The Stealth Elf does it again!

[BigSqwert]

but he isn't killing them and he isn't going to cost them the division.

 

He is killing them and he might cost them a division. Take your Kostay blinders off.

 

[South Side Fireworks Man]

Kotsay isn't going anywhere. I could be wrong, but my guess is Viciedo is back to Charlotte when Teahen is back. Konerko is getting quite a few off days from the field (he's already 3 games away from his single season high of games played at DH), and Kotsay is the only one that backs him up. If they decide to move Viciedo to first base, it won't be done at the ML level this year and they certainly won't want him playing there down the stretch in a playoff race.

 

I understand nobody likes Kotsy and he's everybody's favorite target, but he isn't killing them and he isn't going to cost them the division. If they lose the division, it'll be because the pitching failed.

I like Kotsay. He seems like a great guy, a good clubhouse influence and a capable backup. But when Teahen comes back, Kotsay is the most expendable. Viciedo has been hot with the bat and can play a little 3B, 1B and even though Ozzie seems to resist the idea he can be a RH DH. Teahen can play a little 3B, 1B, and corner OF and can be a LH DH. Both Viciedo and Teahen hit better than Kotsay. Defensively, Kotsay doesn't play OF anymore and can only play 1B.

 

I know he's a clubhouse favorite and a great guy, but just as the Red Sox DFA'd him last season, so the White Sox should when Teahen comes back. If they don't, it's just another case of Ozzie falling in love with a bench player and playing favorites as he seems to do with someone every year.

[whitesoxfan101]

I understand nobody likes Kotsy and he's everybody's favorite target, but he isn't killing them and he isn't going to cost them the division. If they lose the division, it'll be because the pitching failed.

 

Kotsay isn't going to cost this team a bunch of games. But he could cost them a couple of games, and as we saw in 2008, that can make all of the difference in the world. He's not a major league player right now, and simply put, there is no reason for him to be on the roster once Teahen is back. It's not really even an debateable point.

Edited August 3, 2010 by whitesoxfan101

[BigSqwert]

Kotsay isn't going to cost this team a bunch of games. But he could cost them a couple of games, and as we saw in 2008, that can make all of the difference in the world. He's not a major league player right now, and simply put, there is no reason for him to be on the roster once Teahen is back. It's not really even an debateable point.

Apparently for some people 4 consecutive months of playing absolutely terrible baseball isn't a big deal. I just don't get it.

[TomPickle]

Dayan played 51 games at 1B in AAA, do those not count? Or do yo mean that those 51 games at 1B are not sufficient and they want him to get more experience at the position before playing him at 1B at the MLB level? Mark Teahen has played 233 innings at 1B in his career, which is more than half of what Mark Kotsay had played coming into this season. I see no reason why he couldn't man the position.

 

I get that Kotsay is by all accounts a really nice guy and he's great in the clubhouse, but he gets the criticism because he was put in an unfair situation much like Dwayne Wise was. He has no business getting anywhere near the amount of ABs he has this season at this point in his career.

 

 

EDIT: I'd just like to say that it takes some stones for Rongey to post here. He says what he has to say and he knows he's going to get blasted for it on most occasions, bless you sir.

Edited August 3, 2010 by TomPickle

[Quin]

Kotsay isn't going anywhere. I could be wrong, but my guess is Viciedo is back to Charlotte when Teahen is back. Konerko is getting quite a few off days from the field (he's already 3 games away from his single season high of games played at DH), and Kotsay is the only one that backs him up. If they decide to move Viciedo to first base, it won't be done at the ML level this year and they certainly won't want him playing there down the stretch in a playoff race.

 

I understand nobody likes Kotsy and he's everybody's favorite target, but he isn't killing them and he isn't going to cost them the division. If they lose the division, it'll be because the pitching failed.

 

I'm sorry Ranger, but I can't agree that Kotsay isn't killing them.

