Yes Please (Ridiculous ESPN Rumor)

[Derwood]

joke account

[SouthSideRyan]

Ken Griffey Jr is only going one place after he leaves Seattle.

[Sammy Sofa]

I wish our players had that kind of drop off in the last two months of the season.

There is a reason that the stats for his August posted here did NOT include HRs, RBI and RISP. Go look that up! The man had 40 HRs in July and ended with 49. You like 9 HRs in 2 and a 1/2 months from your franchise multi gazillion $ slugger? He hit worse after he got his "protection" from Holiday.

 

He hit 13 home runs after July. He also only hit 4 in July, whereas he hit 7 in August. July was actually his "worst" month last year (Only a .900 OPS, NO!!!!!!) by far, yet you keep insisting like he "fell off" AFTER that month. He also had more hits, doubles and RBI's in August than in July.

[Eephus Speed]

Magdal,

 

Pujols had 34 HR at the end of July and ended up with 47. He hit 7 HR and 10 2B in August. He hit 6 HR and 11 2B in Sept/Oct. His BB rate was normal in each of those months. His K rate in August was a little high, but it was the same as it was in June.

 

Pujols had more RBI in each of those months than he had in either May or July. July was easily his worst month of the season.

 

He's had much worse stretches in the past, such as his first couple of months in 2007.

 

Fun fact for the day: I just realized his June BABIP was only .243, yet he posted an OPS of 1.283 that month.

 

Anyway, this whole discussion is rather meaningless due to sample size issues (monthly splits are kind of silly).

[17 Seconds]

am i the only one who keeps picturing magdal as the grandma from a garfield christmas?

[sneakypower]

"i was just about to say that"

[Guest]

am i the only one who keeps picturing magdal as the grandma from a garfield christmas?

 

 

hahahaha

[NonProfitCow]

Posnanski weighs in.

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/joe_posnanski/03/18/howard.pujols/index.html?xid=cnnbin&hpt=Sbin

 

My favorite quote

 

The difference between Pujols and Howard last year, based on Wins Above Replacement and Runs Above Replacement, was roughly, oh, about Jason Bay.

[ManEatingTarp]

Ken Griffey Jr is only going one place after he leaves Seattle.

 

Because franchise players never leave their teams in MLB?

 

 

Come on. This is a smarter baseball forum than most. You should see the difference.

 

The Cardinals have upside talent around Pujols for the next few years that's either already locked into contracts, or still in arb years.

St. Louis is a Baseball town and having the best player in the game is not lost on ownership or the fans.

Franchise players rarely leave their teams in their peak years if the team can afford to resign them, which the Cardinals can.

 

I understand that he could go to another team if something crazy like a 350 million dollar contract is offered, but I just don't see it getting to that point. I think St. Louis signs him to an extension before opening day 2011.

[Guancous]

I don't know if that was true or not, but I would think that the subtraction of Duncan, Thurston and the hapless Ankiel from the roster would help enough! (Ankiel acually set a new mark for futility as he was 1 for 15 with the bases loaded)

Does anyone else want to cover this or shall I?

[ELCABALLO45]

Brett Favre is only going only one place after being with the Green Bay

[ManEatingTarp]

Brett Favre is only going only one place after being with the Green Bay

 

Yeah, because Favre was in his peak years, and the Packers didn't have a replacement in house ready to take the job.

 

Thanks for proving my point.

[UMFan83]

Ken Griffey Jr is only going one place after he leaves Seattle.

 

Because franchise players never leave their teams in MLB?

 

 

Come on. This is a smarter baseball forum than most. You should see the difference.

 

The Cardinals have upside talent around Pujols for the next few years that's either already locked into contracts, or still in arb years.

St. Louis is a Baseball town and having the best player in the game is not lost on ownership or the fans.

Franchise players rarely leave their teams in their peak years if the team can afford to resign them, which the Cardinals can.

 

I understand that he could go to another team if something crazy like a 350 million dollar contract is offered, but I just don't see it getting to that point. I think St. Louis signs him to an extension before opening day 2011.

