2009 Team MVP

[Kalapse]

You can hold the front office to whatever standard you want. But you deciding to be stubborn about it means what in the end? You and Tony get to spend all your days griping about Podsednik sucking over cold beers?

 

Given that we have one of the most active FO's in baseball, don't you think it is incredibly likely that there just aren't many decent leadoff men available? Don't you think all the very smart people in our FO have thought what you have as well? I guess there is a possibility that acquiring a leadoff man is just Kenny's "blind spot," and he just can't seem to get this one thing right, but given all the trades he has made, all the signing he has attempted to make, I just have a hard time believing that he hasn't realized this team hasn't had a good leadoff hitter for a long time.

 

The organization has taken actions to try and correct the problem (the draft), and undoubtedly will look into signing Mr. Figgins this offseason, but have you ever stopped to think that maybe the cost is just too great? Would you feel better if we had the best leadoff hitter since Ricky Henderson but at the cost of several other positions or areas of need?

 

Despite all the shortcomings Podsednik has, his production versus his pay was probably one of the better deals in baseball this season. We did not lose anything this season because of Scott Podsednik. And once again, despite all the fun you guys like to have with the organization's references to "grinders," at least I could tell at the end of the season that this guy was still giving it everything he had. That's a lot more than I can say for most of the rest of these guys.

They went into the season with Dewayne Wise as the leadoff man and a backup plan consisting of a rookie who probably projects out to be a pretty good utility man down the road and a 12 year old boy who thinks he's Ryan Howard. Just because it's hard to find a guy who can bat first, put up a .350+ OBP and not kill you in the other facets of the game (this is about the bare minimum one should expect a contending team's leadoff hitter to provide) doesn't mean that such a move is acceptable ('07 was nearly as bad.)

Kudos to KW for finding a nice replacement 35 games in, sure he's not good at much but he put up a league average OBP for his spot in the lineup so I'm not openly complaining about his 2009 offensive production but I'm also not going to be content with them bringing him back next year since in the end I believe him to be an overall mediocre baseball player. I'm sure it's tough to find a leadoff guy and I'm sure KW is out there trying to find his man but he's not doing a very good job.

 

What bothers me the most is the hyperbole that people use when talking about Podsednik since apparently they don't know what a truly good leadoff hitter looks like. When he's being talked about as a good option as the leadoff hitter next year because his OBP was very good for a leadoff man - despite being about average for an AL leadoff man in '09 and about 10 points higher than what OCab gave you last year in that role - and at the same time just ignoring the glaring, unacceptable shortcomings in his game or making weakass excuses for them then I'm going to get upset because it offends me as a baseball observer.

 

If it's not possible to find a guy who can play a little defense, competently run the bases and put up an OBP of .350 or higher then go with Beckham for a year (he should provide this and more) and fill the 2 open lineup spots (LF/DH) with competent major leaguers. If push comes to shove and he's going to be in the lineup anyway stick Getz in the leadoff role, he should give you an OBP around .340.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

If it's not possible to find a guy who can play a little defense, competently run the bases and put up an OBP of .350 or higher then go with Beckham for a year (he should provide this and more) and fill the 2 open lineup spots (LF/DH) with competent major leaguers.

Beckham has too much RBI potential to bat lead-off IMO. The lead-off hitter should be Getz unless we get someone who profiles better there.

[Kalapse]

Beckham has too much RBI potential to bat lead-off IMO. The lead-off hitter should be Getz unless we get someone who profiles better there.

I actually edited my post just as you posted this.

 

Though all in all I'd accept Beckham in the leadoff spot for a year if it means LF and DH are filled adequately.

[SoxAce]

Beckham has too much RBI potential to bat lead-off IMO. The lead-off hitter should be Getz unless we get someone who profiles better there.

 

He and Wite are right though about Beckham being our best solution for the mean time though. Sure ideally you'd like to see him bat 2nd or 3rd, but if it's only for one season, it won't kill him to do so. Unless Getz really shows something in ST and possibly during the early/middle of the season, (especially from comming back from a hernia/back surgery) then you can make the change, but there's no doubt as of right now Beckham is our best leadoff solution. I do believe Getz will be fine though given his history. Let's just hope Ozzie has enough faith this time around instead of the ol "protect my rookies/young guys" debacle.

