BRAD THOMAS NEWS

Tigers sign Thomas, deal Rapada
Team executes switch of lefties, sends Simons to Toledo

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

12/07/09 3:04 PM EST

DETROIT -- The Tigers opened what should be an active Winter Meetings with a pair of minor deals Monday, trading lefty reliever Clay Rapada to Texas and signing free-agent lefty Brad Thomas.

Rapada was traded for a player to be named or cash considerations. Most likely, that return will be known after the Rule 5 Draft later this week.

Rapada, a Tiger for parts of the last three years after coming over from the Cubs for Craig Monroe in 2007, will get a fresh start in his third organization after seeing sparing time in Detroit over the last year and a half.

The 28-year-old sidearmer pitched in just three games for the Tigers -- two early in the year, then another as a late-season callup. He was originally left out of September callups until injuries left Detroit needing another arm in the bullpen.

Fu-Te Ni's emergence in Detroit essentially ensured Rapada's summer with the Mud Hens, for whom he went 4-2 with a 2.76 ERA and five saves while striking out 47 batters over 45 2/3 innings.

Thomas, who last pitched in the Majors with the Twins in 2004, returns to the states after pitching the past four seasons in the Far East. The 32-year-old went 5-11 with 44 saves and a 2.86 ERA over the past two seasons combined for Hanwha of the Korean Baseball Organization. He struck out 119 batters over 113 1/3 innings.

Prior to that, the Australian native pitched two years with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan, going 5-6 with a 4.21 ERA and 94 strikeouts over 94 innings.

"Thomas has performed well over the past two seasons in Korea and we are pleased to add a quality arm like him to our club," team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said in a statement. "He was a highly regarded prospect earlier in his career with the Twins organization, and we feel he will contribute out of the bullpen at the Major League level."

Thomas agreed to a Major League contract, meaning he goes immediately on the 40-man roster. To make room, Detroit outrighted right-hander Zach Simons to Triple-A Toledo.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Posted: March 10, 2010
Aussie Brad Thomas makes America's pastime his own

BY JOHN LOWE
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Remember Kirk Gibson's home run in the 1988 World Series?

So does Brad Thomas.

He saw it on TV in his native Australia. He said it was the first time that he saw major league baseball.

When Gibson limped around the bases on that game-saving, game-ending homer, Thomas had just turned 11. He was starting to play baseball in a country where baseball wasn't a big deal. He didn't know the full significance of the event that Gibson shook up with his homer.

"We gathered that the World Series was like the grand finals of soccer in Australia," Thomas said. "We slowly put it together."

He became a left-handed pitcher pursued by major league teams. At 17, he signed with the Dodgers, the team he'd noticed when Gibson hit that homer. Two years later, he was with the Twins.

In the Minnesota organization, Thomas met the minor league pitching coach who developed him, and who is now the Tigers' pitching coach. That pitching coach, Rick Knapp, is the prime reason Thomas said he turned down more money from a Japanese team to sign with the Tigers in December.

With that wonderful sound of his native Sydney in his voice, Thomas calls his past and present pitching coach "Knappy."

Making a change

"A" is for alliteration.

And for the countries Knapp cites to describe Thomas.

"He's the All-America kid from Australia," Knapp said. "He's athletic. He's in shape. He throws hard. He works hard. He hasn't been handed anything."

Knapp met Thomas more than 10 years ago, when Thomas was a hard-throwing kid who had entered the Twins' farm system.

"Knappy developed me," Thomas said.

Because Thomas grew up in Australia, he required more developing than a pitcher from a country where baseball is, to quote Garrison Keillor, "a common glory in our midst." As Knapp said, baseball is not a native game for Australian and European players. Thomas didn't have a native understanding of it.

"There's a feel to pitching that you observe, that you see, and then you try to execute," Knapp said. "When he was young, they weren't playing the same competition (in Australia) that we are here."

To become an effective professional pitcher, Knapp said, Thomas had to slow down.

