Tino Martinez: Miami Marlins Make Right Move Parting Ways After Alleged Abuse

By Michael Moraitis--Featured Columnist

The Miami Marlins are having a rough season and it appears their hitting coach Tino Martinez isn't making it any easier on the team.

According to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, Martinez allegedly choked a player--rookie second baseman Derek Dietrich--a few months back and the team was notified by the player's agent. Dietrich was demoted to the minors last week.

Also in Spencer's report, another player speaking anonymously confirmed at the very least that Martinez has been verbally abusive to the players he coached since spring training and others have complained to manager Mike Redmond about Martinez's behavior.

Martinez was ready to resign but Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, who hand-picked Martinez for the job, had stopped that from happening at first, but now it appears Martinez has resigned, per Spencer.

#marlins hitting coach tino Martinez has resigned
— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) July 28, 2013

Loria had to see that this is an extremely negative thing both from a media relations and player development standpoint. Keeping Martinez would have shed a very negative light on the organization as a whole if this behavior was allowed to continue.

Furthermore, Miami is in the process of rebuilding with a ton of young players coming up and going down in their system and the last thing this team needs is to stunt these players' growth in any way by having a seemingly impatient and hot-headed Martinez working with young hitters.


Granted, these are grown men Martinez is yelling at and abusing, but this behavior is still totally unacceptable no matter how you slice it--and that's especially true living in the uber-sensitive society we live in today.

Coming from a long-time Yankee fan, Martinez's behavior is surprising to say the least. He has always seemed like a very mild-mannered person, but after showing his true colors with the Marlins, it's doubtful Martinez will have an easy time getting another job in the MLB for the foreseeable future.

Carlos Gonzalez Injury Further Stacks Deck Against Colorado Rockies Playoff Hopes

Michael Moraitis--Featured Columnist

The Colorado Rockies are in the midst of a horrid month of July offensively and the fact that Carlos Gonzalez simply can't get healthy enough to swing a bat is troubling to say the least.

According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, CarGo left Thursday's game against the Miami Marlins early after aggravating his finger injury, which has been a continuous problem for the star outfielder this month.

In fact, CarGo was just 3-for-20 on the team's homestand with a single homer to show for his struggles and that's especially problematic considering the Rockies have been poor offensively lately.

Also according to Renck's report, CarGo told the media his finger was still bothering him last week, so clearly it's affecting his work at the dish no matter how day-to-day he may be.

If Gonzalez is forced to go on the disabled list it would be a huge blow for the Rockies at this point in the season. He is by far their best all-around hitter and not having a player of his caliber in the lineup will only make things worse for Colorado.

Granted, it appears the way he's hitting that Gonzalez needs the rest in order to heal his injury and get back to 100 percent in the batter's box, but just how long can the Rockies survive without him?


It was thought that even with Gonzalez in the lineup the Rockies might need to make a move to bring in another bat if possible, but now that thought will only gain traction if CarGo's injury proves to be a lingering issue down the road.

After dropping Thursday's matchup with the Marlins, the Rockies now find themselves seven out in the loss column behind the Los Angeles Dodgers who now lead the National League West.

With the way the Dodgers have been playing lately, the Rockies can't afford to slip up at all and not having Gonzalez healthy will only increase the chances of that happening. The only plus for Colorado is the fact that Matt Kemp recently hit the DL again, but L.A. looks to be just fine without him for the moment.

With all the injuries this team has had to overcome this season along with pitching woes, it's amazing the Rockies have gotten as far as they have and are still contending at this point in the season.

But you have to wonder if maybe it just isn't in the cards for manager Walt Weiss' squad in 2013.

One thing's for certain: if the Rockies are to make a push for the playoffs in the next few months, Gonzalez must be on the field and driving in runs like he normally does or else Colorado won't have enough offensively to play October baseball.

Ryan Braun Suspension: Milwaukee Brewers Star Gets off Easy With Light MLB Ban

By Michael Moraitis--Featured Columnist

Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers will serve a 65-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy, but it's a suspension that should be considered light at best for the former MVP.

The first offense for a player who violates the policy is a 50-game suspension, while a second offense gets you kicked out for 100 games. And, of course, a third violation means a lifetime ban for any player involved.

In reality, this is at least Braun's second offense.

In 2012, Braun got off from a suspension after his positive test was thrown out thanks to it being improperly handled. While many people did defend him after that, there were others that thought him to be extremely lucky that his appeal worked out.

