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fromthestretch

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Everything posted by fromthestretch

  1. fromthestretch
    That's a little odd considering he's been a Royals fan his entire life. And he doesn't hesitate to rip into them for terrible moves they make. beat me to it. Really?? Hmmm could have swore it was him. But even if he isn't a Twins fan you'd still think he was one by reading his articles. He always seems especially optimistic when it comes to their rebounding players, such as Kubel and Mourneau. I'm optimistic about them, too, and I'm a Cubs fan. Morneau could be a 30-40 homer guy. He had a really bad year last year as far as health and luck are concerned. If I remember correctly, he had pneumonia, chicken pox, and something else (appendicitis maybe?) prior to the season starting. Then he got drilled in the head by a pitch during the season. I think if health and luck are on his side, he'll be fine. Kubel probably would have been starting in Minnesota's outfield last year if not for an injury (ACL, I believe). The kid can hit.
  2. fromthestretch
    Not the point. Go back and read a few of his articles over the last several years and you'll see what I'm talking about. It's not this one article in particular (which I don't have a problem with, because its accurate), rather its the sum of the parts. If you still don't see where I'm coming from, then I'll reference Rob Neyer as an example. I don't agree with a lot of his assessments sometimes (I'm not a huge stat guy, altthough I willingly acknowledge their importance), but I'll have to admit is opinions are rarely biased and rooted in fact. With that said, it is abundantly clear his Twins bias rears its head at least once every year. Not that I have a problem with that, it just goes to show most journalists have a positive or negative bias towards some teams. In Perry's case, I've always got the impression he just doesn't like the Cubs. Sometimes its content, sometimes its his tone, but I think its quite obvious. You can agree/disagree with that all you like. That's a little odd considering he's been a Royals fan his entire life. And he doesn't hesitate to rip into them for terrible moves they make.
  3. fromthestretch
    He'd be quite a step down defensively, but there's a very good chance he would compare closely to Jones in OBP and SLG...and possibly AVG, unless of course, Jones reverts to his 2002-2003 ways. Grieve is also a year younger, and a helluva lot cheaper. I find it a bit sad that he has to settle for minor league deals when Jones, simply because he's faster and better defensively, gets a three-year deal and $5+ mil per year.
  4. fromthestretch
    If we're going to deal Williams, then give Hill or Guzman a shot at the rotation. Hell, I'd rather give the ball to Rusch every fifth day than give Drese a shot. In no way, shape, or form, do I view a 29/30 year old with a 5.32 career ERA (Drese) a suitable replacement for a 24 year old with a 3.92 career ERA (Williams).
  5. fromthestretch
    But if you need a pinch hitter to swing at the first pitch and ground into a double-play, Perez is your man.
  6. fromthestretch
    Is that Barrett's fault or the pitchers? Molina on defense is largely going on defensive reputation of a couple of years ago rather than his upcoming production, he's not as good as he was in his late 20s. Molina peaked offensively last year and will likely not produce the same numbers as he did last year. To give him a multi-year deal partially based on his offensive production last year and his defensive reputation of the past is a finanical mistake. You don't know that. Very presumptuous on your part. Now, if you had said that catchers over 30 typically decline, then yes, that's factual. But your statement had nothing factual about it. It's all your assumption. He said "will likely not". It was a fact that he peaked offensively, that's the best he's done. And it's also true that he will likely not produce the same numbers. Semantics... and untrue. Best season of his career? So far, yes. Peaked? Cannot say for sure. Did D.Lee peak last season? It was the best season of his career. Does that mean he "peaked"? Not so sure. And, again, you're assuming that he won't match his production this season. Maybe he won't. But, you're not qualified to say that... it's merely your opinion. Your opinion isn't fact. Nor is mine. I'm not pretentious enough to suggest that it's a fact that he will or won't produce offensively the way he did last season. Why are so many others? Did I miss the memo that "will likely not" means "it's 100% fact that he won't?" Maybe I'm just not seeing it, but nowhere did he say he was absolutely certain that Molina will regress. I believe what he's saying is that the odds certainly aren't in Molina's favor.
  7. fromthestretch
    I love this question.
  8. fromthestretch
    As mentioned, I think the only thing you can use to question his durability is the injury that caused him to miss time at the beginning of 2004. Considering that it hasn't flared up again, I don't view it as something that will be a recurring problem. The Giles collision and the line drive could have happened to anyone. I can't question his durability for missing time when a baserunner ran into him at full speed and when a line drive hit him squarely on the elbow. To be honest, I think it's a testament to his durability that he was able to come back from the line drive as quickly as he did.
