RynoRules

I don't think so. It may mean, however, that the listener isn't as smart or wordly as he or she thinks. Half the people who have responded to this thread understood what he meant. I can't believe this is being picked apart.

That's a classic example why NTCs aren't a good idea. Not a bad point, but there is a big difference, IMO, between a power picther and first baseman in terms of durability and injury potential. Lee has never been hurt and is in great shape.

The Babe was an anamoly, and Ortiz - though very good - isn't Ruthian.

I agree. They also don't take into account the home stadium the player was playing in at the time or adjustsments the player's has made to his swing. Sometimes players gain a new level of mastery over a new pitch or hitting the inside fastball in the case of DLee and it leads to a whole new level of production. Regressive projections fail to take developments like those into account. Go see the baseball discussions thread on this topic: PECOTA has his stats progressing, regressing and then progressing again. That's really helpful. My take on Lee is that his worth to the org. is enhanced by his 'tude. He's a good guy (apparently), good ambassador, likes it in Chicago, doesn't whine and complain, etc. I think the Cubs value guys like that.

i dont think that's likely at all I think the Yanks and Sox would give him 5 and 80; I dunno about the Dodgers and O's. That's more per year than Beltran got, and he was several years younger when he signed his contract, and plays a position where there aren't as many good players. And Lee's nos are better than Beltrans, IIRC (especially if he repeats last year, which he is on his way to doing).

Well, he's listed as 30-years-old and only has to stand up for about 15 minutes each game. We'll see what the contract is worth. I'm guessing he'll be over-priced by the time it's up, but maybe not by too much. And the Red Sox can afford it. pecota has him at 162 games with a 290/390/590 line this year, and then 150 games with a 270/380/530 in 2010. that's not bad at all. i guess he just strikes me as the kind of guy who's going to hurt his knees or his back or something and just never be the same. I assume you are referring to teh fact that he's built like Mo Vaughn. But as Jon mentioned, the big (pun intended) difference is that Mo wasted time on fielding (and did so badly). Ortiz will never do that. He's the modern Edgar Martinez and therefore should play until he is 40. Edgar was always in better shape than Ortiz is now. Also, Edgar had an amazing swing. Ortiz, while he's a fantastic hitter, isn't as fluid with his swing. Therfore a tweak or pull he sustains later in his career could have a Sosa-esque effect on his production. Let's not go there. I agree Edgar was apparently in better shape, but I don't think you have to be in that great shape to last as a DH. Just keep stretching as you get older to avoid those tweaks. And Edgar was hurt at the end of his career simply due to advancing age. Point is that Ortiz can rake and sould last much longer than most heavier guys b/c he does not have to play the field at all.

The Fish would be nuts to deal him - face of a floundering ( :) ) franchise.

i dont think that's likely at all I think the Yanks and Sox would give him 5 and 80; I dunno about the Dodgers and O's.

Well, he's listed as 30-years-old and only has to stand up for about 15 minutes each game. We'll see what the contract is worth. I'm guessing he'll be over-priced by the time it's up, but maybe not by too much. And the Red Sox can afford it. pecota has him at 162 games with a 290/390/590 line this year, and then 150 games with a 270/380/530 in 2010. that's not bad at all. i guess he just strikes me as the kind of guy who's going to hurt his knees or his back or something and just never be the same. I assume you are referring to the fact that he's built like Mo Vaughn. But as Jon mentioned, the big (pun intended) difference is that Mo wasted time on fielding (and did so badly). Ortiz will never do that. He's the modern Edgar Martinez and therefore should play until he is 40.

4 for 13 with an option for a fifth is fine. He'll be 34 when the commitment ends; tail of his prime..

Since we are stating our opinions, I think you are way off. They wouldn't hold a press conference to tell the fans that Lee is being stubborn and won't agree to a reasonable extension. That has never been Hendry's m.o. When he has fiured away at players in the past, its been through subtle commentary in informal interviews.

You two make a nice looking couple. :wink: :wink: :wink:

I know, I know. I am getting old on top of everything else.

Alcohol wasn't playing a role in lack of balance was it? Believe it or not, I think we had sobered up by then, mainly b/c it was far too cold to drink.

I was at the game - we high-fived and chest-bumped with such enthusiasm that I wound up in the row behind me. It was awesome.

His arm has looked weaker than it did early last year, but to call him the "worst" is ignorant.

I can't believe Nefi is still getting all this play in light of the fact that the Cubs just swept the Cards in a classic and exciting series that Neifi had very little to do with. Dusty managed well, the team played well, and Neifi's role has been relatively appropriate thus far.

No love for Wuertz? I thought we broke camp this year with 11 pitchers. I thought it was twelve for some reason. Irrespective of my gaffe in that regard, not using Wuertz in the first few games isn't a cardinal sin.

I thought Wuertz looked pretty good. Got a K, and got Pujols to roll over and hit a grounder. It just found the hole on the left side. I was at the game. Pujols did not hit that ball very hard - it just was in the right place.

Yeah, before we award the Brew Crew the NL Central lets see them play a team that isn't expected to finsh 15 games below .500.

Then lets all hope that the reports of his K not being renewed until after the season are accurate.

Are you really going to nit-pick him about the team's worst pitcher? Can't we be happy that the team is off to a good start and Dusty has managed decent enough? Geez. Wuertz isn't the team's worst pitcher. In fact, if we let him pitch he may be our best or second best reliever that we have for cheap for a long time, which is part of the frustration. Secondly, for a long time now we've been going with a 12 man staff, and continually have had someone that goes extended periods of time without use, and then doesn't do well when they do pitch. Wuertz appears to be that guy this year, which really isn't deserved considering his abilities and past performance. Add in that the other pitchers in similar roles(Williamson and Howry) have a combined 6 outings in 4 days, and it illustrates that Wuertz is getting ignored. Finally, I didn't post this just to find something that was wrong with Baker to complain about. I've mentioned it in several game threads, talked about it in today's flashchat, etc. It really bugs me that we're setting up a talented reliever to fail. My purpose wasn't to try to ignore what Dusty's done well, but rather to put the topic out there since there hasn't been much discussion about it. This happened to be the first thread after the game where it was applicable. Fair enough, but IMO, Wuertz is the 12th man on this staff, and I don't trust him in a close game with the Cards based on the fact that he couldn't get anyone out this Spring. I know the prevailing wisdom is that ST means nothing and that scrubs play the majority of the time, but on the flip side, this means he had an ERA in the high teens against those scrubs. My point is I still think its overly critical to kill Dusty for not using him yet. Do I think Dusty has a tendency to fall in love with and overuse pitchers? Absolutely. But lets give a dozen games or so before we make judgments on how he is handling the staff this year.

Are you really going to nit-pick him about the team's worst pitcher? Can't we be happy that the team is off to a good start and Dusty has managed decent enough? Geez. well, if he isn't going to use him, send him to AAA to sort himself out and bring up another hitter. Fine with me, but the thread's topic was intended to address how we are pleasently surprised by Dusty's competence thus far, and we get "but he doesn't use Wuertz". That's incredibley nit-picky in light of Wuertz's role on this team.

Are you really going to nit-pick him about the team's worst pitcher? Can't we be happy that the team is off to a good start and Dusty has managed decent enough? Geez.