fromthestretch

I'd be curious to know your reasoning for this.

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_baseball_marlins/2008/10/trade-front.html OK, but can he play? Yeah, I read that. It sounded a lot like the Corey Patterson talk, "Look at him walk to the dugout with his head down. He doesn't want to get better" This actually isn't the first time this has come up about Hermida. I remember reading something similar being said about him back in 2006 when he was battling some nagging injuries. I'm not saying that it's valid criticism of Hermida, but apparently there are more than just a few people around baseball that hold this opinion of him.

Isn't Peavy under contract for awhile though? If so, the Braves would be acquiring him not only for 2008 but with an eye towards 2009-2011. As for 2008, if Smoltz is back, a front three of Peavy, Smoltz, and Jurrjens is nothing to sneeze at. Their offense isn't that bad with McCann, Chipper, Johnson, and Escobar. While Kotchman isn't great, he could conceivably contribute an OPS+ of 115-120 if given the opportunity. They do appear to be weak in the outfield, and if they have to deal away one of the five players I mentioned to get Peavy, that could put them in a bit of a bind offensively. But again, Peavy wouldn't just be acquired for next season only. They aren't in such bad shape that they can't make this team much better by 2009 or 2010. 2008 is over. Smoltz won't be back, at least not as a starter. If he makes it back it will be in the pen. Oops. Just add a year to everything I typed above. And good point about Smoltz. I guess he'd probably step back into the closer's role.

Hoffpauir and Johnson are not everyday players. Johnson could be solid as the right-handed part of a platoon in CF, since he hits lefties well (let Pie be the other half). If you're disappointed in Soriano's production, you're sure as hell not going to like what Johnson would produce over the course of a full season (which would probably be an OPS of around .750-.770). Hoffpauir is a decent left-handed bat of the bench. You can start him at first and in one of the outfield corners occasionally, but I wouldn't view him as someone you should be giving 300+ at-bats to. If you can deal Lee and sign Teixeira, fantastic. Kind of a longshot though. If the Cubs are hellbent on getting a left-handed bat, I like the Hermida idea that's been discussed in other threads.

Purdue played some games against some very strong competition in Australia over the summer. All reports from that indicate that Moore showed a stronger ability to create shots for himself than he did as a freshman. I think he was a little tentative for the majority of his first season. Part of that probably had to do with the fact that his ball-handling skills weren't anything great. It sounds like he's really improved that part of his game, and that's one of the reasons I can see him really taking off this year. Like you said, Hummell is a player. I'm curious to see how he builds off of his success as a freshman, since he was a strong all-around player. It wouldn't surprise me if he really improved his rebounding numbers this season. Moore averaged 27 points per game against the Australian teams. It should be noted they didn't play other Australian college teams they played the professional teams and went 2-3. Morgan or someone from MSU will almost have to be on first team because they will finish in the top three. Yep. It should also be noted that they didn't play by college rules, which meant a longer gametime. However, I believe their losses were pretty close games (too lazy to look that up). Moore and Calasan played very well over there.

Isn't Peavy under contract for awhile though? If so, the Braves would be acquiring him not only for 2008 but with an eye towards 2009-2011. As for 2008, if Smoltz is back, a front three of Peavy, Smoltz, and Jurrjens is nothing to sneeze at. Their offense isn't that bad with McCann, Chipper, Johnson, and Escobar. While Kotchman isn't great, he could conceivably contribute an OPS+ of 115-120 if given the opportunity. They do appear to be weak in the outfield, and if they have to deal away one of the five players I mentioned to get Peavy, that could put them in a bit of a bind offensively. But again, Peavy wouldn't just be acquired for next season only. They aren't in such bad shape that they can't make this team much better by 2009 or 2010.