Edited October 9, 2009 by SoxAce

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

I actually edited my post just as you posted this.

[iamshack]

They went into the season with Dewayne Wise as the leadoff man and a backup plan consisting of a rookie who probably projects out to be a pretty good utility man down the road and a 12 year old boy who thinks he's Ryan Howard. Just because it's hard to find a guy who can bat first, put up a .350+ OBP and not kill you in the other facets of the game (this is about the bare minimum one should expect a contending team's leadoff hitter to provide) doesn't mean that such a move is acceptable ('07 was nearly as bad.)

 

Kudos to KW for finding a nice replacement 35 games in, sure he's not good at much but he put up a league average OBP for his spot in the lineup so I'm not openly complaining about his 2009 offensive production but I'm also not going to be content with them bringing him back next year since in the end I believe him to be an overall mediocre baseball player. I'm sure it's tough to find a leadoff guy and I'm sure KW is out there trying to find his man but he's not doing a very good job.

 

What bothers me the most is the hyperbole that people use when talking about Podsednik since apparently they don't know what a truly good leadoff hitter looks like. When he's being talked about as a good option as the leadoff hitter next year because his OBP was very good for a leadoff man - despite being about average for an AL leadoff man in '09 and about 10 points higher than what OCab gave you last year in that role - and at the same time just ignoring the glaring, unacceptable shortcomings in his game or making weakass excuses for them then I'm going to get upset because it offends me as a baseball observer.

 

If it's not possible to find a guy who can play a little defense, competently run the bases and put up an OBP of .350 or higher then go with Beckham for a year (he should provide this and more) and fill the 2 open lineup spots (LF/DH) with competent major leaguers.

 

I agree with you that our plan at the leadoff position has not been spectacular. I also think part of this falls on Ozzie's shoulders, since he sees some value in some of the things most of us do not, which leads to him playing Wise in the first place.

 

Let me ask you this though, would you rather have Scott Podsednik batting leadoff for us with our starting rotation fully addressed, while acquiring guys like Alexei and Quentin over the past two years, or would you rather have had our resources diverted so that we have a better than average leadoff man, and don't have the rotation we have, or guys we have been able to sign by saving money in other places? I know you'll say there is no reason we can't have both, but I'll just counter by saying I think if there had been a way, we would have seen it by now.

 

Finally, while you despise the positive hyperbole bestowed upon Podsednik around here, there are those of us who despise the negative hyperbole bestowed upon him just as much. Here is a guy who many people seem to think is the MVP of the team this season, and yet, he has probably been the subject of as much criticism and negative commentary as anyone on the team. And it isn't as if he is an asshole off the field and makes outrageous statements in the press or something. This is a guy that is seemingly well-liked by his manager, teammates, the fans and the press, and yet, because he has gained some positive notoriety, the sabremetric fans among us have made it their personal mission to take every opportunity possible to tear the guy down. The real truth lies somewhere in the middle, but many here cannot seem to accept that.

Edited October 9, 2009 by iamshack

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

He and Wite are right though about Beckham being our best solution for the mean time though. Sure ideally you'd like to see him bat 2nd or 3rd, but if it's only for one season, it won't kill him to do so. Unless Getz really shows something in ST and possibly during the early/middle of the season, (especially from comming back from a hernia/back surgery) then you can make the change, but there's no doubt as of right now Beckham is our best leadoff solution. I do believe Getz will be fine though given his history.

I've seen a lot in Getz to like as a lead-off guy. He can work counts, he can run and steal bases with a high percentage, and his BB rate has been consistently above-average throughout the minor leagues. For his batting average being where it is, his OBP is pretty good number. I have faith in him raising that batting average next year, and if he does that OBP is going to be quite a bit higher.

 

And I really don't want Beckham to concentrate on anything other than driving in runs. Putting him at lead-off will change his approach and could possibly sap some of his aggressiveness. I could see an argument for batting him anywhere between 2, 3 , 5, or 6 in the lineup as it currently stands after FA departures are factored in, but definitely not in the top spot.

