2015 NATIONAL BASEBALL ARBITRATION COMPETITION

Transcription

1 2015 NATIONAL BASEBALL ARBITRATION COMPETITION Lorenzo Cain v. Kansas City Royals Submission on Behalf of Lorenzo Cain Midpoint: Million Submission by Team 5 `

2 Table of Contents I. Introduction and Request for Hearing Decision... 2 II. Quality of Mr. Cain s Contribution to the Team in III. Length and Consistency of Career Contribution.. 4 IV. Existence of Physical and Mental Defects... 5 V. Past Compensation... 6 VI. Comparative Salaries of Equivalent Players... 7 VII. Recent Performance of Club 9 VIII. Summary and Conclusion 10 List of Sources Baseball-Reference, Sports Reference, LLC, ESPN, ESPN: The Worldwide Leader in Sports, espn.go.com MLB, MLB Advanced Media, L.P., MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement, Basic Agreement, Article VI(F) 12(a)-(b). pp SBNation,Vox Media, Inc. Mercury News, San Jose Mercury News, Sports Injury Alert, Sports Injury Alert, Fangraphs, Fangraphs Blogs, CBS Sports, CBS, USA Today Sports, USA Today, Team 5 Lorenzo Cain 2

3 I. Introduction and Request for Hearing Decision This brief, respectfully submitted on behalf of center fielder Lorenzo Cain (the Player or Mr. Cain ), analyzes the assets and contributions to be reflected in his 2015 contract with the Kansas City Royals ( the Club or the Royals ). This arbitration hearing is governed by the Major League Baseball ( MLB ) Collective Bargaining Agreement ( CBA ). The CBA establishes that the following criteria shall be considered in determining the player s salary: (1) the quality of the Player s contribution to his Club during the past season including, but not limited to, his overall performance, special qualities of leadership and public appeal; (2) the length and consistency of his career contributions; (3) the record of the Player s past compensation; (4) comparative baseball salaries; (5) the existence of any physical or mental defects on the part of the Player; and (6) the recent performance record of the Club. 1 Mr. Cain has reached years of MLB service, entitling him to file his first request for arbitration. Mr. Cain is a valued and popular member of the Kansas City Royals who has shown consistency at the plate and remarkable defensive skill. The evidence of his past performance and future potential presented in this brief and at oral argument will demonstrate that Mr. Cain more than deserves a salary above the $2,725,000 midpoint between his offer and that of the Club. Mr. Cain respectfully requests that this panel award him a 2015 salary arbitration of $3,350,000. II. Quality of Mr. Cain s Contributions to the Club in MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement Team 5 Lorenzo Cain 3

4 During the 2014 season, fans not only witnessed the birth of the Royals first World Series appearance in 29 years 2, but also made Lorenzo Cain a household name. Mr. Cain had a breakout year, finishing the 2014 regular season with a.301 batting average, five home runs, 53 RBIs, 55 runs scored and 28 stolen bases. 3 His RBIs, runs scored, and stolen bases were all career highs. Mr. Cain, who was better known for his defensive skill, showed why many scouts had so much confidence in his skill at the plate as well. He ranked amongst the best on the Royals in the following offensive statistical categories: a).301 batting average, 2 nd on the team (Christian Colon leads but only appeared in 21 games with 45 at bats) b) 142 hits, 5 th on the team c).412 slugging percentage, 2 nd on the team (Alex Gordon leads) d).339 on base percentage, 4 th on the team Defensively, Mr. Cain committed only 2 errors and posted a.994 fielding percentage. He further showed his versatility and defensive skill by playing in both center field and right field during the regular season. In the outfield, Mr. Cain was astonishing and electric. His electric season eventually earned him the 2014 Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award, for the second straight year. 4 Mr. Cain s breakout year did not end with the regular season. He went on to produce breath-taking moments and excellent numbers in the Royals magical 2014 post 2 USA Today, Royals, 3 Lorenzo Cain Season Statistics, Baseball Reference, 4 Lorenzo Cain, MLB, Team 5 Lorenzo Cain 4

5 season. In 15 games during the postseason, Mr. Cain had a.333 batting average,.388 on base percentage, and a.417 slugging percentage. But, it was the American League Championship where Mr. Cain left his mark on the baseball world. In 4 games against the Baltimore Orioles powerhouse, Mr. Cain had a.533 batting average,.588 on base percentage, and a.667 slugging percentage. Along with those fantastic numbers, he was also the only Royal to successfully steal a base during the ALCS. That one stolen base pays tribute to his 5-tool ability, making him a rare athlete. Mr. Cain s freakish performance in the ALCS earned him yet another prestigious award, the honor of being named 2014 ALCS Most Valuable Player. Therefore, based on the extremely successful and impressive contributions by Mr. Cain during the 2014 season, this arbitration panel should adopt this remarkable player s $3,350,000 offer. III. Length and Consistency of Career Contribution Although Mr. Cain has only spent 5 years in the majors, there is no doubt that he is a young and promising player for the Royals. His career numbers pay tribute his promising career: TABLE 1 - CAREER STATISTICAL CONTRIBUTIONS Year PA R H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG. OBP Mil KC KC KC KC YRS Mr. Cain, in his 5 years of professional baseball, has never hit under Also, between the 2013 and 2014 seasons, he has a combined 242 hits. These career numbers Team 5 Lorenzo Cain 5

