Spring Training 2008

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Pitchers and catchers begin reporting tomorrow.

 

I picked up Baseball America's Prospect Guide, good read as always. I'm amazed at the number of prospects who changed hands since the book went to the printer.

 

I'm also real tempted to go back to EA Sports' 2006 NCAA Baseball game. Dozens of players in that game are now names in the Majors and minors.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Doesn't really have anything to do with Spring Training, but does anyone else find it funny that Congress found Andy Pettitte so stupid that they asked him to go away rather than embarrass himself testifying in front of a national audience?

[CanadianChris 0]

Jayson Stark had a great entry on his blog of the hearings:

 

11:01 a.m. ET

Just a thought as the questioning of the Rocket gets rolling:

 

Since he's under oath, any chance one of these Congressmen could ask Roger what the heck actually happened when he threw that bat at Mike Piazza?

 

He didn't really think that was the ball, did he?

 

Sorry to digress. Just thinking.

[Guest Smues]

Pitchers and catchers begin reporting tomorrow.

 

I picked up Baseball America's Prospect Guide, good read as always. I'm amazed at the number of prospects who changed hands since the book went to the printer.

 

I'm also real tempted to go back to EA Sports' 2006 NCAA Baseball game. Dozens of players in that game are now names in the Majors and minors.

 

I was saddened to learn there won't be an MVP 2008 this year.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Pitchers and catchers begin reporting tomorrow.

 

I picked up Baseball America's Prospect Guide, good read as always. I'm amazed at the number of prospects who changed hands since the book went to the printer.

 

I'm also real tempted to go back to EA Sports' 2006 NCAA Baseball game. Dozens of players in that game are now names in the Majors and minors.

 

I was saddened to learn there won't be an MVP 2008 this year.

It is just as well. I refused to buy 2007 since they did not even update the rosters. They just transferred the '06 rosters to different teams in the '07 game.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

March 1st against the Dodgers is the game I'm going to. I came up with a short list of players to watch for. Fernando Martine, Eddie Kunz, Bobby Parnell, and Steven Register. Anyone else I should be on the lookout for (on either side)?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

March 1st against the Dodgers is the game I'm going to. I came up with a short list of players to watch for. Fernando Martine, Eddie Kunz, Bobby Parnell, and Steven Register. Anyone else I should be on the lookout for (on either side)?

Mets' current top five prospects are Martinez, Kunz, Brant Rustich, Jon Niese and Nate Vineyard. All are pitchers except Martinez. A first baseman named Mike Carp is the only position prospect above A ball that they have.

 

Dodgers you have Andy LaRoche (3B), Chin-Lung Hu (SS).

[the max 0]

Hopefully we can get into a few games down here. I don't think there's going to be much going on at the Minnesota camp, so we should probably see one or two there. Probably only get to one Red Sox game since they have a short porch this year since they're leaving early for Japan.

 

I'm pissed that the St. Patrick's game is a night game against the Yanks. Not only are people wayyyy to involved in a spring training game, but the Yank fans from Tampa may be the suckiest bunch of sucks who ever sucked. Just intolerable.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Kris Benson signed a minor league deal with the Phillies. I hope Anna finds Allentown PA to her liking.

[devo 0]

Minor league? I know the guy isn't exactly a worldbeater, but I thought he'd be able to break into the back end of someone's rotation.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Minor league? I know the guy isn't exactly a worldbeater, but I thought he'd be able to break into the back end of someone's rotation.

The intent of the contract is to give him a shot at the rotation. But that spot isn't guaranteed.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Minor league? I know the guy isn't exactly a worldbeater, but I thought he'd be able to break into the back end of someone's rotation.

 

 

This was a terrible free agent market for back end starters and bench bats. There are a slew of guys who either remain unsigned or took minor league deals with Spring Training invites. There was a major backlash to the spending spree on mediocre talents that occurred last winter. More teams are looking at internal minor league options over rehashes of guys who have shakey track records.

[tominator89 0]

Looks like Kris Benson signed a deal with the Phillies.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Looks like Kris Benson signed a deal with the Phillies.

 

 

Yes it does... I thought that the previous four posts in this thread indicated as much.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I thought Anna Benson divorced Kris?

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I heard they reconciled or something.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Ryan Howard's arbitration date is Feb. 20.

 

 

[treble 0]

[NoCalMike 0]

I wonder if the Oakland Athletics front office will be offering super specials on tickets this season considering they basically traded away their chances to be a competative team.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I wonder if the Oakland Athletics front office will be offering super specials on tickets this season considering they basically traded away their chances to be a competative team.