"Slowing down means throwing a curve or taking something off of his fastball for a strike," Knapp said. "Add and subtract velocity. He was strictly a guy who threw hard-hard-hard-hard. He would fall behind in the count, and they'd whack him.

"It seems to me he's developed a more complete game, and maybe the timing is right for him to get back to the major leagues."

Getting the call

By 2001, Thomas had learned enough and done enough to make it to the big leagues for the first time. In September 2003, he got called up for the second time. In the final series of that season, he found himself with the Twins at Comerica Park.

The Tigers had a basic objective in that series: win three of four to avoid tying the Mets' record of 120 losses in a season.

In the first game of the series, Thomas relieved in extra innings with the score tied. In the 11th, he gave up a game-ending homer to the Tigers' Shane Halter.

The teams split the next two games. The Tigers then had to win the season finale to avoid tying the Mets' record set in 1962.

Thomas relieved in that game in the fourth. In the fifth, the Twins went ahead by a run. Thomas had a chance to be the winning pitcher in the game that dealt the Tigers their 120th loss.

In the fifth, Thomas yielded a game-tying double to Brandon Inge.

Thomas left after that inning. In the next inning, the Tigers had a huge rally to win and avoid No. 120.

The next season, Thomas -- a starter in the minors -- made the Twins' Opening Day team as a reliever. Early in the season, the Red Sox claimed him. He never pitched for them that season because of an elbow injury. But when they won the World Series that fall, he got a ring.

His career as a reliever was under way. The next season, 2005, Thomas began a two-year stint in Japan. In 2007, he returned to North America to pitch for the Seattle Mariners' top farm club. He didn't get back to the big leagues. In 2008, he started a two-year stint in Korea. For 2010, he was thinking he'd go back to Japan.

Going to Detroit

Last fall, Knapp got a call from Al Avila, the Tigers' assistant general manager.

"Do you know Brad Thomas?" Avila asked.

"Yes."

"We have really good reports on him," Avila said.

Knapp replied, "I'll take him in a second."

By the time Thomas found out how badly the Tigers wanted him, he'd already agreed to pitch this season in Japan, although he hadn't signed the deal.

"Backing out of a deal in Japan is kind of a big no-no," Thomas said. "I took a big risk by doing that, and I turned down more money there than I got here."

Thomas said the Tigers wouldn't take "no" for an answer. Kevin Hooker, the club's Pacific Rim coordinator, was leading the recruiting effort.

"Kevin had seen him, and he recommended him to Tom Moore, our director of international operations," Avila said. "Kevin is also the one who made the recommendation on Fu-Te Ni."

Now Ni and Thomas might be fellow lefties in the Tigers' bullpen.

"I know what kind of character guy he is," Knapp said of Thomas. "I thought he'd be good for us. The bottom line is he's still going to have to pitch and perform to make the club."

Thomas has made three exhibition appearances. In each, he has pitched one inning and not allowed a run. In those three combined innings, he has four strikeouts.

Thomas, 32, already looks at home with the Tigers. He seems like a veteran. The reason for that -- he has Knapp with him.

"I think it makes him feel a little more comfortable," Knapp said. "He knows somebody that will teach him. That familiarity could breed a little success.

"I hope this works out. He's got really good stuff.

"It makes you feel good that you've helped somebody along the way, but in the end, they're the ones that do it."

Contact JOHN LOWE: 313-223-4053 or jlowe@freepress.com. Check out his Tigers blog at freep.com/section/blog18.

Thomas ready to play through pain

By Jason Beck and Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

08/09/10 8:04 PM ET

DETROIT -- Tigers middle reliever Brad Thomas said he'd be ready to go Monday in the series opener against the Rays if called upon by manager Jim Leyland. The left-hander sprained his right ankle when saying hello to a fan while walking down the dugout steps before Thursday's game against the White Sox.