 

His and Dayan's splits

 

Dayan

Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	ROE	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
vs RHP as RHB	15	33	33	        9	1	0	1	3	1	0	0	4	.273	.273	.394	.667	13	4	0	0	0	0	0	.286	65	85
vs LHP as RHB	13	33	33	        12	5	0	1	3	0	0	0	4	.364	.364	.606	.970	20	0	0	0	0	0	3	.393	136	155

 

Kotsay

Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	ROE	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
vs RHP as LHB	72	231	206	       49	11	0	6	20	1	2	25	23	.238	.320	.379	.699	78	7	0	0	0	2	0	.243	116	85
vs LHP as LHB	17	22	20	       0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	.000	.091	.000	.091	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000	-70	-71

 

First, the strikeout rates:

Viciedo: 12%

Kotsay: 9.88%

 

Against Right Handers:

Viciedo: .273

Kotsay: .238

 

Against Lefties:

Viciedo: .364

Kotsay: .000

 

On Base Percentage:

Viciedo: .318

Kotsay: .300

 

Walk Rate:

Viciedo: 0%

Kotsay: 10.67%

 

On Base Plus Slugging:

Viciedo: .818

Kotsay: .646

 

OPS+:

Viciedo: 114

Kotsay: 72

 

Rotating Teahen and Paulie at first eliminates Kotsay's use.

Edited August 3, 2010 by Quinarvy

[beautox]

 

nice post and welcome, but no way hes a 3/6 , 2/1 or 1/2 sure

[greg775]

What kills me is Ozzie, KW and whomever before the trade deadline liked the "makeup" of this team, including chemistry, et. all.

Now the makeup of the team changes with the return of a guy who was with the team when the team stunk.

Now we send down Viciedo, whom the fans like and has given the lineup a nice spark.

 

Now, I see Ranger's point about Kotsay playing backup first base, but ... let Paulie play it five or six days a week and Teahen play it the other day (god I wish Teahen didn't have to come back this season). If you have to have Kotsay, send Lillibridge down. We can get by without playing Lillibridge in the field one time a week. If we HAVE to have Teahen, make him the utility guy.

 

I realize Viciedo is going down, but that seems pretty dumb. Oz and KW ... the makeup of the team is about to change a lot if you send Viciedo down. You liked the makeup of the team leading up to the trade deadline.

My preference of course would be to dump Kotsay, No.1; if not, then send down Lillibridge.

[a21schizoidman]

nice post and welcome, but no way hes a 3/6 , 2/1 or 1/2 sure

 

Thank you. I figured I'd make him special, and I wanted his defense higher than his attack. 2/4 might've been a better compromise.

[iamshack]

Kotsay isn't going anywhere. I could be wrong, but my guess is Viciedo is back to Charlotte when Teahen is back. Konerko is getting quite a few off days from the field (he's already 3 games away from his single season high of games played at DH), and Kotsay is the only one that backs him up. If they decide to move Viciedo to first base, it won't be done at the ML level this year and they certainly won't want him playing there down the stretch in a playoff race.

 

I understand nobody likes Kotsy and he's everybody's favorite target, but he isn't killing them and he isn't going to cost them the division. If they lose the division, it'll be because the pitching failed.

I think I cut Kotsay more slack around here than most, and that is because it seems like the 30% of balls he doesn't hit directly to the second basemen, he hits pretty hard, but it is getting more and more difficult to defend the guy with each passing day.

 

And I don't know how on earth you can continue to claim that one guy isn't going to cost them the division when we're leading it by the slimmest of margins.

 

It could be any minor thing that costs us this division at this point, and we need to eliminate every weakness possible.

 

Now we just eliminated Daniel Hudson, who had a much bigger claim to being on this team down the stretch than Mark Kotsay.

 

So what is the excuse for not eliminating Kotsay? Because he is well-liked?

 

They need to suck it up, tell Kotsay they love him, offer him the opportunity to go down to Charlotte and play for a month, and then come back up on Sept 1 when rosters expand.

 

Things can then be re-evaluated once the season is over.

 

But he does not have a place on this ballclub right now over Viciedo or Lillibridge once Teahan comes back.