[iamshack]

I've seen a lot in Getz to like as a lead-off guy. He can work counts, he can run and steal bases with a high percentage, and his BB rate has been consistently above-average throughout the minor leagues. For his batting average being where it is, his OBP is pretty good number. I have faith in him raising that batting average next year, and if he does that OBP is going to be quite a bit higher.

 

And I really don't want Beckham to concentrate on anything other than driving in runs. Putting him at lead-off will change his approach and could possibly sap some of his aggressiveness. I could see an argument for batting him anywhere between 2, 3 , 5, or 6 in the lineup as it currently stands after FA departures are factored in, but definitely not in the top spot.

 

I don't see the love with Getz, to be honest with you. I am trying to like the guy, especially since he does bring some skills to the table that the White Sox are not particularly loaded with. But the fact is, you do have to hit to be a solid major league player, and I'm not seeing all the potential that many of the rest of you are. First off, he does not hit lefties well. He has a tendency to swing at pitches far too inside, which he then either misses or fouls off. Secondly, he does not exactly tear the cover off the ball against righties. Sure, his speed is nice, and it appears to the eye that he plays solid defense, but for all of you complaining about Scott Podsednik, can we seriously not do better than Chris Getz? I think it's great that he has a nice walk rate, but he isn't exactly Bobby Abreu out there.

 

I guess I'm just not going to forego making other moves because I have Chris Getz as my 2b, let alone slot him in as my defacto leadoff hitter.

[Kalapse]

I agree with you that our plan at the leadoff position has not been spectacular. I also think part of this falls on Ozzie's shoulders, since he sees some value in some of the things most of us do not, which leads to him playing Wise in the first place.

 

Let me ask you this though, would you rather have Scott Podsednik batting leadoff for us with our starting rotation fully addressed, while acquiring guys like Alexei and Quentin over the past two years, or would you rather have had our resources diverted so that we have a better than average leadoff man, and don't have the rotation we have, or guys we have been able to sign by saving money in other places? I know you'll say there is no reason we can't have both, but I'll just counter by saying I think if there had been a way, we would have seen it by now.

 

Finally, while you despise the positive hyperbole bestowed upon Podsednik around here, there are those of us who despise the negative hyperbole bestowed upon him just as much. Here is a guy who many people seem to think is the MVP of the team this season, and yet, he has probably been the subject of as much criticism and negative commentary as anyone on the team. And it isn't as if he is an asshole off the field and makes outrageous statements in the press or something. This is a guy that is seemingly well-liked by his manager, teammates, the fans and the press, and yet, because he has gained some positive notoriety, the sabremetric fans among us have made it their personal mission to take every opportunity possible to tear the guy down. The real truth lies somewhere in the middle, but many here cannot seem to accept that.

I can't speak for anyone else but I haven't been trashing Podsednik unproved on here. If someone wants to make a lame ass argument about him being a good defender because he's not making errors or he's getting picked off more than anyone else in the game because he's just being a good aggressive baserunner then I'm going to counter that claim. I'm not taking every opportunity to tear him down - I have maybe 30 posts in PHT over the past 2 months and I know for a fact that the vast majority of them are not Podsednik related - I'm just trying to balance out the excessive praise for my own sanity.

 

I do find it humorous that you mention sabermetrics because I've kept my evaluation of Podsednik very basic on here, pretty much sticking to the eyeball test and some very basic statistics that everyone can understand. I didn't post his EQSBR or even his WAR, I kept it simple in an attempt to make a clear point.

[Kalapse]

I don't see the love with Getz, to be honest with you. I am trying to like the guy, especially since he does bring some skills to the table that the White Sox are not particularly loaded with. But the fact is, you do have to hit to be a solid major league player, and I'm not seeing all the potential that many of the rest of you are. First off, he does not hit lefties well. He has a tendency to swing at pitches far too inside, which he then either misses or fouls off. Secondly, he does not exactly tear the cover off the ball against righties. Sure, his speed is nice, and it appears to the eye that he plays solid defense, but for all of you complaining about Scott Podsednik, can we seriously not do better than Chris Getz? I think it's great that he has a nice walk rate, but he isn't exactly Bobby Abreu out there.