"About the third step, the second one from the bottom, I just went over my right ankle and it popped real bad," Thomas said. "I thought I broke it at the time. It was pretty loud. I couldn't walk on it. I hobbled down in the dugout a little bit. That night it just blew up."

Thomas said his ankle remained swollen on Saturday, yet he tried to pitch through it. His right foot is his landing foot, and he said his injured ankle bothered him enough to affect his outing Saturday night.

Thomas (4-1) pitched to two batters, giving up a walk and a double along with surrendering a wild pitch. Both runners he allowed on base came around to score, upping his ERA to 4.69.

"We were doing the best we could," Thomas said. "The other time I landed on it, it was really sore. I could barely throw. I was terrible. But you go out there to go and help everybody out and try to get it done. "

Thomas threw in spikes before Monday's game to test out his ankle. He said afterward that it's "still not great," but because the Rays sport a lineup chalked full of left-handed and switch-hitters, Thomas said he and fellow lefty reliever Phil Coke will be ready.

"You pitch through some pain because that's what you have to do," Thomas said. "It's a long season, and you just have to do these kinds of things some times. But it's all right. We will get through it."

Cold temps a battle for reliever Thomas
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 03/31/11 8:15 PM ET

NEW YORK -- Those aren't Opening Day jitters for Tigers reliever Brad Thomas. He's just that cold.

Thomas likes to brag that he never has a winter. The Australian left-hander enjoys summers pitching in the United States, then returns home in time for the warm season there.

Opening Day weather like Thursday's cold, rainy conditions in New York really get to Thomas. Heck, even the sunny, mid-40s conditions for Wednesday's workout got to him.

"This is cold for me," Thomas said as he debated how many layers of clothing to put on under his jersey. "I've had summer all year round for 15 years."

There are parts of Australia that get snowy conditions, Thomas said, mainly around the mountainous areas. But he lives on the coast, and he doesn't ski, so he doesn't go there.

"This," Thomas said, "is the coldest winter day at home."

Thomas' last real bout of winter, he said, came when he first signed to play in Japan in 2005.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Last Updated: May 21. 2011 2:52PM
Tigers place Brad Thomas on disabled list, call up Charlie Furbush
Detroit News

The Tigers placed left-handed reliever Brad Thomas on the 15-day disabled list with left elbow inflammation, the team announced Saturday.

The move is retroactive to May 11.

Fellow lefty pitcher Charlie Furbush, 4-3 with a 2.91 ERA, has been called up to replace Thomas.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110521/SPORTS0104/105210382/Tigers-place-Brad-Thomas-on-disabled-list--call-up-Charlie-Furbush#ixzz1N1OzRGMb

Thomas hoping DL stint will be brief
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 05/22/11 7:34 PM ET

PITTSBURGH -- Brad Thomas says he had no idea he had any arm issues until his elbow basically refused to straighten out when he tried to play catch on Friday night before the series opener against the Pirates. There was no pain, surprisingly, but plenty of swelling.

On Sunday, that swelling was down considerably, allowing Thomas to flex his arm.

Friday's injury left the Tigers short one left-handed reliever, which played a factor in manager Jim Leyland's decision to stick with rookie right-hander Brayan Villarreal against left-handed slugger Garrett Jones in Friday's decisive sixth inning.

Initial X-rays showed no structural damage in Thomas' elbow. Thomas said he'll undergo an MRI exam when the Tigers return to Detroit. For now, he's on the disabled list, and Charlie Furbush is in the Tigers' bullpen for his first Major League stint.

Because Thomas' DL move was backdated to May 11, the day after his last outing, Thomas could conceivably be activated on Thursday.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Thomas has fluid buildup around left elbow
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 05/23/11 8:58 PM ET

DETROIT -- Brad Thomas said on Monday that an MRI exam showed no structural damage in his left elbow. The Tigers medical staff diagnosed his injury as a buildup of fluid around the elbow, not necessarily bursitis.

That inflammation, Thomas said, caused his elbow to lock up when he tried to throw on Friday in Pittsburgh.