Now, fast forward to 2013, and is there anyone who really believes Braun wasn't on performance-enhancing drugs before that 2011 failed test?

I can't imagine that the MLB believes Braun was clean, so that's why this suspension should be at least 100 games or even more. Braun has not only shamed his MVP award, but he has also shamed the league and its fans by lying right to all of our faces in his own weak defense.

His consistent lying in and of itself is worthy of a suspension because it questions the integrity that MLB athletes should abide by. Clearly it's okay to lie, lie, lie until you get caught red-handed much like Braun was during this Biogenesis mess.

The sad thing is that Braun's suspension will teach nothing to future players who decide to take such a risk with drugs because the consequence simply isn't that bad.

After all, Braun is still owed $100 million on his contract which he will continue to collect after this season and the 65 games or the rest of the season he will miss won't hurt the Brewers at all because they are already out of the playoff hunt.

So, exactly where is the impact?

At the very worst, Braun will have to face the public beat down from fans around the league, but that won't commence in his face until next season when Braun returns to the field on Opening Day 2014. That will be the moment when Braun returns to the field after a huge cooling off period and most importantly, that's when Braun's pay checks will start coming in again.

Until then, he can "stress" about his soiled name from whatever million dollar mansion he chooses to rest his head in while he enjoys all the great things his now cheap MLB career has afforded him. What a tough life!

There is still little incentive for players to avoid PEDs when these cheating players like Melky Cabrera and Ryan Braun are still getting paid. If only the MLB could really hit these guys in the wallets harder then and only then will these multi-million dollar athletes feel the sting and think twice about cheating the game of baseball.

2013 Home Run Derby Predictions: Chris Davis Will Win All Star Contest

By Michael Moraitis--Featured Columnist

There are few if any hitters in all of Major League Baseball who are hotter than Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles in the batter's box this season, but that's especially true in the home run department and that's exactly what he needs to win the 2013 Home Run Derby.

Davis comes into the contest on long ball fire having hit four homers in his last four games and currently sits atop the home run mountain in the MLB at the moment with 37 homers, which not to mention is right on pace to tie or break Roger Maris' 61-homer mark back in 1961.

It's true that Davis' average has dipped from a once surreal .357 to a now more realistic .319 in a little over a month, but the one thing that has yet to slow down for the Orioles first baseman is his home run totals.

Davis has tallied nine, 10 and 12 homers in the months of April, May and June, respectively, and his six homers this month puts him just about on pace to either match or even surpass his previous monthly totals.

As far as his average is concerned, it doesn't mean squat in this instance. Davis will be facing batting practice pitches in the derby and won't have to deal with pitchers being afraid of him and possibly pitching around him more as a result.

That reason, I contend, is exactly why Davis' average has dipped since June 6. But again, he doesn't have to get base knocks on Monday night, he just has to do what he's done better than any other player in baseball this season and that's putting the ball in the seats.

Being that it's at Citi Field this season, hitters will have a tougher time sending the balls into the stands as the New York Mets home park is widely considered a pitcher's park. That means the guys with the most power have the best chance of launching long balls and Davis certainly qualifies as such.

With all things being equal and some of the best home run hitters in the game taking part in the 2013 Home Run Derby, Davis is the hottest home run hitter of them all and that's exactly why he's the best bet to take home the honors this year.

MLB Trade Rumors: Colorado Rockies Should Avoid Deal With Yankees for Phil Hughes

By Michael Moraitis--Featured Columnist

The Colorado Rockies find themselves right in the hunt for the National League West crown and as a result, the team may be looking to add New York Yankees starter Phil Hughes to help bolster their pitching staff.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, the Rockies are looking to add the Yanks' starter, but would prefer to use him as a reliever instead. Hughes has already made 18 starts for New York this season and has yet to come out of the bullpen during the regular season the last two years.

On the surface, the deal makes perfect sense for the Rockies.

Not only would Hughes greatly help the back end of the Rockies bullpen--which as a whole ranks No. 18 in the MLB in ERA--but he would also be a key pitcher as Colorado makes a run at the division just 4.5 games back going into Monday.

There's no question all of those factors make a move for Hughes a no-brainer and he's already proven himself to have elite stuff as a 7th or 8th inning pitcher, and even as a reliever when necessary, but Hughes may not want to be in any of those roles at all.

It's quite evident that despite all of his success in the bullpen during his career, Hughes wants to be in the starting rotation no matter how poorly he's pitched the past few seasons.

