2006-07 MLB Offseason Thread

[CanadianChris 0]

Since Al is currently reading the thread...here's a trivia question. Does anybody know, off the top of the head, all of the pitchers in MLB history who have struck out the side on 9 pitches? I know Brandon Backe did it once and Pedro Martinez did it twice. And, also, does anybody have a list of the pitchers who have struck out 4 batters in one inning?

Striking out the side on nine pitches:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitchers_who_...on_nine_pitches

 

4 strikeouts in an inning:

 

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats19.shtml

[geniusMoment 0]

JD Drew failed his physical with the Red Sox.

 

by Will Carroll

 

Tony Massarotti of the Boston Herald got the story first, but I have more details on the specifics of the J.D. Drew physical. Drew took the physical shortly after the announcement of the deal in Orlando, but sources have told me that Drew showed problems in his shoulder that “could shut down his power.” Drew had minor surgery on his shoulder after the 2005 season, so it’s possible that there’s more damage in there. It’s important to note that in free agent acquisitions, a team often does not have the benefit of requesting medical records from his previous team prior to signing. Speculation centers on the damage to Drew’s shoulder being more like Scott Rolen circa 2005. As Massarotti reports, it is more likely that the Red Sox get protection in the form of a very limited escape clause rather than scuttling the deal altogether. Somewhere, Bill Simmons just had someone kick him in the groin.

[naiwf 0]

BWAHAHAHAHAHA.

[Guest]

LOL

[devo 0]

Oh. My. God.

 

What happens now?

[Precious Roy 0]

The Yankees signed Kei Igawa, 5 years 20 million

 

The price is right, 5 years is a bit long for a gamble, but even if he falters in NY he'll have decent trade value, ala Irabu and Contreras.

 

I don't like the idea of trading Melky to Atlanta. Gonzalez would be a nice player to have, but he's had some arm troubles. I guess it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world though. I think from Cashman's POV he doesn't see Melky becoming a starter for a couple years and it's better to get good value for him than have an overqualified 4th OF (with Tabata in the farm system) and it also gives him an excuse to bring Bernie back for another year. I think Cabrera is going to be a really solid player though, the Yankees can use his defense and squeeze 300-350 ABs out of him by giving Damon, Matsui and Abreu regular rest/DH time. If it were up to me I'd keep Melky. Bring Bernie back too, but in the Ruben Sierra pinch hitter/occasional DH/emergency OF role. He's still good at the plate and great in the clubhouse, but he really shouldn't be a regular in the field.

[Guest "Go, Mordecai!"]

lol, Red Sox!

 

So now where do they go from here? Maybe they'd better keep Trot Nixon after all.

[Precious Roy 0]

Tampa Bay signed Al Reyes to a 1 year deal. He's 35 and coming off TJ surgery, but he had a great year for STL in 05. That's a shrewd pickup.

[Precious Roy 0]

lol, Red Sox!

 

So now where do they go from here? Maybe they'd better keep Trot Nixon after all.

 

They've got Wkllk Mk Pknk

[Guest "Go, Mordecai!"]

lol, Red Sox!

 

So now where do they go from here? Maybe they'd better keep Trot Nixon after all.

 

They've got Wkllk Mk Pknk

And Count Chocula.

[Precious Roy 0]

Apparently the Marlins are closing in on an Armando Benitez deal. I've always like Benitez, and it seems like he gets a bad rap from the fans of whatever team he's on. I remember when he was on the Mets the WFAN callers just dogged him constantly. He'll blow a few saves and make a couple of em interesting, but he's intimidating on the mound and throws straight gas, and you really can't argue with his numbers. He was great for Florida in 04. When I saw that he was being shopped I was hoping the Yankees would take another look at him.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Remember that brawl he started in '98 by nailing Tino right between the 2 and the 4 after a (Bernie?) home run? What a dick.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Between Matsuzaka signing below expectations and J.D. Drew, this has not been a good week for Scott Boras. At least he's got the Zito deal to look forward to.

[CanadianChris 0]

Buck O'Neil was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom:

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2698781

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Since Al is currently reading the thread...here's a trivia question. Does anybody know, off the top of the head, all of the pitchers in MLB history who have struck out the side on 9 pitches? I know Brandon Backe did it once and Pedro Martinez did it twice. And, also, does anybody have a list of the pitchers who have struck out 4 batters in one inning?

Striking out the side on nine pitches:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitchers_who_...on_nine_pitches

 

4 strikeouts in an inning:

 

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats19.shtml

I remember that game where Hawkins struck out the side on nine pitches in the ninth. The Cubs had looked dead offensively all afternoon (surprise) before rallying in the 8th and getting the tying and go-ahead runs off of Mota and Benetiz when they were still almost unhittable. Then Hawkins came down and totally pwned the Marlins in the 9th. It was huge at the time, considering the WC race. Of course, we all remember how that turned out.

[Guest "Go, Mordecai!"]

I was racking my brain the other day trying to remember if Hawkins did that in real life, or if I did it using Hawkins on a video game. Maybe both!

[Annabelle 0]

is the contract between drew & sox voided now? drew will have a tough time recouping what he passed up on in l.a. if he's really hurt.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

is the contract between drew & sox voided now? drew will have a tough time recouping what he passed up on in l.a. if he's really hurt.

 

Doesn't sound like it's a deal-breaker, at least from what I've heard. The Sox are negotiating some sort of contract protection, probably in the form of an out clause if the shoulder affects his ability to play in the future. While it is troubling that Drew has this sort of concern, let us not forget that Beckett failed his physical after the trade to Boston last year. This stuff isn't totally atypical given the condition of many players.

