Cubs Press Release on Daryle Ward Signing

[Chris]

Sorry if this has been posted. Gotta run and it just came over the wire:

 

The Chicago Cubs and free agent first baseman and outfielder Daryle Ward today agreed to a one-year deal with a mutual option for the 2008 season.

 

Ward, a 31-year-old left-handed hitter, led Major League pinch-hitters with 17 RBI and a .645 slugging percentage in 2006 while his four pinch homers were tied with Cincinnati’s Javier Valentin for the most in baseball. He was tied for second with a .440 on-base percentage as a pinch-hitter while his .355 batting average (22-for-62) in a pinch role was fourth in baseball.

 

Overall, Ward batted .308 (40-for-130) last season in 98 combined games between the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves. He hit .371 (13-for-35) with runners in scoring position, and that average increased to .412 (7-for-17) with runners in scoring position and two outs. Ward hit .377 (29-for-77) with six of his seven homers coming in the seventh inning or later.

 

Ward was hitting .308 (32-for-104) in 78 games for the Nationals last season when he was traded to Atlanta on August 31 in exchange for right-handed pitcher Luis Atilano. Ward went on to bat .308 (8-for-26) in 20 appearances for the Braves.

 

Originally selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 15th round of the 1994 First-Year Player Draft, Ward’s nine career pinch home runs rank tied for seventh among active Major Leaguers while his 61 career pinch-hits ranks eighth. He owns a .262 career batting average (530-for-2,022) with 83 home runs and 343 RBI in nine seasons with the Astros (1998-2002), Dodgers (2003), Pirates (2004-2005), Nationals (2006) and Braves (2006).

 

Ward, who appeared in the NL Division Series with Houston in 1999 and 2001, has a .993 career fielding percentage (13 E/1,826 TC) in 241 games at first base, and has also seen time in left field (238 games) and right field (41 games). In 2002, he recorded nine of his 13 career outfield assists while patrolling left field for Houston.

[RynoRules]

I thought Ward was older than that. Hm.

[UMFan83]

 

Ward was hitting .308 (32-for-104) in 78 games for the Nationals last season when he was traded to Atlanta on August 31 in exchange for right-handed pitcher Luis Atilano. Ward went on to bat .308 (8-for-26) in 20 appearances for the Braves.

 

 

Well at least he is consistent.

[AllStarMe]

I sure like that .440 OBP off the bench, as well as the power threat. He could prove very valuable in some situations next year, maybe pull out a few more wins from close and late ABs that were getting wasted on Dusty's guys.

[don_kessinger_was_good]

John Mabry vs. Daryl Ward; Neifi Perez vs. Ryan Theriot. Combined, those two things have to be worth three or four extra wins over the course of a season, at a minimum.

 

I think Ward may be the best bench player signing Hendry has made since he's been here. And at reasonable money for once, too. Good job.

[WrigleyField 22]

John Mabry vs. Daryl Ward; Neifi Perez vs. Ryan Theriot. Combined, those two things have to be worth three or four extra wins over the course of a season, at a minimum.

 

I think Ward may be the best bench player signing Hendry has made since he's been here. And at reasonable money for once, too. Good job.

 

Todd Hollandsworth

 

Say what you will about the guy as a starter, he was a good pinch hitter, and filled in wonderfully in 2004 when Sammy was hurt.

[Soriano12]

I like this singing, Ward can actually hit the ball now and then, unlike

John Maybe.

[blufftonbuck]

Todd Hollandsworth

 

Say what you will about the guy as a starter, he was a good pinch hitter, and filled in wonderfully in 2004 when Sammy was hurt

 

It was not Holly's fault that Baker and Hendry used him incorrectly.

[CubinNY]

John Mabry vs. Daryl Ward; Neifi Perez vs. Ryan Theriot. Combined, those two things have to be worth three or four extra wins over the course of a season, at a minimum.

 

Three or four wins?

[Andy]

I'm just excited that we finally have a pinch-hitter that won't make me half-wish the pitcher was still batting in his place.

[Bruce Miles]

When was the last time you saw "on-base percentage" in a Cubs news release?

[TruffleShuffle]

When was the last time you saw "on-base percentage" in a Cubs news release?

 

must have been a clerical error. The release does not that he had good clutchiness last year too.

[Backtobanks]

Todd Hollandsworth

 

Say what you will about the guy as a starter, he was a good pinch hitter, and filled in wonderfully in 2004 when Sammy was hurt

 

It was not Holly's fault that Baker and Hendry used him incorrectly.

 

Along with Remlinger, Hawkins, Neifi, etc.