 

I guess I'm just not going to forego making other moves because I have Chris Getz as my 2b, let alone slot him in as my defacto leadoff hitter.

Getz was also a damn good baserunner this year (his EQBRR was 5th in baseball thanks to his 1 CS and ability to take the extra base) and the sample size on his MLB R/L splits is lacking to say the least (his minor league splits were quite good though). I'm also not a huge fan of his but he's almost definitely going to be the starting 2B next year (at least against righties) and I could easily see him putting up slash stats very similar to Podsednik's career numbers in 2010 (.280/.340). Not ideal at all but if it means filling LF with a good baseball player then I'd be for it.

[iamshack]

I can't speak for anyone else but I haven't been trashing Podsednik unproved on here. If someone wants to make a lame ass argument about him being a good defender because he's not making errors or he's getting picked off more than anyone else in the game because he's just being a good aggressive baserunner then I'm going to counter that claim. I'm not taking every opportunity to tear him down - I have maybe 30 posts in PHT over the past 2 months and I know for a fact that the vast majority of them are not Podsednik related - I'm just trying to balance out the excessive praise for my own sanity.

 

I do find it humorous that you mention sabermetrics because I've kept my evaluation of Podsednik very basic on here, pretty much sticking to the eyeball test and some very basic statistics that everyone can understand. I didn't post his EQSBR or even his WAR, I kept it simple in an attempt to make a clear point.

 

Well just as you are trying to balance out the excessive praise for Podsednik by others (which I assume does not mean praise coming from me personally, as I have kept my praise to Podsednik to a minimum), I am trying to balance out the excessive insults towards him (and that does not mean trying to balance out your personal opinion in regards to him). The fact remains that he was a very competent leadoff hitter this season, and despite his poor defense and poor baserunning at times, that simply does not negate all the positives that he brought to the ballclub. No more do his negatives outweigh his positives than Mark Buehrle's negatives outweigh positives (the way he pitched after the perfect game?), or Carlos Quentin's (his numbers this year were horrendous, despite his injury, which is in and of itself a negative trait of his), or AJ Pierzynski's (he drove in 1 more run than our leadoff hitter?), or Jermaine Dye's (he was one of the worst hitters in baseball after the ASB, if not the worst), and on and on. And while I realize some of these players have been widely criticized, that criticism does not begin to approach the level of criticism Scott Podsednik has gotten here.

 

As for sabermetrics, I did not accuse you of presenting sabremetric arguments here in regards to Podsednik. I stated the sabermetric crowd. I highly doubt you will argue it has not been those posters who put the most weight in sabermetrics as those who have come down hardest on Scott Podsednik.

[ThunderBolt]

I'm at the point of admitting that Getz is a better option then Nix (shocking for me, i know, but Nix has to learn to hit for average before i fully invest in him), but i still won't budge on the fact that he's shown little to prove he's a lead-off option, or a long-term everyday player. I just don't see his OPB ever rising up .335, coupled with a complete lack of power this poses a problem

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

I don't see the love with Getz, to be honest with you. I am trying to like the guy, especially since he does bring some skills to the table that the White Sox are not particularly loaded with. But the fact is, you do have to hit to be a solid major league player, and I'm not seeing all the potential that many of the rest of you are. First off, he does not hit lefties well. He has a tendency to swing at pitches far too inside, which he then either misses or fouls off. Secondly, he does not exactly tear the cover off the ball against righties. Sure, his speed is nice, and it appears to the eye that he plays solid defense, but for all of you complaining about Scott Podsednik, can we seriously not do better than Chris Getz? I think it's great that he has a nice walk rate, but he isn't exactly Bobby Abreu out there.

 

I guess I'm just not going to forego making other moves because I have Chris Getz as my 2b, let alone slot him in as my defacto leadoff hitter.

We could definitely do better than Getz as a lead-off man. The issue I've been going on about on the board is that it doesn't make sense to use so much of our limited payroll to make an improvement over Getz. Getz is very capable of being a solid if unspectacular lead-off man.