  9. fromthestretch
    Extraneous things? How is knowing the situation an "extraneous thing?" I know that's not your quote, but that's absurd. If a pitcher is relying on the catcher to know the situation, I don't want that pitcher anywhere near the mound. Also, the pitcher has a lot of responsibility in controlling the running game. I don't care how good the catcher's arm is. If the pitcher isn't holding runners close, the catcher doesn't stand a chance at throwing them out. Not to attack Ausmus here, but if he did indeed say that, then I'm reading it as, "Don't judge me by my mediocre offensive numbers. I truly am important because I give my pitchers peace of mind." *Edited for my stupid spelling mistakes
  10. fromthestretch
    Prior made 30 starts (211.3 IP) in 2003, and probably would have made three or four more had he not collided with Marcus Giles midseason. That may have been a blessing in disguise, considering his age and the number of pitches he ended up throwing that year. Last season, he made 27 starts, and the time he missed was due to getting hit squarely in the pitching elbow by a line drive. He easily would have had his 32-34 starts if that didn't happen. In 2004, he made 21 starts, missing significant time due to an achilles injury. To my knowledge, this is the only time he has missed due to an injury that didn't result from getting hit by a person or ball. Therefore, I can't say he has a problem staying healthy. It would be different if the achilles flared up again, or if he expierence shoulder or elbow problems like Wood. But I don't think you can label him any more of a health risk than any other pitcher when two of his three injuries were freak accidents.
  11. fromthestretch
    There is something to be said for being comfortable with who is behind the plate. Maddux, throughout his career, has been more comfortable throwing to what are typically back-up catchers (Villanueva, Eddie Perez, Blanco, etc.). I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that during his 4-5 days between starts, Maddux has access to the backup catcher during games, while the starter is playing. He can sit there and go over pitch selection and strategy. That certainly adds a level of comfort. I do feel that all catchers should have some grasp on how to call a game. A lot of this has to do with their preparation and the coaching they receive. However, in my opinion, no pitcher should ever blame his catcher if he throws a pitch he didn't want to throw. Unless the pitches are being called from the dugout by a coach or the pitcher was instructed to not shake off his catcher, the pitcher is in control of what is being thrown. He's in control of hitting his spots with that pitch, as well. No catcher is going to call for a fastball down the middle with Pujols up and a runner on second. No catcher is going to tell Maddux to throw Bonds a hanging curveball. Obviously, you don't want to be shaking off your catcher the entire game, but that can be prevented simply by communication between pitcher and catcher off the field.
  12. fromthestretch
    I don't see what Arroyo would provide except an awkward and unbalanced leg kick. He's basically a #5 starter and the Cubs have that with Rusch, Williams, and a potential decline from Maddux. I get the sense that Hendry doesn't believe Rusch or Williams could give him 180 IP with 32 starts. Arroyo probably could. I'm confident they could get that from Williams, and he'd probably put up better numbers in the process.
  13. fromthestretch
    Be careful. Some posters might get font envy.
  14. fromthestretch
    but would walker have suffered the same injury as grudz in 2004? injuries vary as well from year to year, grudz is just as "injury prone" as walker. it's ludicrous to look at the season after the fact and say that grudz is better than walker because he's more durable--especially considering 2004. walker is a better hitter, period. no amount of conventional sac. bunts, slap hits, or gutty, sparkplug-like builds will ever change that. the only thing that could change this is if grudz decided to work on becoming a better hitter, which he won't--at this stage of his career anyway. I agree 100%.
  15. fromthestretch
    That's not true... I've known about Prior's opt-out clause for quite some time. There was a lot of discussion about it last year as to whether he qualified as a Super Two or not, etc. I've been saying all offseason that Prior is arbitration eligible and will almost certainly elect it. This has definitely been documented. They mentioned on XM this morning that Prior notified Hendry in November that he would be exercising this option. If that report is accurate, I think that it makes a bit more sense that Hendry would at least consider using Prior in a trade to acquire a big bat like Tejada. Not saying I'd be for that trade, but it at least makes some more sense now. I also sure as hell hope that if Hendry has known about this for ~2 months, he budgeted for it.
