2006-07 MLB Offseason Thread

[v.2 0]

Michael Young is awful too.

 

I think Yuniesky Betancourt is probably the best fielding shortstop in the American League right now. The problem is that most fans haven't seen him play.

 

Yeah, but my plan was to post every shortstops stats eventually. He's just one of many I was going to put up there.

 

I watch Betancourt everyday, and he has fantastic range and a tremendous arm .He makes tons of highlight reel plays (and makes some highlight reel plays for other shortstops look incredibly easy), but never gets featured. But at this point, he fucks up some easy plays (20 errors, 2nd in the league). I'm not sure whether it's complacency or not. but he does make some mistakes. He'll be an awesome shortstop. Here's his line on defense:

 

157 156 1374.1 701 251 430 20 95 4.46 .971

[Brett Favre 0]

Jeter won't be denied.

 

I'm not exactly watching every 2nd baseman in the league, but if Cano was healthy the whole year, I think he'd have a shot.

[tominator89 0]

n/m

[Guest NYankees]

Every year I get sort of excited to hear the Gold Glove winners, then they are announced and I go into fits of rage. I know I shouldn't get worked up over this stuff, but do the voters even watch baseball? Jeter isn't even in the top half of AL shortstops. But whatever, I guess I should just accept it for the fluff award that it is.

 

 

Yeah becasue I am sure you watch every play Jeter makes for the whole season. I am willing to bet you were drinking that Nomar is better Kool Aid back in 1999 as well.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

My question to that would be that if you watch every play Jeter makes, how can you possibly have seen enough plays from the other 13 shortstops to make a qualified opinion?

 

Jeter makes some nice plays. That doesn't mean anything because every shortstop makes nice plays. It's part of the job. If you watch video of Jeter compared to a guy like Adam Everett, the difference becomes apparent.

[Guest NYankees]

You guys are acting like Miguel Tejada won the award or that Derek Jeter sucks as much in the field as Tejada.

[vivalaultra 0]

Actually, in 2006, Jeter made 4 less errors than Tejada, but Tejada had a better range factor and more DP turned than Jeets, so I don't...really...see...any appreciable way that Jeter was THAT much better than Miguel Tejada in the field this year. If Jeter were any kind of captain or role model, he'd relinquish his Gold Glove and give it to Adam Everett. Everett got robbed.

[Guest NYankees]

Actually, in 2006, Jeter made 4 less errors than Tejada, but Tejada had a better range factor and more DP turned than Jeets, so I don't...really...see...any appreciable way that Jeter was THAT much better than Miguel Tejada in the field this year. If Jeter were any kind of captain or role model, he'd relinquish his Gold Glove and give it to Adam Everett. Everett got robbed.

 

 

Will you quit your bitching. It is a meaningless award.

[vivalaultra 0]

Gah, I was just kidding. But I am disheartened about Everett not getting the GG. I mean, dude batted .220 this past season. At least give him props for his defense so people in Houston'll stop bitching and saying we need to shitcan him.

[Guest NYankees]

Fine, he is great with the glove. The Yankees turned down an offer from the Orioled that would have sent Kris Benson and a releif pitcher for Gary Sheffield. Why would the O's want to trade pitching for a 38 year corner outfielder? Do they not get it?

[Chuck Woolery 0]

calling kris benson "pitching" is debatable.

[vivalaultra 0]

Hey, Slammin' Sammy Sosa's ready to make a comeback. Maybe the Nats'll sign him THIS year.

[Precious Roy 0]

Fine, he is great with the glove. The Yankees turned down an offer from the Orioled that would have sent Kris Benson and a releif pitcher for Gary Sheffield. Why would the O's want to trade pitching for a 38 year corner outfielder? Do they not get it?

 

Might not have been a bad deal to make, Anna Benson could have taken some of the backpage spotlight off of A-Rod.

[Guest NYankees]

The Yankees picked up the 2007 option on Gary Sheffield. I wonder how long it is going to take for them to trade him.

[2GOLD 0]

Fine, he is great with the glove. The Yankees turned down an offer from the Orioled that would have sent Kris Benson and a releif pitcher for Gary Sheffield. Why would the O's want to trade pitching for a 38 year corner outfielder? Do they not get it?

 

No, they don't. They just don't.

[randomguy 0]

Range factor is a BS stat. Its an ok general measure but it doesn't say anything about a particular player.

 

How many balls do you field? Well how many are hit to you, where, and how hard? If your staff lefties or righties? Do they throw cutters, fastballs, changeups?

 

The problem with defensive stats is that they are terrible at isolating the position from everything else.

