This Week in Baseball 4/16 - 4/22

[Guest Queen Leelee]

Ryan "Black Hole" Freel and his .367 career OBP are signed to the Reds through the 2009 season.

And his .265 EqA, and assuring he'll get injured doing something stupid early in the year.

[CanadianChris 0]

Reed Johnson is out until July with a herniated disc in his back.

 

I would say letting Frank Catalanotto was a bad move in hindsight, but he's gotten off to a pretty bad start in Texas himself.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

This has been the most miserable openings to a baseball season I've ever experienced. The teams only get their games in half the time and when they do play, they stink. Both in performance and excitement. I took six days off of work but couldn't travel to any baseball games because it was either too cold, raining, snowing, or all three.

 

Yeah...Derek Jeter (I think) actually said something right last week when he said that MLB should make sure as many early season games occur in warm weather or dome stadiums as possible in the future.

This weather is an abnormality. What MLB should do though is make sure more day games are scheduled early in the season.

[Guest Queen Leelee]

The length of this cold spell is an abnormality, but in April there's always wild variations in temperature.

 

Don't put 9 game homestands in Cleveland in early April. It's really easy.

[CanadianChris 0]

The verdict is in: Ryan will be out 4-6 weeks with a strained ligament in his elbow, but will not need surgery. Thank goodness.

 

Also, Troy Glaus was placed on the DL with his sore heel.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Opening Day payrolls

 

2007

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

N.Y. Yankees $195,229,045

Boston $143,526,214

New York Mets $117,915,819

Chicago White Sox $109,680,167

Los Angeles Angels $109,251,333

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Los Angeles Dodgers $108,704,524

Seattle $106,516,833

Chicago Cubs $99,937,000

Detroit $95,180,369

Baltimore $95,107,807

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

San Francisco $90,469,056

St. Louis $90,286,823

Atlanta $89,492,685

Philadelphia $89,368,214

Houston $87,759,500

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oakland $79,938,369

Toronto $71,986,500

Milwaukee $71,986,500

Minnesota $71,439,500

Cincinnati $69,154,980

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Texas $68,818,675

Kansas City $67,366,500

Cleveland $61,673,267

San Diego $58,235,567

Colorado $54,424,000

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arizona $52,067,546

Pittsburgh $38,604,500

Washington $37,347,500

Florida $30,507,000

Tampa Bay $24,124,200

[CanadianChris 0]

You'd think that for all that money, the Mariners could have bought themselves more than 70 wins.

[Mik 0]

Miguel Cabrera hitting arbitration counts for $7M of the $12M the Marlins payroll increased this offseason.

[Vern Gagne 0]

The Twins and A's are no longer small market teams.

[Annabelle 0]

The verdict is in: Ryan will be out 4-6 weeks with a strained ligament in his elbow, but will not need surgery. Thank goodness.

 

no way, chico. is this is how all tommy john occurances start. he'll come back in 6 weeks. pitch two games then be out for 2 years.

[Vern Gagne 0]

How do you convince someone that a great player doesn't need to have a lot of hr's and rbi?

[razazteca 0]

Preach the virtues of OPS and every other percentage stat out there.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

How do you convince someone that a great player doesn't need to have a lot of hr's and rbi?

What player are you referring?

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

How do you convince someone that a great player doesn't need to have a lot of hr's and rbi?

 

I'm not sure if this is a rhetorical question or not, but it's easy to convince someone as long as they have an open mind about the game. Once they get their head around the idea that the goal of baseball is to not get out, it's fairly easy. Eschewing the importance of OBP and SLG opens the entire world of statistical analysis.

[razazteca 0]

Say that the person in question won a Golden Glove!

[vivalaultra 0]

How do you convince someone that a great player doesn't need to have a lot of hr's and rbi?

 

I'm not sure if this is a rhetorical question or not, but it's easy to convince someone as long as they have an open mind about the game. Once they get their head around the idea that the goal of baseball is to not get out, it's fairly easy. Eschewing the importance of OBP and SLG opens the entire world of statistical analysis.

 

I agree with the idea that it's important not to make outs, but what about the importance of guys that sacrifice (both bunt and fly) and move runners over with grounders to the right side of the infield? Aren't they also a pretty integral part of the game?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

How do you convince someone that a great player doesn't need to have a lot of hr's and rbi?