  16. fromthestretch
    Sure, unless he spends his spare time as Stretch Armstrong. Knees don't that bend that way and Walker was not out of position when he rec'd the feed at 2B. Plus, I vividly remember Grudzielanek having two injury plagued seasons with the Cubs in similar flukish type manners. Doesn't equate to the fact he's injury prone or what not, just bad luck that can reverse as Mark was healthy last year. Well, I think we can agree that Grudz is better built than Walker, but perhaps you're right. However, I still stand by the Cubs being better off w/ Grudz. Grudz is one inch taller and five pounds heavier, according to their ESPN profiles, and it's not like either is completely out of shape. Lee would have hurt either of them. Never trust listed weights from ESPN or the team website. I've seen players grow and shrink visibly and their listed weights stay the same for years. Sammy's listed weight never reflected his post-roid shrinkage, and Randall Simon's didn't reflect the roughly 30 lbs. he gained before 2004. Anyone believe Ray King only weighs 242? Unnatural shrinkage and obesity are embarrassing and teams aren't going to be in any hurry to share that info. Yep, but they are also only five pounds apart on baseball-reference.com. Bottom line is that there isn't a huge difference in their builds. It's not like one is built like David Eckstein, while the other is build like Cecil Fielder.
  17. fromthestretch
    Fixed. Sorry, I just think it's very impressive that he did that at that age.
  18. fromthestretch
    Yeah, I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that he's a better offensive player, giving them more production for less money.
  19. fromthestretch
    Orlando Hernandez? He said it's rare, not impossible.
  20. fromthestretch
    Reggie Jackson was great in the World Series (.357/.457/.755). However, his career ALCS numbers are terrible (.227/.298/.380). So he produced when it mattered most, which is "clutch." I'm sure there are some pitchers who have been dominant in the playoffs. I could be wrong, but didn't Bob Gibson, Sandy Kofaux, and Whitey Ford have real good playoff numbers???? So you're saying that his ALCS numbers don't matter because his World Series numbers did? Who's to say that his poor performances in the 1980, 1982, and 1986 ALCS weren't the reason his teams didn't even make it to the World Series? By your rationale, then he wasn't very clutch in those situations, was he? Koufax and Gibson had great postseason numbers. Ford's were very good but also pretty much on par with his career regular season numbers. However, all of these guys were great players to begin with. I think it's reasonable to assume that they would come through in the clutch, just as they came through in virtually every other situation. Great players are great players, regardless of situation. I'm not going to say Derek Jeter is clutch because of his impressive career postseason line of .307/.379/.463, when that's actually slightly worse than his career regular season numbers.
  21. fromthestretch
    I wouldn't go so far to say it doesn't exist. But I would say that it's nearly impossible to predict. From year to year, most players' numbers in certain situations will vary. Chances are if you know what player you want up in a "clutch" situation, that player is someone who has performed well overall. I saw Alex Gonzalez come through in the clutch when he hit a handful of game-winning homers for the Cubs. But if it was bottom of the ninth, two-outs, the winning run on second and the Cubs World Series hopes on the line, do you want him up? I sure as hell don't. Let me ask you this...do you think A-Rod is clutch? A lot of Yankee fans don't due to his .133/.381/.200 line in the playoffs this season. But who knew he'd hit that low, considering his career postseason line is .305/.393/.534.
  22. fromthestretch
    Reggie Jackson was great in the World Series (.357/.457/.755). However, his career ALCS numbers are terrible (.227/.298/.380).
  23. fromthestretch
    And I don't think you'll find one person on here who says they do.
  24. fromthestretch
    he WATCHES the games That's right, you ought to try it sometime. Of course he watches the games. Do you think that stat oriented people hate watching baseball? That everyone who doesn't subscribe to clutch is a mathmetician that's never seen baseball before? No. I think people who mock those who watch baseball to get a feeling for a player are narrow-minded and have little respect for viewpoints other than their own. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who mocks "those who watch baseball to get a feeling for a player." Most people who value stats realize that you can't scout a player on just stats alone. However, I think people who ignore stats and continually mock people that value stats are "narrow-minded and have little respect for viewpoints other than their own."
  25. fromthestretch
    Sure, unless he spends his spare time as Stretch Armstrong. Knees don't that bend that way and Walker was not out of position when he rec'd the feed at 2B. Plus, I vividly remember Grudzielanek having two injury plagued seasons with the Cubs in similar flukish type manners. Doesn't equate to the fact he's injury prone or what not, just bad luck that can reverse as Mark was healthy last year. Well, I think we can agree that Grudz is better built than Walker, but perhaps you're right. However, I still stand by the Cubs being better off w/ Grudz. Grudz is one inch taller and five pounds heavier, according to their ESPN profiles, and it's not like either is completely out of shape. Lee would have hurt either of them.
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