Would You Want to Replace Hendry with J.P. ?

[mhuber92211]

Drew? Perennially injured and was badly slumping when not injured. Risk FA signing with a huge upside but if injuries come back could be a contract albatross on a lower payroll team. Having to lower payroll why would a good GM take a huge injury risk with their most expensive player? Talk about not making your payroll dollars stretch. As far as the Cubs taking a chance on Drew, sure that would have been a good risk for the team. The difference is that the Cubs can afford to make that mistake, the Dodgers can't. So in taking the risk that your #1 guy on your team will be Drew is harder to swallow when you can't replace him with a similar player if you can't afford to.

 

.286/.412/.520 at the time of injury is badly slumping?

 

Given that for the month of April he hit .259/.386/.444 with only 4HR and 10RBI hitting in a run procuder's spot and striking out 14 times, yes that is slumping for a player who is a franchise guy. We were talking about it at the time with AR.

 

Also he hit in may .244/.373/.411 with only 3HR and 12 RBI & 22 K's. That is a slump to begin the season. And I know you listen to sportstalk radio in So Cal so I know you remember Drew getting beat up in the media at the beginning of the year.

 

Drew was a bad sign for the Dodgers. Injury risk and a questionable "franchise" type player. Hendry's "risk" on Nomar was much more calculated. Nomar was not an injury prone player as he had a broken hand from a pitched ball (could happen to anyone) and was strong in spring training and has a great work ethic. Drew has had 1 full season and the Dodgers had no one to replace him as the franchise guy. The Cubs have plenty of "Franchise or Face of the Club" type guys and Nomar could be one of them but not the only one.

[Tedward]

I think Hunsicker will be picked up this year, if I was to guess, I would say Baltimore.

 

Really, UK? I figure Hunsicker would want to stay as far away from Baltimore as possible since they have a meddlesome owner. I thought that is what partly drove Hunsaker away from Houston. Or was it that Drayton McLane was too cheap? I'd like to see him in BAL though, as I think he would do a good job there.

[mhuber92211]

So Gagne's injury was predictable too?? His injury really hurt. He's their leader.

 

I think that this injury was a big hit to the team but I think that it was predictable. He has had a tremendous workload the last 2 years and was coming off of knee surgery and had to alter his mechanics. Warning bells all over this season for him.

[UK1679666180]

I think Hunsicker will be picked up this year, if I was to guess, I would say Baltimore.

 

Really, UK? I figure Hunsicker would want to stay as far away from Baltimore as possible since they have a meddlesome owner. I thought that is what partly drove Hunsaker away from Houston. Or was it that Drayton McLane was too cheap? I'd like to see him in BAL though, as I think he would do a good job there.

 

It was both, he didn't like the budget constraints which often led to disputes/meddling with their owner.

 

I think Angelos will give him a higher budget and the control he wants.

 

I think a better question than Riccardi or Hendry is would you rather have Hunsicker or Hendry?

[SouthSideRyan]

What has Ricciardi done, other than being lumped in with the sabr GMs to deserve such praise?

[Magnetic Curses]

What has Ricciardi done, other than being lumped in with the sabr GMs to deserve such praise?

 

not much, but he had a terrible payroll to pare down and a system to cultivate. it's not like you can just change the course of a franchise in 3-4 years.

[Tedward]

I think a better question than Riccardi or Hendry is would you rather have Hunsicker or Hendry?

 

Sports unfortunately is a what have you done for me lately type of business. Both Hendry and Baker deserve blame for this season, but while I'd like to see Baker go (he's just the wrong manager for this team at this time), I would still like to see Hendry take another shot at it. He has his faults and is not the ideal GM, but there are some good qualities there, and he has done some good things. I'd like Hendry a lot more if he would make a managerial change, gettting away from Baker.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Drew? Perennially injured and was badly slumping when not injured. Risk FA signing with a huge upside but if injuries come back could be a contract albatross on a lower payroll team. Having to lower payroll why would a good GM take a huge injury risk with their most expensive player? Talk about not making your payroll dollars stretch. As far as the Cubs taking a chance on Drew, sure that would have been a good risk for the team. The difference is that the Cubs can afford to make that mistake, the Dodgers can't. So in taking the risk that your #1 guy on your team will be Drew is harder to swallow when you can't replace him with a similar player if you can't afford to.

 

.286/.412/.520 at the time of injury is badly slumping?