 

IMO, the main areas on this team that we need to see improvement in is our OF defense and production from the middle of the order. A healthy CQ will help the offense a ton, but Dye will be gone, Thome is gone, and Konerko isn't exactly a #4 hitter anymore. Rather than spend talent and money on someone to be better than Getz we should look for a big, scary power hitter and an above-average defensive RF.

[iamshack]

I'm at the point of admitting that Getz is a better option then Nix (shocking for me, i know, but Nix has to learn to hit for average before i fully invest in him), but i still won't budge on the fact that he's shown little to prove he's a lead-off option, or a long-term everyday player. I just don't see his OPB ever rising up .335, coupled with a complete lack of power this poses a problem

 

And yet these numbers are accepted by many for the very same reasons those in favor of bringing Podsednik back are not - because we have become accustomed to mediocrity or worse - and everyone seems to accept Getz as the answer at 2b. Getz, to me, is a perfect AL utility player. He hits decently against righties, he runs the bases extremely well, and he has a fairly solid glove in the infield.

 

Meanwhile, Podsednik hit .320 against lefties and .297 against righties (with a very acceptable .780 OPS), and he seems to be defacto out of town.

 

We are willing to accept that Getz "may" ultimately post numbers similar to Podsednik's 09' line, instead of contemplating bringing back a guy who just posted that line in reality.

 

I am not Scott Podsednik's biggest fan by any means. And if we were able to replace him with a better player, I am all for that. What I am looking at is reality, including what our limited resources appear to be, and given that Getz almost demands to be a player we platoon, I'm not certain I wouldn't rather target 2b to replace Getz than to target an OF to replace Podsednik.

[SoxAce]

And yet these numbers are accepted by many for the very same reasons those in favor of bringing Podsednik back are not - because we have become accustomed to mediocrity or worse - and everyone seems to accept Getz as the answer at 2b. Getz, to me, is a perfect AL utility player. He hits decently against righties, he runs the bases extremely well, and he has a fairly solid glove in the infield.

 

Meanwhile, Podsednik hit .320 against lefties and .297 against righties (with a very acceptable .780 OPS), and he seems to be defacto out of town.

We are willing to accept that Getz "may" ultimately post numbers similar to Podsednik's 09' line, instead of contemplating bringing back a guy who just posted that line in reality.

 

I am not Scott Podsednik's biggest fan by any means. And if we were able to replace him with a better player, I am all for that. What I am looking at is reality, including what our limited resources appear to be, and given that Getz almost demands to be a player we platoon, I'm not certain I wouldn't rather target 2b to replace Getz than to target an OF to replace Podsednik.

 

I'm trying to get this as I know you loved Pods this year and I have as well for what he did. You do realize that this was his damn near career year right? You do realize that he probably will never duplicate the numbers he put up correct? You do realize that his SB % has gone down, not to mention his baseball I.Q. is shot do you?

 

Hell this is the same for A.J. as well. If we had Joe Mauer waiting in the wings, I want A.J. gone this winter seeing as his trade value will never get any higher. I don't know if I (or the sox org.) want to trust Flowers to man it just yet. A.J. will probably never duplicate the numbers he just put up either. But he's probably our only and best option we got right now. I can't say that about Pods. Pods also said he wants to test the FA market as well wanting to see how much doe he can rack up seeing in his career he might not get this opportunity again. But I do agree that the Pods haters need to lay off especially for what he did this year..

Edited October 9, 2009 by SoxAce

[Kalapse]

Well just as you are trying to balance out the excessive praise for Podsednik by others (which I assume does not mean praise coming from me personally, as I have kept my praise to Podsednik to a minimum), I am trying to balance out the excessive insults towards him (and that does not mean trying to balance out your personal opinion in regards to him). The fact remains that he was a very competent leadoff hitter this season, and despite his poor defense and poor baserunning at times, that simply does not negate all the positives that he brought to the ballclub. No more do his negatives outweigh his positives than Mark Buehrle's negatives outweigh positives (the way he pitched after the perfect game?), or Carlos Quentin's (his numbers this year were horrendous, despite his injury, which is in and of itself a negative trait of his), or AJ Pierzynski's (he drove in 1 more run than our leadoff hitter?), or Jermaine Dye's (he was one of the worst hitters in baseball after the ASB, if not the worst), and on and on. And while I realize some of these players have been widely criticized, that criticism does not begin to approach the level of criticism Scott Podsednik has gotten here.

