Ah, Opening Day. I hope you had as much fun as we did (full report at Ducksnorts). Beyond the thrill of a packed house at Petco Park watching Jake Peavy spin a shutout, here are a few items from Monday that caught my eye:

The Mets beat the Marlins, 7-2. The planet’s best pitcher against a Triple-A squad — who could’ve have anticipated such a result? Uh, everyone.
The Pittsburgh/Atlanta game was insane. The Pirates took a 9-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but the Braves tied. Then the Bucs jumped ahead in the 12th, 12-9, before allowing two runs …read more

Former big-league catcher Mackey Sasser, who played with the Giants, Pirates, Mets, and Mariners from 1987 to 1995, has finally conquered the throwing problems that plagued him during his big-league career. The problems apparently resulted from trauma incurred in a collision with Jim Presley at home plate in 1990.
I can’t imagine being unable to perform such a routine activity (and one so vital to my job) for 17 years. It’s great to hear that Sasser, who now is a community college coach (whose duties include throwing batting practice), is good to go again.

Way back in December, I’d compared the Giants’ signing of Bary Zito to the Rockies’ signing of Mike Hampton several years ago. I figured with the season winding down, now might be a good time to revisit that comparison, which is precisely what I’ve done in my first article at Ballhype. Enjoy, and “hype it up” if you are so inclined!

FOX Sports reports that the Cubs have signed right-hander Carlos Zambrano to a 5-year, $91.5 million contract extension (tip o’ the Knuckle Curve cap to David at Baseball Musings). On the one hand, $18 million a year is a bit much for a pitcher. On the other, that’s what the Giants are paying Barry Zito.
Of course, there are differences between Zambrano and Zito. The most important are:

Zambrano is three years younger.
Zambrano’s contract is two years shorter.
Zambrano is a much better pitcher. He’s having an off-year, but it’s still better than anything Zito has done since 2003.

I guess the real take-home …read more

What are we watching? Whatever FOX wants us to watch, of course.
Unfortunately, two of the three games they’re offering on Saturday (12:30 p.m. PT) are complete dogs. Dodgers at Cardinals? Eh, mild playoff implications there. Pirates at Giants. Ooh, the battle for — what’s the opposite of supremacy? — in the NL Central and West, respectively. With luck, you’ll get the Red Sox at Orioles. This still isn’t the best game on tap (that would be Dan Haren and the A’s at Detroit, which counters with Justin Verlander), but at least Josh Beckett is pitching.
My recommendation? The Tigers …read more

Three free agents were signed for $100 million or more this past winter. Presumably if they’re worth that much money, they must be helping their new teams in a big way, right?

Six-Figure Free Agents, Class of 2007

Player
Team
2006
2007
Diff

Statistics courtesy of ESPN and Baseball-Reference.

Alfonso Soriano
Cubs
66-96
.407
58-52
.527
+.120

Barry Zito
Giants
76-85
.472
47-62
.431
-.041

Carlos Lee
Astros
82-80
.506
48-63
.432
-.074

Soriano has done a nice job (.297/.336/.511) so far, although he’s now out 2-4 weeks with a strained right quadriceps. Of course, the Cubs signed a few other high-profile free agents (Aramis Ramirez, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis) to the tune of nearly $300 million, so it’s not like Soriano is solely responsible for the Cubs’ improvement …read more

Barry Bonds hit two home runs Thursday in a loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. It’s a good thing, too, because Bonds’ pursuit of Hank Aaron’s record is about the only thing going for the Giants right now.
San Francisco is now 39-54 on the season and has slipped “ahead” of the Astros and Nationals in the battle for worst team in the league. The Giants’ lineup is ancient and, with the exception of Bonds and Ryan Klesko, they’re playing like it. The bullpen has been shaky, and the rotation hasn’t been much better (with the weakest link being $126 …read more

Vitals

Name: Madison Bumgarner
Throws: Left

Pos: LHP
Bats: Right

Height: 6′5″
DOB: 1 Aug 89

Weight: 220 lbs
School: South Caldwell HS, Hudson, N.C.

With the 10th pick in the 2007 draft, the San Francisco Giants have selected high school left-hander Madison Bumgarner. Baseball America cites “a 92-94 mph fastball that has been up to 97 this spring” as Bumgardner’s most effective weapon in a developing arsenal.
What they’re saying:

When runners get in scoring position, he just takes it to another level.
– Bumgarner’s high school coach, Jeff Parham, as quoted in the Hickory Daily Record

Additional reading:

2007 Draft Report (MiLB.com) — includes scouting video
Player Profile (Aflac All-American High School Baseball …read more