 

Yeah but I mean there was a point where all those things you said applied to Ken Griffey Jr. except for Seattle being a particularly great baseball town and yet he left. Pujols has probably a less than 1% chance of being traded at this point, but you never know.

[ELCABALLO45]

Brett Favre is only going only one place after being with the Green Bay

 

Yeah, because Favre was in his peak years, and the Packers didn't have a replacement in house ready to take the job.

 

Thanks for proving my point.

 

The point is, to just say "Oh well Pujols will always be a Cardinal, he is not going anywhere" is wrong. Especially in baseball

[webjim25]

Pujols will stay because the Cardinals will break the bank to sign him before he reaches free agency. They'll have to pay him more than they paid Holliday. The only question is how bad will they suffer in a few years when Holliday and Pujols start playing well below those massive contracts.

[UMFan83]

Pujols will stay because the Cardinals will break the bank to sign him before he reaches free agency. They'll have to pay him more than they paid Holliday. The only question is how bad will they suffer in a few years when Holliday and Pujols start playing well below those massive contracts.

 

I agree, there's no way the Cardinals would have signed Holliday to that contract if they didn't expect to break the bank to resign Pujols. But who knows what to expect. What if Carp has another serious injury and has to miss most of the year, what if Holliday doesn't live up to the expectations and drops a few more liners off his nuts? What if a lot of stuff that could go wrong does for the Cards and Pujols assesses the situation and realizes that the Cards aren't going to be title contenders in the short term due to the amount of money they would have to pay him and the other players for what he believes to be a non-title core. Don't get me wrong Pujols has said all the right things about the Cardinals in his career and over the recent years. Nothing he has said would suggest that he would do anything but stay there. But you can't talk in absolutes when you were talking about megastars like Pujols, who worry about things like legacy at this stage of their careers. Yes he has a title, but if he doesn't think staying with the Cardinals is going to keep him in the spotlight in October for the rest of his career, who knows where his mind wanders to.

[webjim25]

I agree with what you say. The only thing that makes your "what if" unlikely is that the Cards need to extend Pujols within the next 12 months. If it was a few years down the line, that could be enough time for those things you mention to unfold. Holliday, Carps and the Cards in general would need to stink it up this season. A solid season this year is all that needs to happen for those thoughts NOT to enter his mind. By the time all the wheels fall off, he'll be locked up.

 

However, Im still not talking in absolutes. I'm not delusional enough to believe its impossible for him to end up somewhere else. I just figure that since, 1) they are planning to break the bank, and, 2)The have first crack at signing him, and, 3)the Cards should be playing in October this year - they'll likely get him extended.

 

So yes, a lot possibly rides on the Cardinals living up to "expert" projections this year.

[mjohnson71]

The only reason this "story" got traction was because Ryan Howard went to highschool here in St. Louis. One of the guys I work with down here played ball against him in the same school district. He said even back then Howard was scary good.

[haltz]

Fun fact for the day: I just realized his June BABIP was only .243, yet he posted an OPS of 1.283 that month..

that'll happen when 14 of your 31 hits are homers.

[Formerly Snayke]

Fun fact for the day: I just realized his June BABIP was only .243, yet he posted an OPS of 1.283 that month..

that'll happen when 14 of your 31 hits are homers.

 

That won't happen now that McLiar is his batting coach.

[cardslesson101]

I doubt Pujols leaves St. Louis.

[hardcorecubfan]

Ya, I think this Pujols guy is just a flash in the pan and we won't hear from him much on ESPN throughout the year :roll:

[Banedon]

Ya, I think this Pujols guy is just a flash in the pan and we won't hear from him much on ESPN throughout the year :roll:

 

Um...ok. What does that have to do with this rumor?

[hardcorecubfan]

Ya, I think this Pujols guy is just a flash in the pan and we won't hear from him much on ESPN throughout the year :roll:

 

Um...ok. What does that have to do with this rumor?

 

being a smart baseball town that St. Louis is they will want something more for Pujols now before he hits the skids next year, someone like Fontenot or Soriano :roll: Let's face it this was the most rediculouse rumor and my trade for Fontenot has more creedence

Edited April 7, 2010 by hardcorecubfan

[Sammy Sofa]

You can't fake that kind of comedic timing, folks.