[MurcieOne]

 

DMWSE

 

Don't Mess With Stealth Elf

[Ranger]

 

He is killing them and he might cost them a division. Take your Kostay blinders off.

 

So Mark Kotsay may cost the White Sox the division all by himself? That's ridiculous.

 

Again, these season will be won or lost on pitching and there's no way around it. If they don't pitch well, they will not win anything.

 

I think I cut Kotsay more slack around here than most, and that is because it seems like the 30% of balls he doesn't hit directly to the second basemen, he hits pretty hard, but it is getting more and more difficult to defend the guy with each passing day.

 

And I don't know how on earth you can continue to claim that one guy isn't going to cost them the division when we're leading it by the slimmest of margins.

 

It could be any minor thing that costs us this division at this point, and we need to eliminate every weakness possible.

 

Now we just eliminated Daniel Hudson, who had a much bigger claim to being on this team down the stretch than Mark Kotsay.

 

So what is the excuse for not eliminating Kotsay? Because he is well-liked?

 

They need to suck it up, tell Kotsay they love him, offer him the opportunity to go down to Charlotte and play for a month, and then come back up on Sept 1 when rosters expand.

 

Things can then be re-evaluated once the season is over.

 

But he does not have a place on this ballclub right now over Viciedo or Lillibridge once Teahan comes back.

 

 

So, the Sox are only in first place by 1 game because of Kotsay? (He doesn't play every day, by the way). And, no, he's not killing them. Killing them would mean that they're losing a bunch of games because of his presence. Are they losing a bunch of games because he's on the team or in the lineup? Well, obviously not because they haven't been losing much at all for the last two months.

 

I don't have "Kotsay blinders". That's stupid. What I do have is the recognition that there is some importance to clubhouse presence and the importance of his influence on younger players. They like him. He helps them. And the players want him there because they think he makes a difference. You can argue that part of the reason they even made a turnaround in the first place was because that clubhouse is loose, and he is a giant part of that atmosphere.

 

Obviously, it would be amazing to have a lineup full of guys with OPS's above .900. But since they aren't New York, some intangibles are gonna have to make a difference. You can choose to believe it or not, but intangibles do make a difference. Don't think for a second that team psychology doesn't matter.

 

To reiterate a point from above, they've lost 11 games since June 9th. How many of those losses do you really think were because Kotsay was in the lineup? Honestly. And tell me specifically how he cost them. Because from what I see, most of those losses came because the pitching failed them in some manner or another (blown saves, starters lasting 3 innings, etc). For example, they gave up 17 runs in their 3 losses in the recent trip to MIN, and one of those losses came because of a Jenks meltdown. That's Kotsay's fault how? And you mean to tell me that the loss in SEA was his fault too? That one was another blown save. And I realize he went hitless in that game but so did everybody else except Beckham, Vizquel and PK. Their last loss to OAK? He didn't play in that game...therefore, not his fault.

 

The Sox are hitting pretty well overall in the last two months, even with Kotsay on the team. He isn't costing them anything. I'm sorry, shack, but I just don't by into this idea that one offensive player is going to cost them. If that were the case, then they would be losing a bunch right now, but they aren't. When they were hitting like garbage in April and May, It was because EVERYBODY but 2 guys were hitting like garbage. When 78% of the lineup is not hitting to your liking, you're gonna lose games. When 2 or 3 guys aren't hitting, you're probably still gonna get by if the pitching is good.

 

Don't know what else to tell you.

[Vance Law]

DFA Kotsay. Pay him a few bucks to play cards with the team before games and drink beer in the clubhouse. Really chemistry things up. Make him the Designated Chemist. Just without the baseball playing and taking up a spot on the roster.

Edited August 3, 2010 by Vance Law

[lostfan]

So Mark Kotsay may cost the White Sox the division all by himself? That's ridiculous.

 

Again, these season will be won or lost on pitching and there's no way around it. If they don't pitch well, they will not win anything.