6 are exceptional considering he did not begin to play baseball until his sophomore year of high school. 5 Cain, sat the bench his entire junior year, never seeing the field until his senior year of high school. That didn t matter to Brewer scouts, who realized Mr. Cain s raw talent and athleticism, taking him in the 17 th round of the 2004 amateur draft. He is a late-bloomer who is just now beginning to hit his stride. Keep the tools in mind, however, when thinking of Mr. Cain. He's everything a scout, coach or fan can dream of, checking in at 6'2" and 185-pounds with speed to burn and oozing athleticism when he was selected. 6 The Royals can expect a repeat of his remarkable 2014 season, and even better numbers for years to come. IV. Existence of Physical and Mental Defects There is no hiding that Lorenzo Cain has suffered some minor injuries in his career. In fact, he missed 98 games due to groin and thigh strains. 7 But those injuries came when he was making tough plays, for example, when he tore his hip flexor it was because he crashed into the wall making a spectacular catch. 8 Injuries happen, especially to players who go all out all, and put the team first when it comes to making plays. Mr. Cain has no mental defects. Conversely, he is a blessing and a favorite in the Royals clubhouse. Inside the clubhouse, you can often find him laughing out loud while debating over the ipad game Clash of Clans, and he can be heard rapping along to 50 Cent s Wanksta or unleashing a miserable version of Biz Markie s Just A Friend. 9 When asked about Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer gave a simple answer that speaks volumes 5 (last visited on 1/7/15) Team 5 Lorenzo Cain 6

7 of Mr. Cain, You re talking about a guy who loves life, Hosmer said. Enjoys every minute of it. 10 V. Past Compensation Due to his lack of MLB service time, Mr. Cain has been paid close to the league minimum every year since his initial call up to the Majors in 2010 with the Milwaukee Brewers. But for this arbitration hearing, we will solely focus on his past compensation with the Kansas City Royals. Mr. Cain has earned a significant increase in pay each year since joining the club. TABLE PAST COMPENSATION Year Age Salary $480, $503, $546,000 Although he missed 98 games in his first two seasons, the Royals continued to give Mr. Cain increased pay, showing that they were confident that he would become the healthy, everyday impact player that he is today. The 2013 season was Mr. Cain s first full, and healthy season with the Royals. Although he only hit 0.251, he still earned a $42,825 raise for the upcoming 2014 season. That s an encouraging notion from the club. But, Lorenzo Cain is hitting his stride, his play is no longer average, and the 2014 season is a testament to that. Therefore, the time has come to pay an exceptional player the exceptional money he deserves (same article as above) 11 Lorenzo Cain Contract information Baseball Referencehttp:// Team 5 Lorenzo Cain 7

8 VI. Comparable Salaries For the purpose of establishing Mr. Cain s value to the club and his deserving pay, it is useful to compare his career and platform season statistics with those of fellow outfielders Drew Stubbs, Josh Reddick, and Austin Jackson. a. Drew Stubbs (2012 Platform Season, Earned $2,825,000) TABLE 3 12 Drew Stubbs (OF) SALARY: $2.825 MILLION PA H BB SO 2B HR AVG. OBP. Drew Stubbs, Age years of service Platform (2012) Career Lorenzo Cain, Age years of service Platform (2014) Career Mr. Stubbs serves as an eye-opening comparison in deciding Mr. Cain s fair salary in Both players entered their first year of arbitration at the age of 28, with relatively the same number of years of service. But, when comparing the numbers, there is no doubt that Mr. Cain deserves a 2014 salary over the midpoint of $2,725,000. Analyzing both players platform seasons, Mr. Cain shows more success and consistency at the plate then Mr. Stubbs. Drew Stubbs had 42 more plate appearances than Mr. Cain in his platform season, yet Mr. Cain had 37 more hits. He also had 16 more doubles than Mr. Stubbs, along with a significantly higher batting average. Along with those impressive stats, Mr. Cain also struck out far less than Mr. Stubbs. In fact, Mr. Stubbs career strikeouts double those of Mr. Cain, recording a career high 205 strikeouts in Mr. Stubbs has not shown improvement, with his inconsistent batting average decreasing every year since stepping onto a major league field. 12 Drew Stubbs, Statistics, Team 5 Lorenzo Cain 8

