Kim to Boston, Shea to Arizona

[Guest DrTom]

Shea hits about .300 with the basesloaded. OBP darling Jeremy Giambi hits considerbly less and is a less productive hitter overall.

And other guys on the team who can get on base? Giambi is certainly not the poster child of my argument (I guess Mueller is, by default), so I don't see why you're making him yours, along with a chap who had one good year that certainly wasn't stellar.

 

Not true. Manny plays very shallow in left and many opposing teams play seeper, as if it's their park.

Manny Ramirez is not a good defensive outfielder. His habits should not be the model for anything. In fact, isn't he only playing left because he cried too much about having to man all that territory in right field? Boo-hoo, you $160 million bitch: play the position next to your name on the lineup card and STFU.

 

You rob more doubles by playing shallow because you are going back to the wall play the carom, not back to the ball. The ball doesn't carom over your head and you can play it faster and get the throw into second more quickly.

Well, if you're *going back for the ball* when it caroms, then you have to play the carom, stop, set, and throw back in. If you're there waiting for the ball, you're in a better position to make a good throw. Besides, playing shallow means you tend to give up more doubles into the gap, so it becomes something of a tradeoff. Playing medium depth is probably best.

 

Also not entirely true. Thw wall giveth and taketh away.

Which is why I said it ends up being a wash. The line drive that hits 35 feet on the wall is offset by the lazy flyball that settles just over the Monster, in what used to be the netting. It's kind of like the upper-deck overhang in Tiger Stadium: it doesn't make a difference on most homers, but there are times you see one that is definitely unique to that park.

 

That's why you play Mueller at 3B and Shea at first and platoon Millar and Ortiz at DH.

Millar's too good a bat to be platooned, especially just against lefties like you have him. You're wasting a .300 hitter there. Neither he nor Hillenbrand is really a prototypical first baseman, but I'd give the edge to Millar. I think he's a better hitter for average, and he's historically better at getting on base.

 

I'm sure I've watched Nomar play a lot more than you considering I watch almost every Sox game and I doubt you have NESN in Maryland

Probably. But consider that I've had Nomar on my fantasy team for three years now, I watch a lot of baseball, and I'm something of a student of the game (and a Roto geek). I've seen him a lot, too. Guys who are first-ball fastball hitters like Nomar will offer at some bad ones from time to time, but they'll murder a pitcher who makes a mistake. BTW, Nomar hit 13 first-pitch homers last year, and from 1999-2001, batted .426 on the first pitch. It obviously works for him, and with numbers like that, it looks like he swings at a lot more good stuff than garbage.

[Guest alkeiper]

Manny Ramirez is not a good defensive outfielder. His habits should not be the model for anything. In fact, isn't he only playing left because he cried too much about having to man all that territory in right field? Boo-hoo, you $160 million bitch: play the position next to your name on the lineup card and STFU.

 

Wasn't it that Manny Ramirez didn't want to play left field, since he played right field in Cleveland his whole career?

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

"Kim is best known for his Yankee Stadium meltdown in Games 4 and 5 of the 2001 World Series, but has had a solid career with Arizona."

 

Just the type of person the Bo Sox need...

[Guest cartman]

When Ramirez came to Boston he was forced to move to Left field because THEY wanted Trot in right. Trot covers much more ground and it made sense for the team to put Manny in left.

 

My idea for Manny would be this though. Play him in Left for home games ONLY. On the road switch he and Nixon around because I believe Left field needs a better range player than right.

 

Anyways...I'm not going to get down on the trade anymore until I see what becomes of it. That should go for the rest of you guys too. Wait til Kim gets some chances to pitch in Boston before we all go jumping down Theo's throat.

[Guest alkeiper]

Generally, right fielders are chosen for their arms. I don't know how Manny and Nixon compare in that regard. The Yankees used to switch Ruth from right to left for home and away games. He was more suited for left, but because of the odd dimensions of Yankee Stadium (less RF ground) he played RF at home.