 

That said, Jeter doesn't deserve a Gold Glove. He is a steady fielder, nothing more.

[Guest NYankees]

Is this the off season where the Orioles go after Sheffield and Bonds and bring back Sosa? That would be one heck of an outfield with a combined 1800 career homeruns. Hell if they bring back Palmeiro that would be what 2300 career homeruns for their lineup.

[CanadianChris 0]

Is this the off season where the Orioles go after Sheffield and Bonds and bring back Sosa? That would be one heck of an outfield with a combined 1800 career homeruns. Hell if they bring back Palmeiro that would be what 2300 career homeruns for their lineup.

And another fourth-place finish.

[Bored 0]

Rangers hire Ron Washington as their new manager. Those A's fans who have been convinced that Washington will be the best manager ever are on their way to Billy Beane's house right now to suicide bomb him. I on other hand am just glad he's getting a chance although I wish it wasn't in the same division in case he does turn out to be a good manager.

[Bored 0]

Local report states that next week the A's will officially announce plans for a new stadium in Fremont which is about 20 minutes from Oakland.

 

Link

[Guest Felonies!]

Will they still be the Oakland A's, or will they be the Fremont/Bay Area/California/Golden State/East Bay/bullshit Athletics?

[Bored 0]

No idea at this point although won't be the Fremont A's as no one outside the Bay Area has ever heard of Fremont. My guess is it will be the California or Bay Area A's.

[Guest Felonies!]

They should just stick with Oakland. More like "Gay Area," amirite.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Is this the off season where the Orioles go after Sheffield and Bonds and bring back Sosa? That would be one heck of an outfield with a combined 1800 career homeruns. Hell if they bring back Palmeiro that would be what 2300 career homeruns for their lineup.

 

They need a big name/big bat in the lineup but neither Bonds nor Shefield is the answer. Which is why I figure that its more than likely they sign no one...

[Slayer 0]

They should just stick with Oakland. More like "Gay Area," amirite.

They can be the first team actually to use the pink hats in their unis

[Guest NYankees]

Is this the off season where the Orioles go after Sheffield and Bonds and bring back Sosa? That would be one heck of an outfield with a combined 1800 career homeruns. Hell if they bring back Palmeiro that would be what 2300 career homeruns for their lineup.

 

They need a big name/big bat in the lineup but neither Bonds nor Shefield is the answer. Which is why I figure that its more than likely they sign no one...

 

 

They need fucking pitching!!!!! Why are Orioles fans as crazy as Angelos?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

They need both. They have pitching prospects at least.

[Guest NYankees]

According to the NY Daily News, the Yankees are going to go after both young pitching studs by the names of Clemens and Pettitte. Joy to the World!

[2GOLD 0]

They need both. They have pitching prospects at least.

 

Are Hayden Penn and Adam Loewen supposed to be ready this year? Cause that would really help if they are.

 

I figure Loewen, Penn, Benson and Bedard are four guys you can start with but they need a one. Benson is a three at best (if he even decides he wants to return and he isn't worth as much as he thinks he is), Loewen and Penn are HUGE question marks still, Bedard is still pretty good and easily the 2. I heard Maddux but seriously, there is just no way he is above a 3 at this point. And something tells me the AL would eat him alive.

 

Mulder (or is it Zito? Either way) I guess is the popular guy but no way he comes to Baltimore and I'm not crazy about him anyway. Cabrera is still another question mark and is just way too inconsistent to risk. I don't know, let him compete for the fifth spot I suppose and put either him, Penn or Loewen in the bullpen.

 

The O's need a lot of everything: Bullpen, another bat to protect Miggy, and starting pitching.

 

Right field can be between Markakis and Gibbons with Markakis being the easy favorite. Or hell, Markakis can play left and they can find someone else to take over right since Gibbons is a nightmare as a fielder (and overall really). Not Shef, Bonds or Sosa cause those are living disasters. I'm fine with Patterson in center although his strikeouts still give me headaches. First base is still a hole, while the rest of the infield is very good.

 

Baltimore really isn't in as bad of shape as I thought, just the young pitchers need to develop now and the bullpen needs to be fixed quickly with guys who know what the hell they are doing when they come in.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I hope the A's still call themselves "The Oakland Athletics", rather than some stupid name change like the Angels underwent (and that was without even moving to a new stadium).

 

Sorry if he's been discussed already, but one guy I'm curious about is Carlos Lee, being a Brewers fan. It sounds like he won't be with the Rangers again next season, and rumor has it the Astros or Cubs might make a play to sign him as a free agent. He could really help someone's lineup. The Brewers definitely suffered when he was traded this past season (well, that, and all the other injuries they had basically killed their offense).