 

Given that for the month of April he hit .259/.386/.444 with only 4HR and 10RBI hitting in a run procuder's spot and striking out 14 times, yes that is slumping for a player who is a franchise guy. We were talking about it at the time with AR.

 

Also he hit in may .244/.373/.411 with only 3HR and 12 RBI & 22 K's. That is a slump to begin the season. And I know you listen to sportstalk radio in So Cal so I know you remember Drew getting beat up in the media at the beginning of the year.

 

Drew was a bad sign for the Dodgers. Injury risk and a questionable "franchise" type player. Hendry's "risk" on Nomar was much more calculated. Nomar was not an injury prone player as he had a broken hand from a pitched ball (could happen to anyone) and was strong in spring training and has a great work ethic. Drew has had 1 full season and the Dodgers had no one to replace him as the franchise guy. The Cubs have plenty of "Franchise or Face of the Club" type guys and Nomar could be one of them but not the only one.

 

You said he was badly slumping when not injured, he had to have had a great stretch to get his numbers to where they were when he got hurt (and thus, not slumping at all times when not injured).

 

If you're going to let Nomar off the hook for injuries from HBPs, you should be consistant and do it for JD too. If you ask me, I think both JD Drew and Nomar are injury-prone. I would not have signed him if I were the Cubs, but would not have complained had Hendry signed him.

[HoopsCubs]

I think Hunsicker will be picked up this year, if I was to guess, I would say Baltimore.

 

Really, UK? I figure Hunsicker would want to stay as far away from Baltimore as possible since they have a meddlesome owner. I thought that is what partly drove Hunsaker away from Houston. Or was it that Drayton McLane was too cheap? I'd like to see him in BAL though, as I think he would do a good job there.

 

Ted,

 

I think Gerry Hunsicker will land up in your neck of the woods - Philadelphia.

 

Hoops

[mhuber92211]

I guess I don't understand the "injury prone" label then. Nomar's injuries have not been his "body breaking down" (save this year) and his other major injury was him being hit by a pitch. Drew's injuries have been "body breaking down" the enitire time.

 

Isn't this the same as calling Prior injury prone? Wasn't it agreed that calling Prior injury prone is not a correct label?

[goonys evil twin]

I guess I don't understand the "injury prone" label then. Nomar's injuries have not been his "body breaking down" (save this year) and his other major injury was him being hit by a pitch. Drew's injuries have been "body breaking down" the enitire time.

 

Actually, Nomar's body breaking down is why he was out most of last year.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I guess I don't understand the "injury prone" label then. Nomar's injuries have not been his "body breaking down" (save this year) and his other major injury was him being hit by a pitch. Drew's injuries have been "body breaking down" the enitire time.

 

Isn't this the same as calling Prior injury prone? Wasn't it agreed that calling Prior injury prone is not a correct label?

 

JD Drew has missed time in two different seasons due to HBPs. Nomar missed most of last season with a "body breaking down" sort of injury too.

 

I don't think Prior is injury prone, I think Kerry Wood and Jerry Hairston are.

[Tedward]

I think Gerry Hunsicker will land up in your neck of the woods - Philadelphia.

 

Hoops,

 

If the Phillies don't make the post season, that might be a real possibility. Rumor here though is that Montgomery wants to give Wade an extension, but is afraid to announce it for fear of public backlash. At least that's what Howard Eskin, a fairly reliable Philly sports guy had said about a month or so ago.

 

The Phillies ownership group is pretty tight knit. My guess is that if Wade goes, they would probably promote from within and pick their farm director Arbuckle to replace him.

[UK1679666180]

I think Hendry's ceiling as a GM is probably similar to that of what Hunsicker accomplished with Houston.

 

I think they are similar as far as beliefs, I think Hunsicker is more likely to build from within. Him and Pupura rebuilt that farm system.. Oswalt, Berkman, Hidalgo, Abreu (biggest mistake), Johan Santana, F. Garcia, Miller, etc...

 

If you gave me a choice at this stage, I would take Hunsicker simply b/c I think he would concentrate more from building within.

 

I think Hunsicker would be prone to making a larger financial mistake though, his history of signing Bagwell, Hidalgo, and Ausmus scares me, but I would take that chance as long as the Cubs could build a Venezuelan pipeline like the Stros did.