9 Defensively, there is no doubt that Mr. Cain s skill set and performance shadows that of Mr. Stubbs. In his platform season, Mr. Stubbs committed 5 errors in the outfield, finishing the year with a.982 fielding percentage, compared to Mr. Cain s 2 errors and.994 fielding percentage. Yet, Mr. Stubbs was still awarded a $2,825,000 dollar contract in 2013, his first year of arbitration. Numbers do not lie, and these numbers more than prove Mr. Cain is worth every dollar over the midpoint. b. Josh Reddick (2013 Platform Season, Earned $2,700,000) TABLE 4 13 Josh Reddick (OF) SALARY: $2.7 MILLION PA H BB SO 2B HR AVG. OBP. Josh Reddick, Age years of service Platform (2013) Career Lorenzo Cain, Age years of service Platform (2014) Career When dissecting these stats, it becomes very apparent that both players have comparable numbers. Mr. Reddick is considered a power hitter, yet in his platform year he only belted 7 more home runs than Mr. Cain. But, Mr. Cain made better contact, piling up 55 more hits than Mr. Reddick in 61 less plate appearances, while also smashing10 more doubles. Mr. Cain also has a higher career batting average, and slugging percentage than Mr. Reddick. But an analysis of the injuries is just as important as the numbers. Mr. Reddick is an informative comparison to Mr. Cain because of such injuries. Questions about health and durability are major factors when teams analyze a player s value. Mr. Reddick has had two surgical procedures done on his left wrist, one in 2011 and one in Wrist 13 Josh Reddick, Statistics, Team 5 Lorenzo Cain 9

10 surgeries like Mr. Reddick s are considered major surgeries; the wrist is an important part of the body, especially to hitters. But, even with the nagging wrist injuries, the inconsistent play, and the lack of plate discipline, Mr. Reddick was awarded a salary of $2,700,000. C. Austin Jackson (2012 Platform Season, Earned $3,500,000) TABLE 5 14 Austin Jackson (OF) SALARY: $3.5 MILLION PA H BB SO 2B HR AVG. OBP. Austin Jackson, Age years of service Platform (2012) Career Lorenzo Cain, Age years of service Platform (2014) Career Mr. Jackson has compiled some amazing numbers in his platform year and throughout his young career. For his success, he was awarded a $3,500,000 contract; $150,000 more than what Mr. Cain is seeking. Although Mr. Jackson has more plate appearances than Mr. Cain, their numbers are very similar. Up to that point in his career, Mr. Jackson only had 14 more career doubles and 13 more home runs then Mr. Cain. Also both players had similar platform and career batting averages, being only separated by.1 point. But again, what separates Mr. Cain from Mr. Jackson, are the strikeouts. In both platform season and career, Mr. Jackson has far more strikeouts than Mr. Cain. In fact, Mr. Jackson has had 3 straight seasons of over 120 strikeouts, compared to Mr. Cain who has only had one season where we struck out over 100 times (108 in 2014). VII. Recent Performance of the Club 14 Austin Jackson, Statistics, Team 5 Lorenzo Cain 10

11 It is no secret that the Royals were the biggest surprise of the 2014 season, finishing with 89 wins and 73 losses. During the 2014 season, fans witnessed their beloved Royals punch their first ticket to the World Series in 29 years. Amazingly, the Royals, who clinched the wild card, broke a Major League Record by winning 8 straight postseason games eventually losing in the World Series, 4 games to It s no surprise the Royals did so well with the young talent and amazing pitching on their roster. It is also no surprise that Lorenzo Cain s leadership and outstanding performance served as a catalyst to that success. Although one man does not always make a difference, it s no mere coincidence that Cain s breakout year ended with a trip to the World Series. VIII. Summary and Conclusion Lorenzo Cain was a key contributor to what is arguably the Royals best season in 29 years. Mr. Cain is more than confident that he will continue to be an important contributor going forward. Mr. Cain is more than grateful to call himself a Kansas City Royal. He hopes the Club will be as grateful to him as he is to them. With that being said, based on (1) the quality of the Player s contribution to his Club during the past season including, but not limited to, his overall performance, special qualities of leadership and public appeal; (2) the length and consistency of his career contributions; (3) the record of the Player s past compensation; (4) comparative baseball salaries; (5) the existence of any physical or mental defects on the part of the Player; and (6) the recent performance record of the Club, an award above the $2,725,000 midpoint would be more than appropriate for Mr. Cain. Therefore, Lorenzo Cain respectfully requests the arbitration panel reject the Kansas City Royals offer and award Mr. Cain a deserving, $3,350, Team 5 Lorenzo Cain 11