Purdue played some games against some very strong competition in Australia over the summer. All reports from that indicate that Moore showed a stronger ability to create shots for himself than he did as a freshman. I think he was a little tentative for the majority of his first season. Part of that probably had to do with the fact that his ball-handling skills weren't anything great. It sounds like he's really improved that part of his game, and that's one of the reasons I can see him really taking off this year. Like you said, Hummell is a player. I'm curious to see how he builds off of his success as a freshman, since he was a strong all-around player. It wouldn't surprise me if he really improved his rebounding numbers this season.

I really hope you mean without. I did mean that. or did I? :shock: Just make sure the towelboy is on standby to wipe down the floor. Don't want anyone slipping in the lane.

I really hope you mean without.

Ummmmm he made second team All Big Ten last year and Hummel is the only returning first teamer meaning there are plenty of open slots. He is also the conferences leading returning scorer and Michigan will likely be better than they were last year. Moore was second team as well I have a strong feeling that Moore is going to have a monster season. The one thing that troubles me about Purdue is that Johnson didn't put on much weight in the offseason. Apparently though, he worked his tail off on his defense. Let's hope that pays off. Why did the other white kid transfer, not Hummell but I am blanking on his name? Was that ever really elaborated on? Scott Martin. I don't think it was ever really said, but if you read between the lines, it didn't seem like he was happy with his role. The kid's a very good shooter, and could end up being a decent rebounder. However, Purdue has long been a program that preaches defense, defense, and more defense. He has slow feet, which causes him to be a little more "handsy" on defense, which in turn leads to more fouls. I think that was one of the primary reasons he lost his starting job halfway through the season.

That beats Bob Rohrman. At least Rohrman's are funny. In what sick world is Bob Rohrman funny? If you are from Lafayette like I am he is funny. He makes commercials just for the Lafayette area that are purposefully super cheesy to the point they are funny. He has had hundreds over the years. I lived there for 24 years. His commercials didn't make me laugh. They made me want to kick my television and punch someone in the throat.

Ummmmm he made second team All Big Ten last year and Hummel is the only returning first teamer meaning there are plenty of open slots. He is also the conferences leading returning scorer and Michigan will likely be better than they were last year. Moore was second team as well I have a strong feeling that Moore is going to have a monster season. The one thing that troubles me about Purdue is that Johnson didn't put on much weight in the offseason. Apparently though, he worked his tail off on his defense. Let's hope that pays off.

That was a good one. The Marlins-Indians series in '97 was pretty damn entertaining, too.

That beats Bob Rohrman. At least Rohrman's are funny. In what sick world is Bob Rohrman funny?

Yount made it clear that he didn't want to be back in the dugout next year. He became interim bench coach to help out, but coaching/managing isn't something he wanted to do full-time.

I used to be a fan of Rauch as a starter, but I believe he now prefers to come out of the bullpen. I think he had some shoulder issues that would flare up if he pitched more than just a couple innings.

I mentioned him in another thread, but how about Ben Zobrist? I'm not sure how undervalued he is, but he doesn't start regularly in Tampa Bay. They seem to value Bartlett's defense over Zobrist's offense, and they have Brignac waiting in the wings.

How can you be certain that Fontenot is going to wear down significantly throughout the course of a season if he is starting? The "ultimate backup infielder"? If given a shot to start everyday, he could probably put up a few Todd Walker-type seasons. If Fontenot could put up a line of .290/.369/.457 over the course of 500 plate appearances or so would that really be a bad thing (those are his career rate stats, btw)? Fontenot showed more power in the minors than Theriot did. Not necessarily home run power, but he will get extra base hits. It makes no sense to think he'll hit .300 and get nothing else.

I never said there was no chance. My guess is that he'd probably bat anywhere between .280 and .310 next year. I have no idea where on that range he'll fall, but if you set the over/under at .300 and made me bet on it, I'll take the under. One thing I will say...if the Cubs decide to go into 2009 with Theriot as their starting shortstop, I think it would be wise for them to give him more days off throughout the season. He tailed off the last couple months of the season. His September last year was a disaster. Edited to snip all the quoting.