 

As for sabermetrics, I did not accuse you of presenting sabremetric arguments here in regards to Podsednik. I stated the sabermetric crowd. I highly doubt you will argue it has not been those posters who put the most weight in sabermetrics as those who have come down hardest on Scott Podsednik.

I don't think I've read nearly enough of the board over the past few months to speak to any of this. Occasionally I'll see a post about Podsednik that I don't agree with and I'll make a very basic argument to the contrary, that's all I can really say about that. If there's an excessive amount of disdain aimed his way then I can see how that would get annoying.

 

I am curious - and sorry if you already answered this - would you be willing to give Podsednik a 2 year deal?

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

And yet these numbers are accepted by many for the very same reasons those in favor of bringing Podsednik back are not - because we have become accustomed to mediocrity or worse - and everyone seems to accept Getz as the answer at 2b. Getz, to me, is a perfect AL utility player. He hits decently against righties, he runs the bases extremely well, and he has a fairly solid glove in the infield.

 

Meanwhile, Podsednik hit .320 against lefties and .297 against righties (with a very acceptable .780 OPS), and he seems to be defacto out of town.

 

We are willing to accept that Getz "may" ultimately post numbers similar to Podsednik's 09' line, instead of contemplating bringing back a guy who just posted that line in reality.

 

I am not Scott Podsednik's biggest fan by any means. And if we were able to replace him with a better player, I am all for that. What I am looking at is reality, including what our limited resources appear to be, and given that Getz almost demands to be a player we platoon, I'm not certain I wouldn't rather target 2b to replace Getz than to target an OF to replace Podsednik.

Pods isn't going to play LF because CQ is there and the Sox are not moving CQ to RF. They just aren't going to. Nothing has come out saying they're planning to do that. Pods could play LF if CQ becomes the DH however, but again I've seen no indications that the Sox are planning on doing that. Pods can't play RF at all.

 

So the questions are these:

Is Pods' bat at DH more valuable than a power hitter's bat at DH? I'd say no.

Is Pods' presence at lead-off so much more valuable than Getz at lead-off that it negates the huge defensive gap between Rios and Pods in CF? I'd say no here too.

 

Because of his inability to play any defensive position well, bringing Pods back forces us to make major concessions either on offense or defense. And as a 4th OF, I still like Kotsay better because Kotsay can play RF and 1B.

Edited October 9, 2009 by Kenny Hates Prospects

[iamshack]

To respond to the previous few posts, without doing it individually, I will just reply to them all here.

 

Of course I realize Podsednik had what is close to a career year for him. But let's not pretend as if the guy has never done anything offensively before. He has had a few solid years in the major leagues. It isn't as if there is anything that tells me he is not capable of replicating the year he had last year (or coming reasonably close to it).

 

And mind you, it isn't necessarily that I am in love with the guy as our leadoff man. I'm just considering the alternatives. I don't see Chone Figgins coming to Chicago, nor do I believe it would be a good idea to sign him to a 4 year deal. I am all for a Carl Crawford trade, but given what it might take to acquire him, and the salary he makes, I am not sure we have the resources. The market for leadoff men appears to be very limited outside of these two. So then I consider Getz. No. I just don't believe in him, given what I've seen from him personally, and from what the numbers show. He can hardly hit righties, let alone lefties. While he is undoubtedly a better baserunner than Podsednik, you have to get on base to steal bases and if he were forced to play everyday, I think his OBP would be less than the .330 it was this year as he was protected by not having to face lefties.