[Magnetic Curses]

I guess I don't understand the "injury prone" label then. Nomar's injuries have not been his "body breaking down" (save this year) and his other major injury was him being hit by a pitch. Drew's injuries have been "body breaking down" the enitire time.

 

you're kidding, right? please tell me you are.

[SouthSideRyan]

What has Ricciardi done, other than being lumped in with the sabr GMs to deserve such praise?

 

not much, but he had a terrible payroll to pare down and a system to cultivate. it's not like you can just change the course of a franchise in 3-4 years.

 

So you're admitting that Ricciardi has done nothing to warrant the thoughts of him being better than Hendry.

[Radar3454]

I like Hendry but I if it meant a shift to an emphasis on OBP and an end to Dusty I would all for JP or Depo.

 

I thought Hunsiker was almost a sure thing to go to TBay after the new owner takes over and gets rid of Lamar.

[Tedward]

Ted,

 

I think Gerry Hunsicker will land up in your neck of the woods - Philadelphia.

 

Hoops

 

Hoops,

 

I heard an interesting update last night on WIP. Howard Eskin (who has a knack for being right when it comes to reporting sports news in Philly - he's got some good connections) has stated that although PHL recently gave Wade a two year extension (the organization was very hush, hush about it) he will probably be fired if the Phillies do not make the playoffs. The Phillies would buy out his two year extension that they just gave him. Odd, but I wouldn't be surprised. The report also indicated that Cashman could be a candidate to take his place.

[UK1679666180]

Tedward,

 

Here's an interesting article from the USA today about the GM hot seats...

 

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/columnist/nightengale/2005-09-21-majors_x.htm

[Tedward]

Tedward,

 

Here's an interesting article from the USA today about the GM hot seats...

 

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/columnist/nightengale/2005-09-21-majors_x.htm

 

Thanks. I'm surprised he has O'Brien with a 65% chance of staying in CIN. I would think he would be a shorter leash.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

Yes it is. When you sign guys like Drew who are always hurt and expect them to be a big part of your team, it should be no suprise when they get hurt.

 

Um, you realize he broke his wrist getting hit by a pitch? Who the hell saw that coming? That is as freak an injury as there is. Its like getting hit by a car, if that happened to him would you say he was injury prone or would you be saying, "Damn, what a freak thing to happen?"

 

The only move I truly hated from DePo has been the Lowe signing, and that was only because he grossly overpayed, not because I didn't think Lowe couldn't be solid.

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

I'll take JP any day over Hendry. Any GM that allows a manager like Dusty to use experience over common sense to dictate strategy needs to be shipped out. Dusty's problem isn't that he's stupid...it's that he values his own big league experience over statistically proven techniques. his unwillingness to adapt is our downfall. look at our problems with OBP in the 1-2 hole for 1/2 of this year. look at the ridiculously low chances DLee had to drive in runs compared to Pujols and Jones. it's all b/c of some gut feeling dusty had about cpat or neifi. look at dusty's attitude toward walks. would someone please explain elementary probability theory to this clown making millions of dollars to base his decisions looking at a magic 8 ball.

[RockTheIvy]

Im not really sold on JP yet. I realize he hasn't been working with the budget that Hendry has, but Corey Koskie and Shea Hillenbrand are pretty lousy signings if you ask me.

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

Im not really sold on JP yet. I realize he hasn't been working with the budget that Hendry has, but Corey Koskie and Shea Hillenbrand are pretty lousy signings if you ask me.

 

well...JP uses stats/probability to pick a player. it isn't a full proof method, but the likelihood of him picking a solid player over the traditional scout method is appreciably greater. it may take time before we see it, but it will happen given enough time.

[RockTheIvy]

Im not really sold on JP yet. I realize he hasn't been working with the budget that Hendry has, but Corey Koskie and Shea Hillenbrand are pretty lousy signings if you ask me.

 

well...JP uses stats/probability to pick a player. it isn't a full proof method, but the likelihood of him picking a solid player over the traditional scout method is appreciably greater. it may take time before we see it, but it will happen given enough time.

 

I hear ya...and I agree, it is a better method of trying to build a team. It's just that Shea Hillenbrand has walked 25 times this year in 550+ ABs: sounds like a Hendry player to me. I think the stats stuff is great, it is foolish to think that GMs still ignore stuff that could give them an advantage. But just because GMs acknowledge these "newer" statistics, or try to use them to their advantage, does not gurantee success. The Rockies are a pretty good example, course the thin air makes that necessary I guess :?