EVIL~! alkeiper

Funny how that works. With the CBA expiring after 2006, we'll no doubt hear rumblings from the owners that the sky is falling, and drastic change is needed to ensure survival of the sport. First off, the idea that the Yankees haven't won because they don't sign "team players" is the biggest load of crap sportswriters are pushing, now that the Curse is over. When I look at the Yankees, I don't see a lack of team players. I see a bench consisting of not a single player who posted a better than .300 OBP last season. I see a bullpen consisting of only two pitchers with ERAs better than league average. Trading for A-Rod and signing Sheffield isn't what hurt the Yankees. What hurt the Yankees is failing to acquire a better infielder than Enrique Wilson, or a better pinch hitter than Ruben Sierra. And what have the Yankees done this offseason? They kept Sierra, and brought in Rey Sanchez, Doug Glanville, and Tino Martinez. Great clubhouse guys maybe, but there's not much talent. And when you think about it, when the Yankees had two on, and a chance to win the ALCS in game six, wouldn't it be nice to have someone available who could actually HIT the ball? The team player argument is ridiculous. What exactly did Rodriguez, Sheffield, or anyone do to better themselves at the expense of the team? Rodriguez moved to third base to accomodate Derek Jeter. Sheffield played hurt all year and offered to move to third after the Boone injury, and before the Rodriguez trade. Besides, had Mariano Rivera not blown two saves on back-to-back nights, we would not even be having this discussion right now. As for the Mets, they acquired the two best players on the market. That's hardly a cause for criticism.

I just wanted to highlight this one. Looks and personality-wise, they couldn't be any further apart. But they are almost exactly the same style of pitcher.

Treble, you need to look at the column that says "Similar Through Age X."

No no, I was going to suggest giving this its own topic anyway.

Let's move our discussion to this thread. It seems appropriate.

I get off on fat women in general.

Fontenot had a down year, but he's got potential. I got to see him play in August.

Harold Reynolds says Julio is not a part of the deal.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/3359986

Aubrey Huff's a better hitter than Sosa, right now. I can't imagine though why Jerry Hairston is involved in this deal.

That's a misunderstanding of Moneyball. Moneyball isn't a set strategy. It's the idea that you seek out inequities in your market, and exploit them. Empirically seek out the best methods of evaluating players, rather than rely on the conventional wisdom. That's the essence of moneyball.

PHILLIES C- Mike Lieberthal (Jorge Posada) 1B- Jim Thome (Harmon Killebrew) 2B- Chase Utley (none available) SS- Jimmy Rollins (Frankie Crosetti) 3B- David Bell (Steve Buchele) LF- Pat Burrell (Jim Incagvilia) CF- Kenny Lofton (Ken Griffey Sr.) RF- Bobby Abreu (Bernie Williams) SP- Randy Wolf (Ron Bryant) SP- Jon Lieber (Shane Reynolds) SP- Vicente Padilla (Pedro Astacio) SP- Brett Myers (Jaret Wright) SP- Cory Lidle (Paul Byrd) CL- Billy Wagner (Mariano Rivera) UT- Placido Polanco (Adam Kennedy) Polanco's next best comp is Gil McDougald, a much more fun comparison.

I am glad you asked. Stephens was an excellent player for the St. Louis Browns in the 1940s, leading the team to its only AL pennant. Stephens reached the majors at 21, and played in his first All-Star game at 22. For six years while Stephens played for the Browns, he and Stan Musial were contemporary stars in St. Louis, and nearly equals in terms of baseball talent. In fact, through 1950, Stephens actually drove in more runs than Musial. As a shortstop. Unfortunately for Stephens, he developed back trouble and faded very quickly. He was done at 34. But Stephens had HOF talent, and was a heck of a player. Please note that this does not mean Tejada is likely to find a quick end to his playing days. It simply means that Tejada's numbers were similar at this point in Stephens' career. Quite honestly, that Tejada is similar to Stephens is an accomplishment.

Similarity scores carries a penalty for positional differences, and since Pujols has played a slim majority of games in the OF, he gets grouped there. His hitting stats are close to Dimaggio, but I couldn't see comparing a great defensive center fielder to a first baseman.

Jim Rice shows up on Sheffield's comp list, at number 7.

Frank Robinson's clearly a better player, so its not the best comparison. It is fair to call Sheffield a poor man's Frank Robinson, however.

I ordered it myself, and I should get it in a few days. I'm looking forward to the rare matches. I'm debating on doing a TSM review, if no one else is planning one.

Of course, Ruben Sierra looms one notch below, but Cabrera is a hell of a player. As an aside, looking over Aaron's stats, its possible to make a case that he's actually underrated. When MLB changed the strike zone and killed offense in 1963, Aaron's raw stats barely moved. He had 240 career steals, at a 76% success rate. It's scary to think what numbers he would've posted had he not played in the second dead ball era.

They're not too dissimilar as hitters, but they don't show up on each others' comp lists. The main difference, besides the position, is 89 steals for Mel Ott, compared to 202 stolen bases for Jeff Bagwell. Neither player is truly similar to any other player in baseball history.

Vitamin X compared players of the past in the NFL to players in the present. I thought it would be fun to do the same thing for MLB, and with similarity scores, its easy to do so. Generally I take the most similar player, unless there's an obvious player right underneath. Sometimes, in the case of a player such as J.D. Drew, there are too many similar players to make a good comparison. Also, I avoid the comparison if the player is an obvious contempory, such as Scott Rolen = Chipper Jones. Finally, I also didn't list a comparison if there are no similar players. For example, the most similar player to Alex Rodriguez is Ken Griffey Jr., and they are really not similar at all. A similarity score below 900 indicates playes who are not very similar. Todd Helton = Hank Greenberg Albert Pujols = Jimmie Foxx Adrian Beltre = Ron Santo Juan Pierre = Willie Wilson Adam Dunn = Reggie Jackson Bobby Abreu = Bernie Williams Carlos Beltran = Andre Dawson Miguel Tejada = Vern Stephens Vladimir Guerrero = Willie Mays Johnny Damon = Claudell Washington/Tim Raines Derek Jeter = Alan Trammell Ben Sheets = Joe Niekro David Ortiz = Tony Clark Ok, Ortiz and Clark are not similar really, but that one was too good to pass up. At 28, Clark was just one year removed from a period where he hit 30+ home runs three seasons in a row.

Rich Garces is safe and sound. From ESPN Deportes, translated via Google... http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/story?id=296544

I know Rant will be interested in this one... http://www.nba.com/sonics/news/moneyball050119.html

I agree that the Brady/Montana comparisons are nonsense. I really can't see how you can fairly compare a QB with 192 games against a QB with 64 career games played. Let's at least wait until Brady's past his prime before making historical comparisons. Otherwise, you tend to make yourself look quite foolish down the line.

Etherton has a minor league contract, as far as I know. The Athletics are free to option him to AAA. Same with Calero, Rincon, Duchscherer, Haren, Blanton, and Meyer. All of those guys can be optioned down to AAA, if need be. As for Tyler Johnson, the Athletics could elect to send him back to the Cardinals if they choose. Most Rule V draftees do not stick. If Johnson can not harness his control, the A's will let him go after Spring Training.

Wagner's probably the best guy in the bullpen. His ERA fell nearly two runs after the All-Star break. Remember he's just a year and a half removed from college.