Outshined_One

Yep. Also FAs after this season are Maddux and Walker. Wood's a possibility if he waives his No Trade Clause (doubtful, plus he'd want his option picked up). Jock Jones and Michael Barrett could draw some interest as potential starters for teams in the hunt. It's hard to predict how this team will do, though.

I'm much more embarassed about the way Cubs fans treated Corey than the Cubs. Why? It's similar to what has popped up in this thread with people wishing Corey nothing but the worst. People were pretty much exactly like this while he was a Cub almost because these people seemed like they had a vendetta against him. People say he doesn't hustle, that he doesn't try, that he doesn't care, that he was a jerk towards the fans. Somehow, this all justified the heaps of booing that fans laid on him most of last season. The thing is, it shows a lack of class. Corey always struck me as a guy who didn't show any emotion on the field and kept it all internal. I don't remember him ripping fans or teammates in the media. He seemed like he wanted to succeed, but for whatever reason, things could never click for him mentally. Most people on this board who attended spring training also said that Corey was among the nicest players on the field, always stopping to sign autographs well beyond the time most player took off for their tee time. He deserves criticism, but having the fans try to boo the guy off the field was just taking it too far. What bothers me about all of this are the exact same fans who rip on Carlos Zambrano for basically the exact opposite reasons. Zambrano shows too much emotion. He gets too intense on the mound and lets things get to him. He overthrows and tries too hard. He shows up teammates and umpires on the field. Granted, he is incredibly talented and productive. Were he talented but not productive, something tells me he might well be in the same boat as Corey. There are very few instances I can think of when fans can be justified in booing a player on their favorite team. I don't think Corey really fulfilled any of those instances during his time with the Cubs. I wish Corey nothing but the best with the Orioles.

I refuse to count out the Astros. Last year's team looked offensively weak, too reliant on a bullpen that was a question mark, and had some health questions in the rotation. Yet, they somehow made the World Series. I'm convinced at this point that Lance Berkman could come into the season weighing 300 pounds, Roy Oswalt could get struck by lightning, and Brad Lidge's shoulder could explode...yet the Astros would still somehow win the Wild Card.

Fighting fire with fire, imo.

How many games did Z get ejected from last year because of his antics? Was it just on opening day in Arizona? Also, Zambrano doesn't swear nearly as much as Maddux does while on the mound. Maddux shows me how wrong I am when I think of swear words that seemingly could never go together.

People have been saying this pretty much the entire season, Big East tournament, and NCAA tournament. I don't think it's happened yet. Seriously, it's like Rudy Gay is wearing pajamas out there. I don't think the Huskies even realize there's a tournament going on right now.

I think that's a fair assessment in a number of ways. Naturally, a five tool guy has a higher ceiling than an OBP kind of guy, but because the OBP guy has a refined and advanced approach at the plate, he has a better chance of reaching the majors. As UK mentioned, it's rare for a player to display a strong combination of both. A particular point of interest in this debate is indeed how athleticism dictates a player's potential to stick at certain positions. Unathletic guys tend to be stuck at positions like LF and 1B, where there's a glut of guys with great bats. However, it's something of a rarity to have guys who are both athletically talented & sound AND who can practice excellent patience at a position like SS or CF. However, OBP is not something that we in the mainstream have been paying attention to for a long period of time. It's a statistic that we could easily compile looking back at past drafts and minor league success and whatnot, but I'm unsure as to how long scouts have been seeking it out with players. I'm curious to see what the landscape of this particular line of thinking will look like in ten years.

I enjoy the arguments involving targeting OBP players over "toolsy" guys, but I have to wonder the following after watching the A's (namely Jeremy Brown) today... How many guys who are strong high OBP candidates tend to do better than the "toolsy" guys when it comes to the draft and major league success? I understand that one category does not necessarily preclude the other, but at the same time, most guys fall into one camp or another. Murton is not toolsy, but he is likely to get on base at a very good rate. Pie is toolsy, but his projected OBP is questionable given his current makeup (see: K/BB). Do draftees whose only significant natural tool is OBP tend to have as much success, if not moreso, than guys who are athletic and projectable? Is there really any reason to favor one over the other, or have people gone overboard with focusing solely on this stuff. Don't get me wrong, when it comes to proven major leaguers, I think there is something to be said for guys who can get on base at excellent clips. Yet, at the same time, it just feels like a stat that is...incomplete. It seems like it is measuring a meaningful tool, but that it's not something that is be-all, end-all.

I called it. I was telling my dad how if we didn't re-sign lee, this would be a GREAT 1B to have in a year or so. Otherwise he is going to make a great trading chip if lee resigns. I told him, watch this guy get a hit. I swear this guy is good. And then he won the game for us. It's too bad we have lee. I am developing a mad mancrush on Sing! :oops: What bothers me so much about him was that every team in baseball had a chance to jump on him earlier in the offseason when the Cubs decided not to roster him and expose him to these teams...yet no one took a chance on him. Now, plenty of baseball teams have been wrong before when it comes to evaluating guys, but more often than not, they tend to have a handle on what they're doing. I wish the guy nothing but the best, but I'm skeptical for now.

GROUP A - David Ortiz GROUP B - Adam Dunn, Albert Pujols Group C - Jason Bay, Lance Berkman, Hank Blalock Group D - Jonny Gomes, Shawn Green, Todd Helton, Brad Wilkerson Bonus - Prince Fielder

I heard he was likely headed to Peoria, actually. Probably Peoria, that's who he was working out with. Was also working out with Peoria. I recall you mentioning that certain players were practicing with higher level guys during minor league ST than expected because of the lack of roster cutdowns due to the WBC. In other words, who they practiced with might not be totally indicative of where they start the season. :p

OT...again. Yeesh!

Davis went for the three?!?! Wow. Just. Wow.

It could be a live version since they've done a bunch of shows lately.

Mabry with a standup double.

Ah man, this song makes me tear up. Mr. Jeans behind the plate!

Whoopsie. Nice job Rich.

The strikeout? I thought I saw 96. He hit 97 in that inning, I believe, but I don't think I saw anything higher than that. The pitch right before strike three is the one I'm talking about. It was 96 for the K pitch.

Was that fastball clocked at 99 mph?!

Ump's not giving Gooz that outside corner.

For those of you wondering, Guzman is a whole six months younger than Zambrano.

Let's hope Mabry keeps quiet about how he's able to do that...

Really? I thought his first AB was pretty good, given that he managed to battle back before Harden blew it by him.

I feel the same way about Wood. Thankfully Marshall manages to repeat his delivery...and also isn't quite as violent when throwing.

I've noticed this about Marshall. He has the stuff to be an effective middle of the rotation guy, potentially even a two with a number of teams if he progresses as hoped. But he needs to work on his ability to keep focused. There's something to be said for consistency, ya know?