[Guest Some Guy]

Fucking thing. i had a long reply erased when I hit backspace and I;m not writing it back out a again.

 

But the reason I'm using Giambi is because Theo was jerking off on his OBP numbers and ignoring the fact that the guy doesn't hit or drive in runs in addition to his walks. He had 81 hits and 79 walks last year and 17/17 this year, but he's hitting .191! I want my DH to do a little more than hit the occasional solo shot and draw walks. Call me old fasioned or common sensical, whatever.

 

I suppose by Theo logic he'd pass on Soriano because he's only has a lifetime .323 OBP. Lets disregard the near 40-40 and 100 RBI last year and stare at one stat and run the team by it. That's what I hate and that seems ot be what he does.

[Guest alkeiper]

I suppose by Theo logic he'd pass on Soriano because he's only has a lifetime .323 OBP. Lets disregard the near 40-40 and 100 RBI last year and stare at one stat and run the team by it. That's what I hate and that seems ot be what he does.

 

It's not that he stares at one stat. It's just that On Base Percentage is infititely more telling then batting average. The reason Theo prefers players with high walk rates is because its a historical pattern that players with higher walk rates have better odds of continuing their success. Same holds true for pitchers with high strikeout rates.

[Guest DrTom]

SG, I don't have the book I need, so these figures will be done from memory. Since I'm a stat geek, though, they should be pretty accurate.

 

Every year, Ron Shandler publishes a book for roto baseball players. One of the stats he tracks is walk rate, expressed as a percentage of AB. Players with a walk percentage of 15% or higher hit about .290 as a group. That would be 90 walks out of 600 AB, btw. Players with walk rates around 5% (30 walks in 600 AB) hit around .250 as a group. There are exceptions, of course (like Soriano), but being able to take a walk and get on base is a very valuable skill. It's not that it's the be-all end-all of evaluating players, but it's much more useful than BA.

[Guest Some Guy]

I don't buy that OBP is all that important for every player. Lead-off guys and basestealers, OK, but I don't think it's all that important for guys who are expected to drive in runs.

 

I wonder why Soriano leads off for the most part considering he hits so many HRs and doubles that he should be in the 3 spot (as he has been lately) where he can drive in more runs.

 

Tom, I question that stat because many of the guys with fewer walks are the part time players and that skews the numbers.

 

Al, I think he does just stare at 2 stats in some cases, OBP and HR. There is no other explanation for Giambi. He doesn't seem to care about defense considering the only upgrade he made was Mueller at 3B. Walker, Ortiz, Giambi, and Millar are all worse derfensive players than Rey Sanchez (who they should have kept as the back up to at 2B and SS), Daubach (much improved defense and very streaky offense) and Tony Clark (I know he can't hit anymore). Damian Jackson is no defensive wiz and is not a good outfielder.

 

That's another problem I have with the Billy Beane school of baseball theory of which Theo is a disiple. Defense isn't aken into account. Now we have a good 3B, an error prone SS, a 2B with absolutely no range (watching him on turf is sad), and 1B guys who can't move laterally or scoop it too well, and a left fielder with minimal range.

 

Theo tends to look at stats and doesn't seem to care about how they play. Walker may have led the NL is fielding % for 2B but he can't get to balls that most can. I love his bat but his glove and arm are suspect. I think they should DH him on turf (at least) and play Freddy Sanchez at 2B, who's minor league numbers are amazing this year and just got called up to replace Shea on the roster.

[Guest alkeiper]

Al, I think he does just stare at 2 stats in some cases, OBP and HR. There is no other explanation for Giambi. He doesn't seem to care about defense considering the only upgrade he made was Mueller at 3B. Walker, Ortiz, Giambi, and Millar are all worse derfensive players than Rey Sanchez (who they should have kept as the back up to at 2B and SS), Daubach (much improved defense and very streaky offense) and Tony Clark (I know he can't hit anymore). Damian Jackson is no defensive wiz and is not a good outfielder.