I always thought if Theriot as a .300 type hitter. He just needs to be a little smarter on the basepaths. he should have a decent career ahead of him. I agree with this statement and why would 29 teams think that? He put up similar type numbers last year up until the last month. He matured a little this year and put up those numbers for a longer time this year. I really think he'll put these type of numbers for the rest of his career it's not that crazy. That's not accurate. He had one great month last year that propped up his numbers. Take a look: 2007 April .299/.347/.328 May .256/.330/.367 June .224/.272/.276 July .348/.437/.483 August .276/.315/.353 Sept .202/.257/.263 Entering Sept. 2007, he was at .281/.342/.365. Those numbers were largely inflated due to a great month of July. Without that one month, his numbers would have been freaking terrible. They weren't good to begin with. 2008 April .323/.396/.434 May .308/.407/.337 June .309/.369/.340 July .333/.395/.407 August .281/.384/.302 Sept .278/.360/.316 Entering Sept. 2008, he was at .311/.391/.365. You're talking about a near 50 point difference in OBP from that time last year. On top of that, he was pretty steady month-to-month...OBP-wise anyway. I'm glad I checked if someone else posted before I started looking all that up, because I was about to go to BR and post the same thing. I probably should have just looked it up on here. I'm sure it's been posted at least a dozen times combined by myself and several others.

I always thought if Theriot as a .300 type hitter. He just needs to be a little smarter on the basepaths. he should have a decent career ahead of him. I agree with this statement and why would 29 teams think that? He put up similar type numbers last year up until the last month. He matured a little this year and put up those numbers for a longer time this year. I really think he'll put these type of numbers for the rest of his career it's not that crazy. That's not accurate. He had one great month last year that propped up his numbers. Take a look: 2007 April .299/.347/.328 May .256/.330/.367 June .224/.272/.276 July .348/.437/.483 August .276/.315/.353 Sept .202/.257/.263 Entering Sept. 2007, he was at .281/.342/.365. Those numbers were largely inflated due to a great month of July. Without that one month, his numbers would have been freaking terrible. They weren't good to begin with. 2008 April .323/.396/.434 May .308/.407/.337 June .309/.369/.340 July .333/.395/.407 August .281/.384/.302 Sept .278/.360/.316 Entering Sept. 2008, he was at .311/.391/.365. You're talking about a near 50 point difference in OBP from that time last year. On top of that, he was pretty steady month-to-month...OBP-wise anyway.

He may be listed as 32, but his knees are like 64. He needs to stay in the AL where he can DH at least 40 times a year.

Not sure if Tampa Bay would even be willing to deal him, but what about Ben Zobrist? Positives: Switch-hitter, can play multiple positions, minor league numbers show that he has the ability to get on base, and he showed some power this year in limited action. Negatives: Not exactly a young prospect anymore as he'll be entering 2009 at age 28, and he doesn't appear to be anything better than average defensively at SS. If Cedeno isn't going to get an opportunity here, and if Tampa Bay is committed to Bartlett at SS, perhaps a deal could be made. If the Cubs can't sign/don't want to consider Furcal, then I'd rather try someone like Zobrist than deal with a Renteria or Cabrera. Just thinking out loud.

I don't think the line is crap at all. It's not talking about the clubhouse or in private or whatever...I fully expect players to flip out then. The line is about when you're in the dugout or on the field or even in public...you just don't typically see these guys meltdown in despair like that until they're out of sight or in private. Exactly. It's not like every person wears their emotions on their sleeves. Everyone deals with it differently. To assume a player doesn't care because of the way he acts in front of the camera is ridiculous.

Not much reason to if the player is productive overall. He'd probably have fewer RBI. He drives in runs because he hits for power. He hits for power because his approach at the plate is geared toward hitting for power. His approach also allows him to draw a lot of walks. If he took a more contact-minded approach, he'd most likely hit for less power and he'd probably draw fewer walks. Instead, his weaker contact could result in fewer RBI, more double plays, and fewer RBI opportunities for those hitting behind him...ultimately resulting in fewer runs for his team.