[Guest NYankees]

What would be the backup plan for the Red Sox if they dont go with JD Drew?

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

What would be the backup plan for the Red Sox if they dont go with JD Drew?

 

First of all, an update of JD Drew. He's getting a second opinion on the shoulder that is causing all this concern. The issue at hand is that the front office believes there is a chronic problem in that shoulder, and that it may cause him to lose his power over the life of the contract. Boras/Drew believe the issue is being overstated so that the Sox can gain leverage in negotiations and negotiate an out clause (which makes some sense... why would he have opted out of the guaranteed LA deal if his shoulder is in such bad shape?). I'd say that there is a +90% chance that Drew still ends up in Boston because it would be really risky to axe the deal and try to go back into free agency with this negative stigma surrounding him. Nick Cafardo, who broke the story that Baseball Prospectus picked up on, has backed off his stance a little and says the front office only sees this as a "minor issue."

 

If the Drew talks fail and the Sox decide against signing him, I guess the only option would be to re-sign Trot (God help us!) and platoon him with Wily Mo in right. I guess David Murphy would maybe get a look also, but I don't think that he's anymore than a 4th outfielder type.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I figured I'd do Jorge Posada's, since it's a fresh look.

 

1. Was he ever regarded as the best player in baseball? Did anybody, while he was active, ever suggest that he

 

was the best player in baseball?

 

If they did, it is a surprise to me.

 

2. Was he the best player on his team?

 

No, although Posada played with some very good players. Posada might have a decent argument in any case, as only Derek Jeter ranks higher in Runs Created Above Position from 1998-2006.

 

3. Was he the best player in baseball at his position? Was he the best player in the league at his position?

 

Posada was quite possibly the best catcher in the American League. Ivan Rodriguez edges him in some rate statistics, but Posada has an edge in Runs Created Above Average over his career. Rodriguez was a better catcher before 1998, when Posada became a regular. In the whole of baseball, only Piazza is clearly superior.

 

4. Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races?

 

Of course. The Yankees won the American League East every single year Posada started behind the plate.

 

5. Was he good enough that he could play regularly after passing his prime?

 

Posada is in mid-career, but so far so good. He's made it to his mid 30s.

 

6. Is he the very best baseball player in history who is not in the Hall of Fame?

 

No.

 

7. Are most players who have comparable statistics in the Hall of Fame?

 

Posada's number one comparable is Roy Campanella, but Campanella got started late because of the color line. Of the age comparables, three are in the Hall. This is deceiving as well however. Carlton Fisk lasted far longer than any other catcher. Campanella is on the list. Gabby Hartnett was also one of the game's great defensive catchers. So no, most similar players are out.

 

8. Do the player's numbers meet Hall of Fame standards?

 

Posada scores zero on the Black Ink and 8 on the Gray Ink Test. He scores better on the HOF Standards, meeting 36.2% of Hall Standards.

 

9. Is there any evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his

 

statistics?

 

Posada was converted to catcher from second base. He did not get started until he was 26 years old, a very late start. If you look at catchers solely after they turned 26, Posada ranks 7th in runs created per game.

 

10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame?

 

I think you would have to look at Ted Simmons first.

 

11. How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close?

 

Catchers get little respect in MVP votes in this era. Posada did once come close, finishing third in 2003.

 

12. How many All-Star-type seasons did he have? How many All-Star games did he play in? Did most of the players

 

who played in this many All-Star games go into the Hall of Fame?

 

Posada has played in four All-Star games thus far.

 

13. If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant?

 

I think so. They would need good supporting players, but a great catcher is a good start.

 

14. What impact did the player have on baseball history? Was he responsible for any rule changes? Did he

 

introduce any new equipment? Did he change the game in any way?

 

None apparent.

 

15. Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written

 

guidelines, instructs us to consider?

 

Yes.

 

Posada's not really a HOF caliber player. He's probably better however than we give him credit before. A catcher with Posada's hitting ability who can sustain it for nearly a decade is a rare quality.

[Guest NYankees]

Posada had several AL All Star seasons where he got screwed out of going to the game. I dont picture him going to the hall but he should be recognized as one of the better offensive catchers in the modern era.

[Vern Gagne 0]

How about Kenny Lofton?

[Vampiro69 0]

or Craig Biggio?

[vivalaultra 0]

Throw a closer in there. Do Billy Wagner or Trevor Hoffman.

[Guest Princess Leena]

What about Candy Cummings?

[Vern Gagne 0]

He's already in.

[Guest Princess Leena]

I want to see how he compares to current pitchers.

[Guest NYankees]

Omar Minaya and Jeff Wilpon are flying out to California to talk to Barry Zito. I wonder when he is going to be finally signed by with Christmas coming up in less than a week.

[Cartman 0]

Even if the Drew deal got nixed(one could only hope) i'm comfortable with Pena and David Murphy in RF this year.

 

I really would like Pena in CF and Coco/Murphy in RF but Coco doesn't have the arm for RF at all. Pena seems much more comfortable in CF than RF. The strikeouts are an issue but the 30-40 HR potential playing eveyrday makes up for it. He did gave a .349 OBP and .838 OPS in limited time last season. I don't know many teams that would mind that while giving up a bit of defense in the outfield. In fact from what I have seen Pena's defense, while bad, is not completely useless. He seems to either make really great plays or completely godawful plays.