 

You keep coming back to Giambi. He's always had good numbers going back to the minor leagues. He's got a chance to break into the next level like his brother did, and he hardly cost the Sox anything. Why not take a chance and hope he develops into something more? Hitters of his type have developed into the Edgar Martinez's of baseball.

 

That's another problem I have with the Billy Beane school of baseball theory of which Theo is a disiple. Defense isn't aken into account. Now we have a good 3B, an error prone SS, a 2B with absolutely no range (watching him on turf is sad), and 1B guys who can't move laterally or scoop it too well, and a left fielder with minimal range.

 

Well, the A's have won 100 games two seasons in a row, so the Beane school of baseball has had success. In any case, look at the A's now. They aquired Chris Singleton, who is not the A's type of hitter, because he plays great defense.

 

Theo tends to look at stats and doesn't seem to care about how they play.

 

The stats don't lie. Plus, you can use stats to look back at historical precedents and see which players are likely to develop, given similar players of their ilk.

[Guest DrTom]

I don't buy that OBP is all that important for every player. Lead-off guys and basestealers, OK, but I don't think it's all that important for guys who are expected to drive in runs.

Guys who are expected to drive in runs are basically expected to produce runs. There's a stat out there called runs produced, which is figures thusly: runs scored + RBI - homers. If you get on base, you potentially drive in a run, and you give your team a chance to score more runs. I like the "pitching, defense, and a three-run homer" school of baseball as much as the next fellow, but without men on base, that homer's a solo.

 

I wonder why Soriano leads off for the most part considering he hits so many HRs and doubles that he should be in the 3 spot (as he has been lately) where he can drive in more runs.

As you said, he's recently been batting in the middle of the order, where his run production is put to better use (while still not compromising his speed, as he has 3 steals this week). The problem is, the Yankees don't really have a prototypical leadoff hitter. Soriano's the fastest guy on the team, but his power bat is wasted at the top of the order, and he's not a great on-base guy. Jeter's better suited for the two-hole than anything. They seem to be doing OK without a real leadoff hitter for now, though.

 

Tom, I question that stat because many of the guys with fewer walks are the part time players and that skews the numbers.

Not at all. That's why it's a percentage of at-bats. A chap with 10 walks in 200 AB has the same 5% walk rate as someone with 30 walks in 600, and has less overall effect on the cumulative stats because of his lower AB figure.

 

Al, I think he does just stare at 2 stats in some cases, OBP and HR. There is no other explanation for Giambi.

He's a guy who hit 20 HR last year, had an OBP around .400, and can have his defensive shortcomings hidden in a league with the DH. Boston's DH picture became more crowded after he arrived, though, if my offseason memory serves me correctly. Giambi seems like a fellow who needs to be a pretty regular player. Millar's cooled off after his hot start, but with Ortiz's bat heating up, Giambi still looks to be the odd man out, doubly damning for him with interleague play starting this week.

 

That's another problem I have with the Billy Beane school of baseball theory of which Theo is a disiple. Defense isn't aken into account.

The A's don't have a bad defense at all. Give Theo another year or two. I'll admit the Sox's defense isn't very good, but if Theo is given as much time as Beane has had, you might find the results similar.

[Guest Some Guy]

QUOTE 

Al, I think he does just stare at 2 stats in some cases, OBP and HR. There is no other explanation for Giambi. He doesn't seem to care about defense considering the only upgrade he made was Mueller at 3B. Walker, Ortiz, Giambi, and Millar are all worse derfensive players than Rey Sanchez (who they should have kept as the back up to at 2B and SS), Daubach (much improved defense and very streaky offense) and Tony Clark (I know he can't hit anymore). Damian Jackson is no defensive wiz and is not a good outfielder.

 

 

You keep coming back to Giambi. He's always had good numbers going back to the minor leagues. He's got a chance to break into the next level like his brother did, and he hardly cost the Sox anything. Why not take a chance and hope he develops into something more? Hitters of his type have developed into the Edgar Martinez's of baseball.

