki: Yeah, I signed a provisional contract with the Mariners. They told me to come to camp and from their to compete for a job. I WILL FOR SURE be on the same team as Ichiro. I WILL DO IT!
Announcer : This is how Ichiro thinks of his Kouhai (junior) who decided to follow his steps in the Majors : Even the idiots can see his honnesty . He is the ultimate weapon
Lazy_Pochtron - January 9, 2012
I've been waiting for something like this, thank you. This is awesome.
Cascadian Man - January 9, 2012
I plan to go with "I WILL DO IT", myself.
msb - January 9, 2012
Thank you
i was really wanting to know what he said at 1:41. Now i have to figure out how to recreate that in Japanese.
jameslcrockett - January 9, 2012
This is my new motto
“Even the idiots can see his honesty . He is the ultimate weapon.”
Thanks for the translation.
flightrisk - January 9, 2012
You welcome. Although because it's a Ichiro interview who really knows what he is saying
I might also be "Even the idiots can see his honesty . IT’S the ultimate weapon.", which might make a difference…or not
Lazy_Pochtron - January 9, 2012
Ken Cloude was dominant in Baseball Mogul '99
You could really build a rotation around him, at the league minimum. Except he was Kon Claude, of course.
JamesyRx - January 9, 2012
Kon Claude Van Damme?
Sorry.
LoydKristmis - January 10, 2012
I've watched this video about 8 times.
It’s like watching the power rangers but with far more nuanced characterization and dialogue. What is wrong with the rest of baseball that they are not more like !chiro? I also love that you can weaponize honesty to give your sidekick a fighting chance in spring training.
goyo70 - January 10, 2012
I heard that Ken Cloude is a cop in Baltimore.
I do not know if this is true.
Tacoma_Mike - January 10, 2012
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