Thomas said medical officials recommended allowing the elbow to drain on its own, rather than forcing it. He'll need a few days, anyway, to allow the swelling to reduce from the dye injection he received for the MRI.

Once that happens, Thomas doesn't expect to need much time throwing to get back up to game speed. Still, add up the time, and it appears unlikely he'll be ready to come off the disabled list when he's eligible on Thursday.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Thomas ready to begin rehab assignment
By Jason Beck and Chris Vannini / MLB.com | 06/10/11 11:23 PM ET

DETROIT -- Brad Thomas, who has been shelved for the past month with left elbow inflammation, will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo next week as he tries to work his way back into the Tigers bullpen.

Thomas was scheduled to throw to hitters on Friday, but a rainy afternoon pushed that back a day, along with the rest of his timetable. He was expected to join the Mud Hens on Tuesday and pitch an inning at Fifth Third Field, but that now might be pushed back a couple of days. The Hens are off next Wednesday before beginning a road trip in Louisville.

When Thomas does begin pitching, he's expected to pitch an inning in relief every other day. Once he closes in on a return to Detroit, the Tigers have a decision to make with their bullpen.

Tigers relief has thrived over the past few weeks, including rookie Charlie Furbush, who jumped from Toledo's rotation into long relief in Detroit once Thomas went on the 15-day DL in mid-May. It's conceivable the Tigers could try to find a way to fit both of them in the bullpen, with Thomas potentially taking more a traditional long relief role. Or the Tigers could send Furbush back to Toledo for more regular pitching work.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason.
Chris Vannini is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not
subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Thomas strikes out side in rehab outing
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 06/27/11 7:35 PM ET

DETROIT -- Tigers reliever Brad Thomas struck out the side in order on Monday in his lone inning of work for Triple-A Toledo.

How long his Minor League rehab assignment continues on remains to be seen. Mud Hens manager Phil Nevin told the Toledo Blade that Thomas will pitch an inning Tuesday on the road against Columbus, and he will then be re-evaluated.

Thomas, who went on the disabled list more than a month ago with inflammation in his left elbow, has been on rehab since June 14. Monday's performance gives him nine innings of two-run ball with 10 strikeouts over six games.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers have decision to make with Brad Thomas
BECK'S BLOG
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:08 pm

Tuesday marked the two-week point in Brad Thomas’ rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo. He has six appearances out of the Mud Hens bullpen, including three two-inning stints, and is expected to get his first crack at pitching back-to-back days on Tuesday. Yet there has been no talk about when Thomas might be activated from the disabled list and brought back into a Tigers bullpen that currently has three left-handers.

If you’re wondering at this point whether Thomas is headed back to the Tigers bullpen at all, you wouldn’t be the only one.

Speculation from those watching the Tigers has centered on Detroit potentially trying to find a landing spot for Thomas somewhere else, and easing their sudden lefty logjam. FOXSports.com’s Jon Paul Morosi cites a Major League source saying the Tigers “gauging trade interest” in Thomas and willing to move him. Even if they can’t deal him somewhere, they could still end up moving on without him.

It didn’t seem like a strong option when Thomas went on the disabled list a month ago with elbow inflammation, his elbow having locked up when he tried to warm up in the bullpen during a game. But high-strikeout starting prospect Charlie Furbush, who was called up to fill Thomas’ spot, has more than held his own, allowing six runs on 18 hits over 19 2/3 innings with 16 strikeouts. He has progressed from long relief and mop-up work to some late-inning lefty specialist situations. Add in veteran David Purcey and curveballer Daniel Schlereth, and the Tigers like their look from the left side right now, and manager Jim Leyland doesn’t want to go back to four lefty relievers.

Thomas got off to a rough start before his DL stint, allowing 11 earned runs on 17 hits over 11 innings. Left-handed hitters went 8-for-20 (.400) with three walks and three doubles against him, compared with 9-for-24 (.375) from right-handed batters. Thomas has said his elbow had been bothering him earlier, so it could have had an impact. By comparison, lefty hitters batted .252 (29-for-115) against Thomas last year, his first full season in the Majors. But he was more long reliever than LOOGY in 2010.