 

So the 28 year old Giambi gets a chance to develop while the 27 (almost 28) year old Hillenbrand doesn't. Despie Gimabi making over 4 times as much, giving you nothing in the field, and twice as much big league service and still not producing much. Doesn't make sense to me.

 

QUOTE 

That's another problem I have with the Billy Beane school of baseball theory of which Theo is a disiple. Defense isn't aken into account. Now we have a good 3B, an error prone SS, a 2B with absolutely no range (watching him on turf is sad), and 1B guys who can't move laterally or scoop it too well, and a left fielder with minimal range.

 

 

Well, the A's have won 100 games two seasons in a row, so the Beane school of baseball has had success. In any case, look at the A's now. They aquired Chris Singleton, who is not the A's type of hitter, because he plays great defense.

 

They won 100 games and have yet to make it out of the first round of the playoffs because of suspect defense and not being able to mash their way through against quality pitching.

 

Singleton was a stop gap because they lost Damon and Long doesn't have much range in the outfield. I heard on the radio that Beane didn't lose any sleep over losing Damon and considering Singleton not being as good, I doubt he was Beane's first choice to replace him.

 

QUOTE 

I don't buy that OBP is all that important for every player. Lead-off guys and basestealers, OK, but I don't think it's all that important for guys who are expected to drive in runs. 

 

Guys who are expected to drive in runs are basically expected to produce runs. There's a stat out there called runs produced, which is figures thusly: runs scored + RBI - homers. If you get on base, you potentially drive in a run, and you give your team a chance to score more runs. I like the "pitching, defense, and a three-run homer" school of baseball as much as the next fellow, but without men on base, that homer's a solo.

 

But with the Red Sox right now, it's all "three-run homers" (or doubles as the case may be with the Sox) and no pitching and little defense. You need a rounded team, the Yankees of 98, 99, and 2000 were very well rounded. They had great infield defense, hitting, and pitching (starting and Bullpen), and some fast guys at the top of the order. Beane and his followers don't believe in defense or speed. The fastest guy on the Sox is Damian Jackson and he's basically a pinch runner.

 

QUOTE 

Tom, I question that stat because many of the guys with fewer walks are the part time players and that skews the numbers.

 

Not at all. That's why it's a percentage of at-bats. A chap with 10 walks in 200 AB has the same 5% walk rate as someone with 30 walks in 600, and has less overall effect on the cumulative stats because of his lower AB figure.

 

I think it skews the numbers because you can't walk your way into the line up. They feel they have to swing the bat as part time players or PHs to get a shot at playing everyday. Since they feel they need to swing, they will, and as a result won't take many walks.

 

QUOTE 

Al, I think he does just stare at 2 stats in some cases, OBP and HR. There is no other explanation for Giambi. 

 

He's a guy who hit 20 HR last year, had an OBP around .400, and can have his defensive shortcomings hidden in a league with the DH. Boston's DH picture became more crowded after he arrived, though, if my offseason memory serves me correctly. Giambi seems like a fellow who needs to be a pretty regular player. Millar's cooled off after his hot start, but with Ortiz's bat heating up, Giambi still looks to be the odd man out, doubly damning for him with interleague play starting this week.

 

Giambi was given the bulk of the DH ABs early on and didn't hit for a whole month and has struck out a lot, plus he doesn't even run hard. He hits a grounder and loafs down to first like he doesn't care. I don't like his bat, his defense, his hustle, his lack of speed, or his attitude to the game, but since he can take a walk with the best of them and hit a solo shot form time to time he has a job and makes $2 million a year because Theo doesn't care about anythign other than HRs and OBP. The guy is a no tool player and a waste of bench space.

 

QUOTE 

That's another problem I have with the Billy Beane school of baseball theory of which Theo is a disiple. Defense isn't aken into account.

 

The A's don't have a bad defense at all. Give Theo another year or two. I'll admit the Sox's defense isn't very good, but if Theo is given as much time as Beane has had, you might find the results similar.