 

 

 

 

So, the Sox are only in first place by 1 game because of Kotsay? (He doesn't play every day, by the way). And, no, he's not killing them. Killing them would mean that they're losing a bunch of games because of his presence. Are they losing a bunch of games because he's on the team or in the lineup? Well, obviously not because they haven't been losing much at all for the last two months.

 

I don't have "Kotsay blinders". That's stupid. What I do have is the recognition that there is some importance to clubhouse presence and the importance of his influence on younger players. They like him. He helps them. And the players want him there because they think he makes a difference. You can argue that part of the reason they even made a turnaround in the first place was because that clubhouse is loose, and he is a giant part of that atmosphere.

 

Obviously, it would be amazing to have a lineup full of guys with OPS's above .900. But since they aren't New York, some intangibles are gonna have to make a difference. You can choose to believe it or not, but intangibles do make a difference. Don't think for a second that team psychology doesn't matter.

 

To reiterate a point from above, they've lost 11 games since June 9th. How many of those losses do you really think were because Kotsay was in the lineup? Honestly. And tell me specifically how he cost them. Because from what I see, most of those losses came because the pitching failed them in some manner or another (blown saves, starters lasting 3 innings, etc). For example, they gave up 17 runs in their 3 losses in the recent trip to MIN, and one of those losses came because of a Jenks meltdown. That's Kotsay's fault how? And you mean to tell me that the loss in SEA was his fault too? That one was another blown save. And I realize he went hitless in that game but so did everybody else except Beckham, Vizquel and PK. Their last loss to OAK? He didn't play in that game...therefore, not his fault.

 

The Sox are hitting pretty well overall in the last two months, even with Kotsay on the team. He isn't costing them anything. I'm sorry, shack, but I just don't by into this idea that one offensive player is going to cost them. If that were the case, then they would be losing a bunch right now, but they aren't. When they were hitting like garbage in April and May, It was because EVERYBODY but 2 guys were hitting like garbage. When 78% of the lineup is not hitting to your liking, you're gonna lose games. When 2 or 3 guys aren't hitting, you're probably still gonna get by if the pitching is good.

 

Don't know what else to tell you.

I don't know about an atmosphere... I mean you had 3 pitchers performing like absolute garbage to start the season (Buehrle, Peavy, Floyd) who then turned around and started pitching lights out (Peavy's injury notwithstanding) and that's when the run happened and the team loosened up. They were wound up tight because they were losing, not vice versa.

 

Regardless of how many days he plays, he is going to finish the season at ~400 at-bats... that is waaaaay too many. At the beginning of the season I didn't mind him being on the team, but not as someone that plays almost as much as a starter. There's a reason the Red Sox DFA'd him.

Edited August 3, 2010 by lostfan

[SoxAce]

I wonder if someone is gonna pull up Kotsay's stats hitting with RISP which would make Juan Pierre blush. I will be grabbing the popcorn in either case.

 

Rangers post reminds me of my own talking to Greg a couple days ago about something alittle bit similar... http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?sh...30&start=30

Edited August 3, 2010 by J.Reedfan8

[greg775]

To Ranger ... good luck in your comments backing an unpopular player. Take it from an expert in that regard.

 

I suspected he was a good clubhouse guy. Ranger is suggesting he's a great one.

That means he stays. I don't see why Lillibridge can't be the one to go down, then. I'd like to sink or swim with Tank. Don't Demote Dayan is my motto. Please Sox.

Edited August 3, 2010 by greg775

[iamshack]

So Mark Kotsay may cost the White Sox the division all by himself? That's ridiculous.

 

Again, these season will be won or lost on pitching and there's no way around it. If they don't pitch well, they will not win anything.

 

 

 

 

So, the Sox are only in first place by 1 game because of Kotsay? (He doesn't play every day, by the way). And, no, he's not killing them. Killing them would mean that they're losing a bunch of games because of his presence. Are they losing a bunch of games because he's on the team or in the lineup? Well, obviously not because they haven't been losing much at all for the last two months.