If the Rockies were to make a deal for Hughes and try to force him to become something he doesn't want to be, that could create plenty of turmoil in Colorado's locker room and that's something a team chasing a division simply can't deal with.

Furthermore, Hughes will be a free agent at the end of the season and giving up any key young players or even current impact players for his services is risky at best for the Rockies. They could end up losing him for nothing, which would become more certain if he's unhappy with his role on the team.

Another negative for Hughes whether he's a starter or in the bullpen is that he is a fly ball pitcher and gives up homers on a regular basis. That's especially dangerous late in games when the score is close and a runner is on, no matter if he's a reliever or a starter.

In his last start, Hughes allowed four earned runs and three homers in total.

In 2012, Hughes allowed 35 homers in 191.1 innings as a starter and in 2013 he's on pace to do pretty much the same having allowed 18 homers in 102.1 innings pitched. Things aren't likely to get any better even if he does become a starter for the Rockies because as we all know, Coors Field is one of the most friendly hitter parks in the history of the game.

Hughes is the kind of pitcher that becomes more of a liability as he goes through an opposing lineup multiple times because he simply doesn't throw that many pitches, thus hitters can pick up on his stuff later on in games and do some serious damage.

As a Yankees fan, I have been screaming for years that Hughes has better stuff as a reliever and he shouldn't be a starter, but obviously my opinion doesn't matter and Hughes' opinion likely hasn't changed in regards to starting games as opposed to helping finish them.

With such an uncertain future whether it be his impending free agency and/or his potential displeasure with a role change upon coming to Colorado, the Rockies are better served to look elsewhere for help because a move like this has the potential to blow up right in their face.

Chris Davis: Baltimore Orioles 1st Baseman Continues Assault on Roger Maris' Record

Michael Moraitis--Featured Columnist

Don't look now, but Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles is currently right on pace to either tie or break the original and only valid single-season home run record which is currently held by Roger Maris.

Davis continued his assault on the record by bashing his 37th home run of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. The homer also gave Davis a share of the record with Reggie Jackson for the most homers by an American League player before the All-Star break, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun.

Chris Davis' 37 homers tie Reggie Jackson's AL record for most HRs at the break, set in 1969. #Orioles
— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) July 14, 2013

The record, of couse, is held by Barry Bonds during his historic but disrespected record-breaking season back in 2001, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Chris Davis: 37 HR ... tied for 2nd-most before All-Star Break in MLB history. Only player with more-- Barry Bonds (39 in 2001)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 14, 2013

Not only did Davis tie Jackson's AL record, but he has also reached the 37-homer mark in his team's 96th game of the season. By comparison, it took Maris 95 games into the season to reach No. 37, so clearly Davis is right on track to match or break the true record.

So the big question is: does Davis have the juice (no pun intended) to get all the way to 61 and beyond?

He has certainly proved he can hit homers and hit them in bunches. The problem that will remain is teams may start choosing to intentionally walk Baltimore's home run machine and that will greatly lower his chances of breaking the record.

Even if opposing pitchers throw to him, Davis can expect to see far less appealing pitches to hit moving forward.

It's also been proven time and time again that just because a hot start occurs the first "half" of the season doesn't mean it will continue. Most times, players who are having the season that Davis is will taper off and finish somewhere between 50 to 60 long balls in total.

Mr. October, for example, did even worse than that by finishing with just 47 homers after setting the pre-All Star break record back in 1969. It certainly isn't a stretch to believe Davis will do the same or maybe just a bit better.

In fact, the law of averages makes it probable he will, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.

But, regardless of the skepticism, I continue to echo the sentiment that Davis' chase for 61 must be more respected by the league, the fans and the media. Granted, there are plenty of people starting to come along to Davis' potentially historic season, but far too many are as close to ignoring it as you can get.

That rings especially true when you compare the coverage Davis is getting to that of the home run chases of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds back in the late 1990s, early 2000s.

It's puzzling at best as to why this lack of attention is fact. Not only will Davis' breaking of the record bring great publicity to Major League Baseball, but as I've said before, it will also show fans that records can be broken the right way without any cheating or enhancements at all.

And, with the current steroid mess going on with guys like Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, that type of exposure would be a huge lift for the sport.


Hopefully now that people see he is right on pace with Maris' infamous 1961 season, the attention will begin to come around for Davis. However, maybe the lack of attention is actually a good thing because the amount of pressure on Davis isn't as great and he can relax more at the plate while continuing to attempt to make history the rest of the way in 2013.