 

There's a difference between the situations. The Sox won 93 games last year, so Theo was taking over a winner, while Beane took over a loser and was allowed to build it up. No one in Oakland gives a shit anyway. Theo didn't say he needed time, he blew up the team somewhat and basically said "there's a WS caliber team." He's wrong. I hate to be so negative about my team, as I'm usually the only postive Sox fan in the state, but I see so many things I can't stand. I love teh offense but the bullpen and starters have been horrible, especially as of late.

 

Look at the guys Theo has brought in:

Chad Fox: was pitching poorly before he got hurt.

Mendoza: Has been absolutely alwful. Little pulled him aftre one pitch the other day.

Bruce Chen: Was just relesed after about a week on the team.

Rudy Seanez (sp?): He's sucked.

Giambi: He's been horrible.

Matt White: been really bad in his few appearences.

 

Timlin: He's been barely adequate.

Robert Person: I'll give Theo a pass on this one because he was cheap and injured and hasn't pitched much.

Davis Otiz: He's been OK at the plate with poor defense

 

Brandon Lyon: Been supringly good

Kevin Millar: Has been very good at the plate and decent in teh field.

Todd Walker: Great and the plate, decent at best at 2B.

Bill Mueller: Amazing at the plate and very good at 3B and 2B.

Damian Jackson: He's been very good as a PR and infield utility guy, but he's a poor outfielder (I've seen him drop two very catchable flyballs and he takes odd routes to the ball)

 

So that's 5 good to great pick ups, 3 decent ones, and 6 total flops through the first two months.

[Guest DrTom]

But with the Red Sox right now, it's all "three-run homers" (or doubles as the case may be with the Sox) and no pitching and little defense.

 

And they're still in contention. I'm sure Epstein will do something at the All-Star break. Besides, how long has he been on the job, six months? This is his first season with the club. Despite your unhappiness with some of his moves and what you perceive as the philosophy behind them, he has the team perched right behind the Yankees. Give him a chance before you write him off as some knucklehead who has tunnel vision for one stat in the book.

 

They feel they have to swing the bat as part time players or PHs to get a shot at playing everyday.

 

Some do, probably, and I'm sure some don't. The younger players might swing more than their older counterparts in the 2-3 games-per-week rotation, but younger players tend to be more impatient than older ones, anyway, no matter how many AB they get.

 

Giambi was given the bulk of the DH ABs early on and didn't hit for a whole month and has struck out a lot, plus he doesn't even run hard. [/Quote]

 

He got about two weeks of regular PT before Oritz started to play more and Millar started getting more time at DH. The thing is, he could have simply been in an early-season funk (coupled with adjusting to a new league) and never really gotten on track. I'm not trying to defend Giambi here: I don't give a shit about him as a player, and I care less than a damn whether or not he plays (actually, I'd rather he not, since I have Ortiz on my money league fantasy team). But to give a guy two weeks of PT, then relegate him to the pine does nothing for him. The Devil Rays used to do amateur shit like that, for chrissakes.

 

The Sox won 93 games last year, so Theo was taking over a winner...

 

And the team still looks like a winner, and looks to finish with a similar number of wins.

 

The moves:

"Chad Fox: was pitching poorly before he got hurt." He's injury-prone, but has a track record of pitching well when he's healthy.

"Mendoza: Has been absolutely alwful. Little pulled him aftre one pitch the other day." Mendoza has a very good major league track record. There's no way anyone thought this was a bad signing on Opening Day. You're evaluating the move now that he's pitched poorly this year, but tell me you thought it was a bad idea to add a solid reliever who has a few rings.

"Bruce Chen: Was just relesed after about a week on the team." The former Braves uber-prospect, if memory serves. Really, he lost out to a numbers game as opposed to ineffectiveness. He could be a good pickup for someone.

"Rudy Seanez (sp?): He's sucked." Mediocre player.

"Giambi: He's been horrible." Probably overrated, but Giambi has been a solid hitter and on-base fellow in the past.

"Matt White: been really bad in his few appearences." Mediocre player.