 

I don't have "Kotsay blinders". That's stupid. What I do have is the recognition that there is some importance to clubhouse presence and the importance of his influence on younger players. They like him. He helps them. And the players want him there because they think he makes a difference. You can argue that part of the reason they even made a turnaround in the first place was because that clubhouse is loose, and he is a giant part of that atmosphere.

 

Obviously, it would be amazing to have a lineup full of guys with OPS's above .900. But since they aren't New York, some intangibles are gonna have to make a difference. You can choose to believe it or not, but intangibles do make a difference. Don't think for a second that team psychology doesn't matter.

 

To reiterate a point from above, they've lost 11 games since June 9th. How many of those losses do you really think were because Kotsay was in the lineup? Honestly. And tell me specifically how he cost them. Because from what I see, most of those losses came because the pitching failed them in some manner or another (blown saves, starters lasting 3 innings, etc). For example, they gave up 17 runs in their 3 losses in the recent trip to MIN, and one of those losses came because of a Jenks meltdown. That's Kotsay's fault how? And you mean to tell me that the loss in SEA was his fault too? That one was another blown save. And I realize he went hitless in that game but so did everybody else except Beckham, Vizquel and PK. Their last loss to OAK? He didn't play in that game...therefore, not his fault.

 

The Sox are hitting pretty well overall in the last two months, even with Kotsay on the team. He isn't costing them anything. I'm sorry, shack, but I just don't by into this idea that one offensive player is going to cost them. If that were the case, then they would be losing a bunch right now, but they aren't. When they were hitting like garbage in April and May, It was because EVERYBODY but 2 guys were hitting like garbage. When 78% of the lineup is not hitting to your liking, you're gonna lose games. When 2 or 3 guys aren't hitting, you're probably still gonna get by if the pitching is good.

 

Don't know what else to tell you.

 

So what you're saying is that one player could cost us a bunch of games, but not just a little? I don't understand that logic whatsoever.

 

Maybe the fact that he is taking up a roster spot is costing us? He doesn't have to even be making outs to cost us, because by him being in the dugout, it is preventing someone else from being there.

 

And how you can somehow immediately chalk any failures up to the pitching 1) before these hypothetical failures occur; and 2) after the performance of this staff over the past two months, is incredible to me. How can you possibly know this? So if we lose 1-0 games to the Twins where Kotsay leaves 7 men on base you're going to blame that on our pitching?

 

Look, I buy into the chemistry s*** more than most people, because I have managed groups of people before and I see how people who aren't necessarily tangible difference makers can be huge intangible difference makers. For all we know, Mark makes Alexei relax and hit as well has he has over the past two months. I really can't say. And if that is the case, then I will agree with you, the guy should probably be in the clubhouse and the dugout. As a COACH. Or put him on the DL with some imaginary ailment and let him hang around the ballpark. I don't care.

 

But to send down Lillibridge, after the guy has delivered in nearly every big situation we have asked him to? To send down Viciedo, who has hit the ball harder in his few weeks worth of PAs than Kotsay has all season long? It's just really difficult to stomach. And it goes against all logic. And there is no room for it in professional baseball.

 

I don't know what this guy has to do to make you think that he is costing us. Does he explicitly have to come up in the 9th inning with the game on the line and fail time and time again to make you believe he costs us games? Even the cumulative effect of having him in the lineup as a .650 OPS player as opposed to someone like Dayan or Teahan would probably calculate out to double digit runs, which is worth a a win or two.

 

You can't continually look at things and say "one player won't cost us," because one player does cost you over the course of a season. It all adds up, Chris. There are numbers that support it. And there is no denying them. We have a 1 game lead in the standings. Having him on this roster is risking him costing us a game every single night we play. And that is one too many unnecessary risks.

[Ranger]

I don't know about an atmosphere... I mean you had 3 pitchers performing like absolute garbage to start the season (Buehrle, Peavy, Floyd) who then turned around and started pitching lights out (Peavy's injury notwithstanding) and that's when the run happened and the team loosened up. They were wound up tight because they were losing, not vice versa.

 

Regardless of how many days he plays, he is going to finish the season at ~400 at-bats... that is waaaaay too many. At the beginning of the season I didn't mind him being on the team, but not as someone that plays almost as much as a starter. There's a reason the Red Sox DFA'd him.