 

As for what kind of contract I would offer Podsednik, I argued since about the ASB that we should try to sign him for a 1 year deal at $3 million or so. I think he would have accepted such a deal at that point. Now that he has completed the year batting over .300, I think his value has increased to the point that the only way to sign him to a 1 year deal is to guarantee him a starting spot and to pay him in excess of $6 million or so. I do not like that idea one bit. A 2 year deal would concern me, unless it was something along the lines of 2/$7, which I highly doubt will be the case. And if that is indeed true, I admit, I would let him walk, take my chances with someone internally this season, and then hope someone else steps forward in 2011 from a previous draft (Danks, Mitchell, someone else).

 

I guess I just sort of realized that after all this arguing to bring back Podsednik, I just realized that he will probably cost more than I am willing to endorse spending. What a waste of time.

[Kalapse]

Just keep in mind what the 33 year old Dave Roberts got after his decent season in Boston that culminated with the huge SB in the World Series. I know it was a different time, different market and different economy but the Giants threw 3 years, $18M at him.

[greg775]

I definitely wouldn't argue with those who chose AJ.

But Pods is in the top two for MVP of the team. He had some amazing games in getting on base. Time after time he amazed me. And didn't he steal 30 bases? 20-30?

Yes that one game KILLED us when he got picked off. Then he did it again. Dumb.

But for this season he really was damn good in my opinion at least.

 

I wonder where he'll wind up next year. If he winds up back with us, fans will be pissed (on this board at least) all season, cause Oz will play him in center and Rios in right. Pods will be treated like Wise by the fans this year. We just know Oz will put him in center. CQ ain't moving and Pods ain't playing right,

 

Should be interesting to see where Pods, Thome and Dye play next season.

[iamshack]

Just keep in mind what the 33 year old Dave Roberts got after his decent season in Boston that culminated with the huge SB in the World Series. I know it was a different time, different market and different economy but the Giants threw 3 years, $18M at him.

 

Well, this is why I argued for them to sign him back in July to a 1-year extension for $3 million. I doubt he would have turned that down. But most everyone claimed there was no way he was going to hit like that for the rest of the season, let alone next season. I figured it was a small risk to take at that price.

 

Now, it may very well be too late, as I have no doubt that one of the Chone Figgins suitors that loses out will panic, overreact, and offer Podsednik 2/$12. Hopefully that isn't us.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

Well, this is why I argued for them to sign him back in July to a 1-year extension for $3 million. I doubt he would have turned that down. But most everyone claimed there was no way he was going to hit like that for the rest of the season, let alone next season. I figured it was a small risk to take at that price.

 

Now, it may very well be too late, as I have no doubt that one of the Chone Figgins suitors that loses out will panic, overreact, and offer Podsednik 2/$12. Hopefully that isn't us.

That really would be panicking.

 

Unfortunately for Scotty, the Cubs are all out of money. It's too bad because an OF of Soriano-Podsednik-Fukudome would be hilarious, especially after eating Bradley's entire contract just to keep him from disturbing that winning attitude that so permeates the Cubbie clubhouse.

[MexSoxFan#1]

Matt Thornton was my MVP,he was the most consistent player this year.

[TLAK]

Jenks got 29 saves for a team that only won 79 games. He had 35 opportunities. Where would the White Sox ended up without him? Thornton was 4 of 9, everybody else 3 of 10. Do the math.

[Kalapse]

Jenks got 29 saves for a team that only won 79 games. He had 35 opportunities. Where would the White Sox ended up without him? Thornton was 4 of 9, everybody else 3 of 10. Do the math.

Is entering with a couple guys on in the 6th and relinquishing the lead really a blown save? Because it goes down as one. You can not compare the save statistics of a setup man to those of a full time closer, they're dealing with entirely different situations. Matt Thornton had the 6th highest WPA of any reliever in baseball this season, the only 5 relievers that increased their team's chances of winning more than Matt: Papelbon, Rivera, Nathan, Soria and Street. He's the reason Bobby even had an opportunity to close out those 35 games.

 

Trevor Hoffman saved 37 games out of 41 opportunities for an 80 win team.

Heath Bell? 42 of 48 for a 75 win team.

Francisco Cordero? 39 of 43 for a 78 win team.

K-Rod? 35 of 41 (the Castillo dropped popup does not count) for a 70 win team.

Soria? 30 of 33 for a 65 win team.

Matt Capps? 27 of 32 for a 62 win team.