Eminor3rd

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Nov 16, 2011 -> 06:11 AM) Addison Reed is the future closer of this team anyway. But Santos is an arb guy so it doesn't hurt to keep him for a while unless some team(s) offers a solid prospect(s) for him. You can't have too many good relievers, we really need to stop thinking about RPs in terms of Closer/Setup/etc., ESPECIALLY because of how ridiculously volatile their performances are from year to year. Very few RPs stay good for more than a couple years.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Nov 16, 2011 -> 09:10 AM) Well yeah, if the Yankees will not give up Betances or Banuelos than there is not fit probably. I would take Nova + others for Danks but they probably would not give up Nova either. What are the board's thoughts on potential Yankee hauls for Danks? Nova is the biggest regression candidate of 2011. His peripherals are bad, all his value is tied up in Wins. I don't want Nova except as a throw-in. Noesi, now, would be alright.

Haven't heard anyone mention this, but Danks makes sense in Cincinatti, and Grandal/Alonso are burning holes in Jocketty's pockets. I don't know where we'd stick Alonso, but Grandal would be nice.

I still think CQ makes sense for the Braves. Something centered around a Beachy/Minor/Delgado type would make sense. Really, I think they may be a bit down on Vizcaino too.

Guys, we're cutting payroll.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Nov 14, 2011 -> 05:45 PM) This just in, Bill James Handbook projects the following line for De Aza next year... .293/.350/.450. But it's only over 240 PAs. Nevertheless, it's about what I thought he'd be without the inflated BABIP. I'll gladly take that over Pierre any day. I would LOVE that line over 600 PA from him next year.

We'll all get over it.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/e...ll-smith-fired/

I just don't see getting any value out of him right now. Given the current state of the roster, I think you have to just hope he figures it out. He makes league minimum.

Royals interested in Zambrano? http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/11/roya...s-zambrano.html Haha, I love Dayton Moore

Pretty even deal, I think. SFG fans seem to hate Sanchez. Dave Cameron says his high walks are due to his approach, rather than still-developing command: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/j...-good-as-his-k/

Aww, I was really starting to like Bill. Maybe they knee-jerked because he was about to give Cuddyer a five year deal.

Dayton Moore read our thread about Manto and figures that once Sanchez walks a few, our hitters will start swinging at everything and strike out.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/11/roya...ky-cabrera.html

At this point, you HAVE to give Santiago a shot. I firmly believe that Thornton is still good, but he's old enough that there's a good chance he won't be a couple seasons from now. You can't build around him and a lefty bullpen arm is among the last piece to be added to the puzzle of a team on the verge of making a postseason run.

I'd love to see Cooper take a stab at Brackman, assuming he could be had at a minimum-type contract.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Nov 2, 2011 -> 04:25 PM) So Jeff Manto's silly little stat -- (R+RBI-HR)/G -- tweaked to account for the fact that a HR earns you both a run and an RBI as opposed to just one or the other -- (R+RBI-(HR*2))/G -- when calculated for last year's team looks something like this: 0.815 De Aza 0.797 Pierre 0.766 Ramirez 0.752 Konerko 0.695 Quentin 0.566 Rios 0.560 Beckham 0.543 Pierzynski 0.517 Viciedo 0.516 Morel 0.500 Flowers 0.459 Dunn 0.448 Vizquel 0.423 Lillibridge 0.314 Teahen Now, what have we learned? Absolutely nothing. We've learned that people who bat closer to the top of the lineup get more RBI and R opportunities. Which tells us very little about how well a player performed. Which is why we don't pay attention to formulas like that.

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Nov 2, 2011 -> 01:07 PM) You want impact players to make an impact, especially in big situations. During a crucial AB, most umps are going to give the pitcher the benefit on pitches an inch off the corner. You have to earn runs, especially in the playoffs. Impact players don't make an impact by swinging at bad pitches. And wtf does 'You have to earn runs, especially in the playoffs' mean?

Sickels on Brackman, lol: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2011/8/5/23...pects-in-review

QUOTE (Fantl916 @ Nov 1, 2011 -> 01:54 PM) Andrew Brackman released by the Yankees today. Sign em up, Coop will fix him! Wow, he was a decent prospect, wasn't he? Am I think of someone else?

QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 1, 2011 -> 05:17 PM) Your zone is not necessarily the same as the strike zone though, correct? Yes, if you're looking to punch it into RF. The way I read his quotation, however, was that by citing Jason Bay, a homerun hitter, that he's talking about people smacking extra bases around. Literally every hitter in the majors can punch singles into RF, Jason Bay or Eugenio Velez. And, secondly, there is no situation where a walk is not more desirable than swinging at a pitch where you increase your chances of getting out. The point is this: No one should ever 'look for a walk' but everyone should always be willing to 'take a walk,' no matter what the ideal type of hit for the situation is. You go up there with a mission, and the pitcher tries to stop you. You put pressure on the pitcher by forcing him to play into your mission.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 1, 2011 -> 05:05 PM) Unfortunately that's not the question at hand. The question is whether you would take a walk over swinging at a very hittable pitch just in or off the plate with a runner on third and one or two outs. No one is espousing swinging wildly at s***ty pitches. Not sure where you got that idea from his comments. Swing at good pitches, take bad pitches. That never changes. The situation can dictate how you define a good or bad pitch, but there are no wins in swinging at pitches outside of your zone, no matter who you are or who is on base.

Oh god. Dude, really? The value of the walk is not JUST getting on base, it's having the plate discipline to only swing at good pitches. You want a case study on this? Watch 35 yo Paul Konerko hit. Bat speed diminished, and it doesn't matter because he never swings at anything except the pitch he wants to hit. The only time he ever even swings at a breaking ball is when it hangs or when it fools him. The idea behind the 'Moneyball' approach is to not make stupid outs by swinging at bad pitches just because you're Jason Bay and there's a man on third. Guess what? I'll take a walk over a broken bad drippler or a K in absolutely every situation. If you show you're willing to take your base, the pitcher has no choice but to throw you strikes, and THAT's when guys mash. Why do all the elite hitters have high OBPs? Because they know which pitches to swing at and aren't afraid to let the pitcher put them on if they won't throw it. This in turn forces the pitcher to put on down Main Street when he gets behind in the count. If you get aggressive because of the situation, the pitcher can just throw you sliders and let you get yourself out. I'm sick of the BS Ozzie Guillen-style ego-ball. Yeah, let's tell Adam Dunn to swing at MORE bad pitches because he's a 'run producer.' The reason he sucked last year was because he couldn't even hit GOOD pitches. His plate discipline is what made him awesome and preserving it is his only hope at bouncing back.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 1, 2011 -> 07:54 AM) Seriously...how far was Beckham behind these guys in the fielding stats? Right about where he landed in the voting, according to Fielding Runs Saved: http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=...0&players=0

Reds are an interesting possibility, they've got the need and he won't be too expensive. The Brewers have to spend their money on SS and 1B, though. Maybe Buerhle decide he wants to post the best numbers of his career and signs with San Diego to pitch in lefty soft-tosser heaven. He might have a Cy Young in him if he goes to Petco, haha.