 

I'm not sure if this is a rhetorical question or not, but it's easy to convince someone as long as they have an open mind about the game. Once they get their head around the idea that the goal of baseball is to not get out, it's fairly easy. Eschewing the importance of OBP and SLG opens the entire world of statistical analysis.

 

I agree with the idea that it's important not to make outs, but what about the importance of guys that sacrifice (both bunt and fly) and move runners over with grounders to the right side of the infield? Aren't they also a pretty integral part of the game?

Not really, because those skills are easily replaceable.

[vivalaultra 0]

What about intagibles? What about grit and determination? What about heart and what about hustle? What about...Darin Erstad?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

[CanadianChris 0]

What about intagibles? What about grit and determination? What about heart and what about hustle? What about...Darin Erstad?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

What about an OPS under 550?

[vivalaultra 0]

OPS? Pshaw! I'm talkin' about intagibles. That Darin Erstad...he's a baseball player, I tells ya.

 

The 'Stros/Fish game just started. Hanley Ramirez led of the game with what shoulda been an easy triple, bounced off the wall in left center, back into left field, Chris Burke had to race to go get it. Hanley decided to ignore the 3rd base coach and try for the inside-the-park-homerun. He was thrown out at home by about 5 steps. That's what ya gotta love about the Marlins...a buncha young guys making heady, jumpy plays but always with the idea that they can do em. It was exciting in any event.

[devo 0]

In the Brewers/Reds game, the second base umpire just called the infield fly rule on a soft line drive with the bases loaded and nobody out. The worst call I've seen this year by far, and one that may end up winning the game for Milwaukee.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

In the Brewers/Reds game, the second base umpire just called the infield fly rule on a soft line drive with the bases loaded and nobody out. The worst call I've seen this year by far, and one that may end up winning the game for Milwaukee.

MLB Gameday says Ryan Freel scored on the play, runners advanced. How did that happen?

[devo 0]

The line drive bounced off of Rickie Weeks' glove and into the outfield, so I'm assuming that even though Jeff Conine was called out, Freel and the other runners were able to advance because Weeks essentially dropped a pop up.

 

Edit: And the Reds receive another kick in the gut as Bill Hall hits a Grand Slam to make it 8-3 Milwaukee.

[geniusMoment 0]

Josh Hamilton with a pinch hit 2 run tracer into the seats. Yeah, don't start him you fucking idiot Narron.

[Hawk 34 0]

I don't want to go on a bitter geniusmoment tangent but Hamilton really needs to be on the starting line up in any capacity. Disregard his "small sample size" and cite his lack of time and all the trumped up stats you want, he gets big hits when they need them and has tremendous discipline at the plate.

 

I know it's a safe assumption that Freel/Griffey will open a spot for him soon enough but if it requires moving Dunn back to 1st to slide Hamilton to left leaving Conine as the bench player, then so be it. Just get him in.

[CanadianChris 0]

I heard they were taking about moving Freel to 3rd.

[vivalaultra 0]

Is Encarnacion still benched? What was benched for again? Not running out a popup or something?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I don't want to go on a bitter geniusmoment tangent but Hamilton really needs to be on the starting line up in any capacity. Disregard his "small sample size" and cite his lack of time and all the trumped up stats you want, he gets big hits when they need them and has tremendous discipline at the plate.

 

I know it's a safe assumption that Freel/Griffey will open a spot for him soon enough but if it requires moving Dunn back to 1st to slide Hamilton to left leaving Conine as the bench player, then so be it. Just get him in.

All stats aside, you don't earn a starting spot after 21 plate appearances above A ball.

[Hawk 34 0]

Is Encarnacion still benched? What was benched for again? Not running out a popup or something?

 

That was just a one game thing. He didn't run out a pop-up and stood in the box. He hasn't been productive at all from the plate and since Freel can play the field and Hamilton is playing quite well, moving Freel to 3rd might be the best option. They can move alot parts around but getting Hamilton as a regular starter right now is crucial. Can't just wait for Junior to tear another muscle or Freel to smash his face in diving for a pop-up in the first inning.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Why is it crucial? First off, Hamilton isn't going anywhere unless the Reds let him go. Second, he has a world of talent, yes. The problem is that he missed a ton of development time and he undoubtably has flaws. A good manager works to cover those flaws and use him to his optimum ability. Leaving him out to be exposed is probably not the best way to do that. Keep in mind he's 0 for 7 against lefties with four strikeouts.