[UMFan83]

John Mabry vs. Daryl Ward; Neifi Perez vs. Ryan Theriot. Combined, those two things have to be worth three or four extra wins over the course of a season, at a minimum.

 

Three or four wins?

 

Yeah thats just not true.

[radarluv1]

When was the last time you saw "on-base percentage" in a Cubs news release?

 

maybe somebody read a book or a website or a newspaper over there. its encouraging.

[A New Era]

John Mabry vs. Daryl Ward; Neifi Perez vs. Ryan Theriot. Combined, those two things have to be worth three or four extra wins over the course of a season, at a minimum.

 

Three or four wins?

 

Yeah thats just not true.

 

Yeah, 6 wins atLEAST! :D

[radarluv1]

John Mabry vs. Daryl Ward; Neifi Perez vs. Ryan Theriot. Combined, those two things have to be worth three or four extra wins over the course of a season, at a minimum.

 

Three or four wins?

 

Yeah thats just not true.

 

i just dont get it. if getting rid of worthless players doesnt really help then why bother? its like saying the game is 98% luck.

[Andy]

John Mabry vs. Daryl Ward; Neifi Perez vs. Ryan Theriot. Combined, those two things have to be worth three or four extra wins over the course of a season, at a minimum.

 

Three or four wins?

 

Yeah thats just not true.

 

i just dont get it. if getting rid of worthless players doesnt really help then why bother? its like saying the game is 98% luck.

You could get rid of Neifi Perez and replace him with Barry Bonds at the height of his roid-age and if he only played off the bench it wouldn't change THAT much.

[sethuel1]

WARP1, 2006.

 

Neifi Perez (Cubs and Detroit): +.1

John Mabry: +.1

 

Ryan Theriot: +1.5

Daryle Ward (Washington and Atlanta): +1.4

 

WARP1 difference: 2.7 for Theriot and Ward

[RichHillIsABeast]

When was the last time you saw "on-base percentage" in a Cubs news release?

 

That made me very happy. :D

[imb]

WARP1, 2006.

 

Neifi Perez (Cubs and Detroit): +.1

John Mabry: +.1

 

Ryan Theriot: +1.5

Daryle Ward (Washington and Atlanta): +1.4

 

WARP1 difference: 2.7 for Theriot and Ward

 

I was like "wow, Neifi and Mabry both had a warp of 1? Then i saw that it was POINT 1. Ahhhhhhh f them.

[radarluv1]

WARP1, 2006.

 

Neifi Perez (Cubs and Detroit): +.1

John Mabry: +.1

 

Ryan Theriot: +1.5

Daryle Ward (Washington and Atlanta): +1.4

 

WARP1 difference: 2.7 for Theriot and Ward

 

I was like "wow, Neifi and Mabry both had a warp of 1? Then i saw that it was POINT 1. Ahhhhhhh f them.

 

yeah shouldnt they be negative numbers? or is that a different stat.

Maybe i should just stick to BA and W-L.

[Mizzou]

John Mabry vs. Daryl Ward; Neifi Perez vs. Ryan Theriot. Combined, those two things have to be worth three or four extra wins over the course of a season, at a minimum.

 

Three or four wins?

 

Yeah thats just not true.

 

i just dont get it. if getting rid of worthless players doesnt really help then why bother? its like saying the game is 98% luck.

You could get rid of Neifi Perez and replace him with Barry Bonds at the height of his roid-age and if he only played off the bench it wouldn't change THAT much.

Yeah, that's not absurd or anything.

[sethuel1]

WARP1, 2006.

 

Neifi Perez (Cubs and Detroit): +.1

John Mabry: +.1

 

Ryan Theriot: +1.5

Daryle Ward (Washington and Atlanta): +1.4

 

WARP1 difference: 2.7 for Theriot and Ward

 

I was like "wow, Neifi and Mabry both had a warp of 1? Then i saw that it was POINT 1. Ahhhhhhh f them.

 

yeah shouldnt they be negative numbers? or is that a different stat.

Maybe i should just stick to BA and W-L.

 

It basically says they're replacement level if the difference in wins between them and a replacement player over the course of an entire season is .1 win. Which, consequently, means they're approximately 1 run above replacement-level (taking into account offense and defense) over the course of 162 games in the role they played. Impressive.

 

The BP definition: Wins Above Replacement Player, level 1. The number of wins this player contributed, above what a replacement level hitter, fielder, and pitcher would have done, with adjustments only for within the season. It should be noted that a team which is at replacement level in all three of batting, pitching, and fielding will be an extraordinarily bad team, on the order of 20-25 wins in a 162-game season.

[weis21]

I heard that salazar got non-tendered, could be the "x" factor that we are lookin' for!