Pitchers can stay on rehab assignments for up to 30 days, so the Tigers conceivably could keep Thomas in Toledo for a couple more weeks and buy time to work out something. But Thomas is out of Minor League options, so they’d have to clear him through waivers and outright him if they wanted to keep him in Toledo beyond that. For now, Thomas was expected to pitch Tuesday for the Hens and be re-evaluated from there.

Tigers still deliberating over Thomas' health
Reliever returns from rehab stint, but left elbow remains iffy
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 06/29/11 8:28 PM ET

DETROIT -- Brad Thomas is back from his rehab stint for the time being, but he isn't back from the disabled list. For that matter, the Tigers aren't sure if he's actually healthy after two weeks of pitching at Triple-A Toledo.

After speculation about what the Tigers might do with the left-handed long reliever, they've sent him to a team doctor to have his elbow checked out. Thomas was scheduled to make a relief appearance for Triple-A Toledo Tuesday night, but felt some stiffness in his elbow when he warmed up in the bullpen, head athletic trainer Kevin Rand said Wednesday afternoon.

Thomas was supposed to be re-evaluated after that Tuesday outing, according to what Mud Hens manager Phil Nevin told the Toledo Blade last weekend. Instead, he's set to see team physician Dr. Stephen Lemos to see what, if anything, is going on with the elbow. At this point, Rand indicated they aren't expecting anything major.

"It's precautionary and preventative," Rand said.

By recalling him from his rehab assignment while he's being examined, the Tigers stop the countdown towards decision time on whether to activate him. Pitchers can stay on a rehab assignment for up to 30 days, and Thomas has been with the Mud Hens for about half that.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Thomas OK to pitch after elbow scare
By Jason Beck and Chris Vannini / MLB.com | 07/01/11 7:27 PM ET

DETROIT -- Reliever Brad Thomas is set to resume his rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Saturday after tests showed no damage to his left elbow. What happens after that is anybody's guess.

Thomas complained of tightness in his left elbow Tuesday after striking out the side in his inning of relief Monday. He was also worried about regaining his old velocity, which he wasn't feeling in his arm. He returned to Detroit to have his arm checked out by team physician Dr. Stephen Lemos, who forwarded the information to noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion.

The opinion coming out of the consult was that he's OK to pitch.

Thomas has up to two weeks left on his rehab assignment, not including the three-day All-Star break. The Tigers can go the duration before they have to decide whether to activate Thomas, designate him for assignment or try to deal him.

Last Updated: July 14. 2011 3:32PM
Tigers activate reliever Brad Thomas, send him to Toledo
Tom Gage/ The Detroit News

Detroit - The Tigers on Thursday outrighted the contract of relief pitcher Brad Thomas to Toledo after activating him from the disabled list.

Thomas has 72 hours to accept the move or become a free agent by rejecting it. But it's expected he will accept it to keep getting paid. He's making $800,000 this season.

Thomas, 33, was 6-2 with a 3.89 ERA in 49 games for the Tigers last year, but the Australian lefty has struggled, and also has been hurt, this season. He's 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in 12 appearances, and hasn't pitched for the Tigers since May 10.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110714/SPORTS0104/107140465/Tigers-activate-reliever-Brad-Thomas--send-him-to-Toledo#ixzz1S9VOFYiR

Thomas heads to Toledo
Published: Sunday, July 17, 2011, 8:30 PM
Updated: Sunday, July 17, 2011, 10:35 PM

By Chris Iott

...

Left-handed relief pitcher Brad Thomas accepted an assignment to Triple-A Toledo after clearing waivers this week.

Due to his amount of service time, Thomas could have refused the assignment and become a free agent.

Thomas currently is on the temporary inactive list for the Mud Hens.