"Timlin: He's been barely adequate." Barely adequate? The guy has an ERA below the league average and isn't even allowing a baserunner an inning when last I checked.

"Robert Person: I'll give Theo a pass on this one because he was cheap and injured and hasn't pitched much." He's talented, though, and could pitch well for the Sox. Just like Mendoza could have.

"Davis Otiz: He's been OK at the plate with poor defense" His bat is heating up. Ortiz has a lot of power and can hit for a decent average. He's nothing special in the field, which is why he's the perfect DH/occasional 1B.

"Brandon Lyon: Been supringly good" Not surprising at all, really.

"Kevin Millar: Has been very good at the plate and decent in teh field." Millar is a proven hitter who plays decent defense. Again, not surprising.

"Todd Walker: Great and the plate, decent at best at 2B." He's probably a little better in the field than you're giving him credit for, but his bat has always been better than his glove.

"Bill Mueller: Amazing at the plate and very good at 3B and 2B." His defense was a known commodity, and while he's always hit wherever he's gone, I don't think anyone expected him to be as ridiculous as he's been this season.

"Damian Jackson: He's been very good as a PR and infield utility guy, but he's a poor outfielder (I've seen him drop two very catchable flyballs and he takes odd routes to the ball)" He's an infielder by trade who's learning the outfield to keep his speed in the lineup more often. Give him time.

 

So that's 5 good to great pick ups, 3 decent ones, and 6 total flops through the first two months.

 

Good pickups: Chen (despite his release, he was a good signing), Timlin, Person, Ortiz, Lyon, Millar, Walker, Mueller.

Decent: Fox, Jackson.

Flops: Mendoza, Seanez, White, Giambi.

 

I maintain Mendoza's signing was a good idea, even though the results have not borne that out.

 

Edit: The Quote tags are all fucked to hell, and I don't know why. Bah.

[Bored 0]

Ugh so much to quote I'm not even going to bother. As for the A's signing Singleton, somebdoy definently twisted Beane's arm there and he signed a defensive player. Funny thing is Singleton's offense has been a pleasant surprise (for a #9 hitter at least) but his defense has been a dissapointment. They main reason to sign Singleton was to get Terrence Long the hell out of centerfield where he was just awful but he's a decent corner outfielder. Look for Long to be traded during this season or after this season as he's started to bitch about possibly platooning now with the emergence of Eric Byrnes even though Long hasn't done jackshit offensively since 2001. Fact of the matter is Beane doesn't focus on defense simply because he can't afford to spend money on someone who is strictly in there for defense. A's ownership runs the team like a business and always tries to make money (and usually do) which is not the way to run a baseball team. The A's could spend $10-15 million a year more but their owner Steve Schott just refuses to. Defense is typically overvalued anyways which is why Billy Beane didn't lose sleep over losing Damon.

[Guest Some Guy]

But with the Red Sox right now, it's all "three-run homers" (or doubles as the case may be with the Sox) and no pitching and little defense.

 

And they're still in contention. I'm sure Epstein will do something at the All-Star break. Besides, how long has he been on the job, six months? This is his first season with the club. Despite your unhappiness with some of his moves and what you perceive as the philosophy behind them, he has the team perched right behind the Yankees. Give him a chance before you write him off as some knucklehead who has tunnel vision for one stat in the book.

 

I don't think he's a knucklehead but I do think he has taken the Billy Beane shit way too seriously. As I said a team is comprised of more than OBP and starters. I think he';s young enough and hopefully not suburn enough to mediate his beliefs. I could buy into the OBP theory if it were for players like Millar or Mueller who go up to hit and will take a walk, not vice versa and play at least acceptable defense.

I'm not sure he'll do much at the break, he doesn't have much to trade in the minors or majors.

 

The moves:

"Chad Fox: was pitching poorly before he got hurt." He's injury-prone, but has a track record of pitching well when he's healthy.

He was worth the risk and I like his stuff, but that doesn't meam he hasn't flopped so far.