 

 

Two things:

 

1) Don't be so sure about which came first, the loose feeling in the clubhouse or the winning. While nobody was happy during the first two months, they were still fairly loose down there given the situation.

 

2) You basically make my case that this team will live or die with the pitching. They don't pitch, they won't win. The Sox are definitely not going to outslug the rest of the AL (even if they were to have added a bat at the deadline). It always has, and always will be, about pitching this season. They're gonna score enough to win, but if they don't pitch well, they can forget about it.

[greg775]

If what Ranger says is true, Freddy and Jackson are the keys to the season. If Jackson continues his bad run and Freddy runs out of steam, 2/5s of a rotation faring poorly won't cut it.

They are keys, as well as Putz, Thornton, Jenks. All five have to perform exceedingly well, assuming the Big Three in the rotation continue to do just fine.

 

Defense goes along with pitching, so Ranger do you feel Teahen should NOT play much 3B the rest of the way?

Edited August 3, 2010 by greg775

[SoxAce]

We have a 1 game lead in the standings. Having him on this roster is risking him costing us a game every single night we play. And that is one too many unnecessary risks.

 

C'mon Mark... If you don't think that -0.9 WAR is helping us, then you are kidding yourself. Chemistry!

[iamshack]

2) You basically make my case that this team will live or die with the pitching. They don't pitch, they won't win. The Sox are definitely not going to outslug the rest of the AL (even if they were to have added a bat at the deadline). It always has, and always will be, about pitching this season. They're gonna score enough to win, but if they don't pitch well, they can forget about it.

This is absolutely ridiculous. Baseball is not a zero sum game, Chris. The offense is responsible to carry its weight, and that means picking up the slack a bit when the pitching does falter. Just because we can't hit with the Yankees or the Rangers every night does not mean that the offense gets a pass and is not responsible when we lose a 5-4 ballgame. Last I checked, there are some pretty solid hitters on this team, minus Mark Kotsay of course. But you are right in the sense that the offense needs all the help it can get.

 

Depriving it of a run producer in favor of Kotsay is wasting some of the few offensive resources we have in the name of Mark's practical jokes.

Edited August 3, 2010 by iamshack

[Ranger]

So what you're saying is that one player could cost us a bunch of games, but not just a little? I don't understand that logic whatsoever.

 

Maybe the fact that he is taking up a roster spot is costing us? He doesn't have to even be making outs to cost us, because by him being in the dugout, it is preventing someone else from being there.

 

And how you can somehow immediately chalk any failures up to the pitching 1) before these hypothetical failures occur; and 2) after the performance of this staff over the past two months, is incredible to me. How can you possibly know this? So if we lose 1-0 games to the Twins where Kotsay leaves 7 men on base you're going to blame that on our pitching?

 

Look, I buy into the chemistry s*** more than most people, because I have managed groups of people before and I see how people who aren't necessarily tangible difference makers can be huge intangible difference makers. For all we know, Mark makes Alexei relax and hit as well has he has over the past two months. I really can't say. And if that is the case, then I will agree with you, the guy should probably be in the clubhouse and the dugout. As a COACH. Or put him on the DL with some imaginary ailment and let him hang around the ballpark. I don't care.

 

But to send down Lillibridge, after the guy has delivered in nearly every big situation we have asked him to? To send down Viciedo, who has hit the ball harder in his few weeks worth of PAs than Kotsay has all season long? It's just really difficult to stomach. And it goes against all logic. And there is no room for it in professional baseball.

 

I don't know what this guy has to do to make you think that he is costing us. Does he explicitly have to come up in the 9th inning with the game on the line and fail time and time again to make you believe he costs us games? Even the cumulative effect of having him in the lineup as a .650 OPS player as opposed to someone like Dayan or Teahan would probably calculate out to double digit runs, which is worth a a win or two.