Elbow will sideline Tigers' Brad Thomas for 4 weeks
11:59 AM, Jul. 21, 2011
BY JOHN LOWE

DETROIT FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

MINNEAPOLIS — After visiting with Dr. James Andrews, the renowned sports orthopedist, Detroit Tigers left-hander Brad Thomas will not throw for the next four weeks, to give the swelling in his elbow a chance to subside.

If the elbow doesn’t improve in those four weeks, Thomas said, Andrews will operate to remove a tiny spur and check on the cartilage.

Thomas hasn’t pitched for the Tigers since he went on the disabled list in mid-May. Last week, he accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Toledo and was placed on that club’s inactive list.

If Thomas doesn’t need surgery, it’s possible he could pitch again this season. Once the Tigers' active roster expands to 40 players on Sept. 1, they wouldn’t have to remove a player to make room for Thomas.

Contact John Lowe: 313-223-4053 or jlowe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @freeptigers.

Ailing Thomas placed on 60-day DL
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 07/25/11 9:30 PM ET

CHICAGO -- Less than two weeks after the Tigers designated left-hander Brad Thomas' contract for assignment, they had to take it back. The assignment was voided after doctors recommended Thomas not throw for the next few weeks to try to get past the elbow discomfort that has sidelined him.

The injury means that Thomas could not be activated from the disabled list, as he was before the Tigers designated him.

The move had the potential of creating a roster crunch for the Tigers, who filled their 40-man roster by purchasing the contract of reliever Chance Ruffin after Sunday's game. Since Thomas hasn't pitched in the Majors since early May, however, he was eligible to be placed on the 60-day disabled list, thus not counting against the 40-man.

There's a strong chance Thomas will end the year on the DL, whether or not he pitches again in the Minors.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers outright Santos, Thomas to Toledo
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 10/31/11 2:20 PM ET

DETROIT -- The Tigers cleared space on their 40-man roster and added to their free-agent list on Monday by outrighting the contracts of catcher Omir Santos and reliever Brad Thomas to Triple-A Toledo.

The procedural move essentially makes Toledo a stopover for them. They'll become Minor League free agents later in the week, free to talk with any Major League team. While the Tigers could re-sign either of them, notably Santos, they'll likely search for better opportunities elsewhere.

Santos essentially served his purpose as an insurance catcher, spending nearly the entire season at Toledo until he became Alex Avila's backup down the stretch with Victor Martinez limited by a sprained knee. Santos appeared in 11 games as a Tiger, including single-game appearances in April and August, going 5-for-22 at the plate while throwing out one out of six would-be basestealers. He hit .245 with two homers and 16 RBIs in 49 games for the Mud Hens.

The Tigers are still expected to pursue a catcher to back up Avila and limit the wear and tear on Martinez's knees to his duties as Detroit's designated hitter. Though Santos could be that guy, Detroit might also look to somebody more established.

While Santos was a Minor League signing last winter, Thomas was a holdover from 2010, when the native Australian came back to the big leagues to become the second lefty in Detroit's bullpen as well as a two-time spot starter. He had none of that success this year, due mainly to injuries in his forearm and elbow that left him on the disabled list all summer.

Thomas, who turned 34 this month, gave up 11 earned runs on 17 hits over 11 innings before forearm pain felt while warming up in the bullpen in mid-May led to a DL stint. He spent close to a month on a rehab assignment in Toledo, giving up four runs on 10 hits over 10 1/3 innings with the Hens, when the Tigers tried to activate him and designate him for assignment.

Thomas complained of elbow trouble and requested a second opinion. Once the diagnosis came back, the roster move was rescinded, and Thomas spent the rest of the year on the disabled list.

Thomas would have been eligible for arbitration had the Tigers held onto him. Instead, he'll likely look for another Minor League deal in the U.S. or head back to the Far East for another stint in Japan or Korea, where he spent time near the end of the last decade before the Tigers signed him after the 2009 season.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.