 

They weren't going to be competitive anyways. At least they went out and got some real talent to rebuild the franchise with instead of doing some half-hearted attempt at competing when they should be punting, a la the Chicago White Sox.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Apparently the Orioles are looking at getting Alex Cintron to play SS, and the sad fact is he's probably better than their current options (Luis Hernandez and Brandon Fahey)

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Apparently the Orioles are looking at getting Alex Cintron to play SS, and the sad fact is he's probably better than their current options (Luis Hernandez and Brandon Fahey)

He's got a career line of .277/.315/.401. His career OPS+ is better than a few starting shortstops in the league. He's not great but considering the internal options, this is a really good idea.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

 

He was born to wear these colors.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I wonder if the Oakland Athletics front office will be offering super specials on tickets this season considering they basically traded away their chances to be a competative team.

 

They weren't going to be competitive anyways. At least they went out and got some real talent to rebuild the franchise with instead of doing some half-hearted attempt at competing when they should be punting, a la the Chicago White Sox.

 

Why? Our offense has the potential to be awesome. It's the pitching we have to worry about.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I wonder if the Oakland Athletics front office will be offering super specials on tickets this season considering they basically traded away their chances to be a competative team.

 

They weren't going to be competitive anyways. At least they went out and got some real talent to rebuild the franchise with instead of doing some half-hearted attempt at competing when they should be punting, a la the Chicago White Sox.

 

Why? Our offense has the potential to be awesome. It's the pitching we have to worry about.

 

 

The pitching and defense could be really bad. There is no help on the way from the minors, nor is there any talent in the organization to trade with should they need some in-season solutions. The White Sox would have to have impeccable health from all of their regulars and get career years from many of their players to have a shot. Right now they are probably a 70-80 win team with no shot in hell of catching the Indians or Tigers.

 

The offense could be decent, but it's not a top 5 offense (and it's not at the level of Cleveland or Detroit in their own division). There could be some serious on base problems and many of their talents are trending down (Thome, Konerko, Dye, Cabrera) and not up (Swisher, Quentin). It doesn't look like a solid winning formula to me.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I'm aware of that, but so what? I would rather they try than just give up completely. I'm never a fan of the idea of just punting away seasons just because you don't think you can win.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I'm aware of that, but so what? I would rather they try than just give up completely. I'm never a fan of the idea of just punting away seasons just because you don't think you can win.

 

 

So it's better to go for .500 or worse in the mid to long term instead of punting a year or two with an eye towards getting back into a championship mix? That's the kind of thinking that keeps many franchises swirling in continual mediocrity.

[Guest Blue Man Czech]

I just don't have any idea what Kenny Williams is trying to do here. He's not commited to rebuilding nor contending. The farm system is still barren, and now he's extended Dye, Konerko, Buehrle, and Pierzynski past their primes. What's he doing? Not to mention his continued inability to pick a lane on the Crede/Fields conundrum. Well, now Fields says he felt uncomfortable in the clubhouse because his Christianity was being compromised, so he's in the doghouse. He's not Chicago Tough.

 

Yeah, they can hit, but they can't run, pitch, or field, so there's no way they finish ahead of the Tigers and Indians barring litanies of injuries to the frontrunners and more Faustian bargains from the White Sox bullpen. 80 wins is where I see them.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I'm aware of that, but so what? I would rather they try than just give up completely. I'm never a fan of the idea of just punting away seasons just because you don't think you can win.

 

 

So it's better to go for .500 or worse in the mid to long term instead of punting a year or two with an eye towards getting back into a championship mix? That's the kind of thinking that keeps many franchises swirling in continual mediocrity.

 

No how about they be mediocre for a year or two, then be awesome? That's certainly possible. Of course it's Kenny Williams, so no it's not really possible, but given a good GM...

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

No how about they be mediocre for a year or two, then be awesome? That's certainly possible. Of course it's Kenny Williams, so no it's not really possible, but given a good GM...

 

But that's not really a possibility for them, is it? The entire core of the team is old, mediocre and aging quickly. They have completely exhausted their farm system at every level to add a few decent talents to a shaky foundation. I just don't see where they are going to get the horses to compete in a few years when they only players around worth a damn will be Swisher, Fields, Quentin, Vazquez and Buehrle. Maybe it's just me, but if they were my team I'd rather they have an eye towards the future, especially when we just won a world title with vets and can afford to take a few years off without damaging the fanbase.