 

"Mendoza: Has been absolutely alwful. Little pulled him aftre one pitch the other day." Mendoza has a very good major league track record. There's no way anyone thought this was a bad signing on Opening Day. You're evaluating the move now that he's pitched poorly this year, but tell me you thought it was a bad idea to add a solid reliever who has a few rings.

 

Do you really think the Yanks would allow someone who had a lot left to offer to sign with the Sox? They knew he was on the decline and Stat boy didn't figure that out because the stats hadn't caught up to his decline. Players can lose it overnight but usually it can be seen coming if you know what to look for and I'm sure Torre and Stoddelmire knew.

 

"Bruce Chen: Was just relesed after about a week on the team." The former Braves uber-prospect, if memory serves. Really, he lost out to a numbers game as opposed to ineffectiveness. He could be a good pickup for someone.

 

He was a waiver claim stop gap and not really effective at any point in his career. i don't have a problem with the signing or release, but he still flopped. I think 7 teams have thought he could be a good pick up and how's that worked out for them?

 

"Rudy Seanez (sp?): He's sucked." Mediocre player.

 

He got a minor league contract and has been called up and sucked, I would've kept Chen and released this guy.

 

"Giambi: He's been horrible." Probably overrated, but Giambi has been a solid hitter and on-base fellow in the past.

Decent hitter maybe, the RBI just aren't there for the guy, he doesn't produce.

 

"Matt White: been really bad in his few appearences." Mediocre player.

 

Actually a rookie Rule 5 pick up who pitched well in spring training and the minors and has absolutely sucked the big one hard in his 3 or so appearances.

 

"Timlin: He's been barely adequate." Barely adequate? The guy has an ERA below the league average and isn't even allowing a baserunner an inning when last I checked.

 

And giving up big hits and HRs.

 

"Robert Person: I'll give Theo a pass on this one because he was cheap and injured and hasn't pitched much." He's talented, though, and could pitch well for the Sox. Just like Mendoza could have.

I have no problem with that pick uo either.

 

"David Otiz: He's been OK at the plate with poor defense" His bat is heating up. Ortiz has a lot of power and can hit for a decent average. He's nothing special in the field, which is why he's the perfect DH/occasional 1B.

 

No problem with this one.

 

"Brandon Lyon: Been supringly good" Not surprising at all, really.

 

It's suprised the hell out of the Blue Jays.

 

"Kevin Millar: Has been very good at the plate and decent in teh field." Millar is a proven hitter who plays decent defense. Again, not surprising.

 

I like him.

 

"Todd Walker: Great and the plate, decent at best at 2B." He's probably a little better in the field than you're giving him credit for, but his bat has always been better than his glove.

 

Probably not. He has no range and a suspect arm.

 

"Bill Mueller: Amazing at the plate and very good at 3B and 2B." His defense was a known commodity, and while he's always hit wherever he's gone, I don't think anyone expected him to be as ridiculous as he's been this season.

 

He won't hit .385 the whole year but being healthy and playing all year he can produce at a very high level.

 

"Damian Jackson: He's been very good as a PR and infield utility guy, but he's a poor outfielder (I've seen him drop two very catchable flyballs and he takes odd routes to the ball)" He's an infielder by trade who's learning the outfield to keep his speed in the lineup more often. Give him time.

 

I am.

[Guest razoredge450]

The yearly name trade. Usually once a year a name is traded for a name (even though the names are usually not that big of names, just that they are known by casual baseball fans). Every other trade is minor leaguer for minor leaguer or mediocare player for minor leaguers. Boring.

[Guest alkeiper]

This is fascinating actually.

 

I haven't seen it mentioned in the thread yet. In order to fit Hillenbrand on the roster, the Diamondbacks released Matt Williams, the last original player left from the '98 squad.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

I see Williams ending up with the Cubs.

 

Bruce Chen at age 25 has been on 7 teams. It took Mike Morgan 24 years to play for 12.

[Guest alkeiper]

Chen should get a stint with the Devil Rays or Tigers. A team that isn't going to win this year and will give him regular work and see what he can really do.