 

You can't continually look at things and say "one player won't cost us," because one player does cost you over the course of a season. It all adds up, Chris. There are numbers that support it. And there is no denying them. We have a 1 game lead in the standings. Having him on this roster is risking him costing us a game every single night we play. And that is one too many unnecessary risks.

 

Shack, this isn't difficult to understand. Costing them = losing games. If they're not losing games, then nobody is costing them anything. That's the only measure of cost. But if they have the best record in baseball over the last two months of the season, I'm not sure how anyone could expect more from them.

 

I don't have the numbers on this, but I would guarantee that he's not the worst violator on the team as far as stranding runners. I'd venture to say that AJ, at least, is as bad as it gets.

 

I'm sorry, but I just don't see Kotsay as a larger contributor to their losing than anyone else on this team. That is, when they were losing.

 

 

[Ranger]

If what Ranger says is true, Freddy and Jackson are the keys to the season. If Jackson continues his bad run and Freddy runs out of steam, 2/5s of a rotation faring poorly won't cut it.

They are keys, as well as Putz, Thornton, Jenks. All five have to perform exceedingly well, assuming the Big Three in the rotation continue to do just fine.

 

Defense goes along with pitching, so Ranger do you feel Teahen should NOT play much 3B the rest of the way?

 

I would not be very comfortable with Teahen playing a lot of 3B down the stretch. He's going to have to play some, but I hope they're able to limit it and keep Vizquel as fresh as possible.

 

But, to your overall point: that is absolutely what I believe. Assuming the top 3 guys in the rotation stay fairly consistent to their norms, if Freddy and Jackson don't get it done, the Sox will not win. That's my opinion.

 

This is absolutely ridiculous. Baseball is not a zero sum game, Chris. The offense is responsible to carry its weight, and that means picking up the slack a bit when the pitching does falter. Just because we can't hit with the Yankees or the Rangers every night does not mean that the offense gets a pass and is not responsible when we lose a 5-4 ballgame. Last I checked, there are some pretty solid hitters on this team, minus Mark Kotsay of course. But you are right in the sense that the offense needs all the help it can get.

 

Depriving it of a run producer in favor of Kotsay is wasting some of the few offensive resources we have in the name of Mark's practical jokes.

 

And the offense has most definitely carried it's weight. Like I've said, even with Kotsay on the roster, they've been scoring plenty of runs on a nightly basis to win ballgames. It's not ridiculous. They're hitting over .300 as a team in the last month of the season and hitting .333 with RISP in the last 1.5 months. The offense as a whole is doing it's job.

 

[iamshack]

Shack, this isn't difficult to understand. Costing them = losing games. If they're not losing games, then nobody is costing them anything. That's the only measure of cost. But if they have the best record in baseball over the last two months of the season, I'm not sure how anyone could expect more from them.

 

I don't have the numbers on this, but I would guarantee that he's not the worst violator on the team as far as stranding runners. I'd venture to say that AJ, at least, is as bad as it gets.

 

I'm sorry, but I just don't see Kotsay as a larger contributor to their losing than anyone else on this team. That is, when they were losing.

Well it's not like they've gone 46-0 since June 9th, I know that much. They have lost 11 games, which is measurable. Obviously the odds of them winning every game is almost statistically impossible, but hell, don't you want to increase your odds to the best that they could possibly be? Have you heard of the term "optimization" Chris?

 

Should we not strive to optimize our roster because hey, we've won more games in the last 6 weeks than anyone else?

 

At what point do you become satisfied? Is it when we have the best record in baseball over the course of the last 8 weeks but trail Minnesota in the standings because they have the 4th best record over that span?

 

If you haven't noticed, AJ doesn't exactly have many fans around here right now other than Greg. Everyone's been pulling for Castro to get as many PAs as possible. So don't think AJ's ineptitude has gone unnoticed. But at least AJ serves a purpose defensively! Kotsay serves basically no purpose, other than to cheer up Gordo when he's feeling bad about only getting laid twice the day before.

[Quin]

With runners in scoring position, Mark Kotsay is hitting a robust .148

 

Stealth Elf? .750

Cuban Tank? .333