Rest of Baseball Thread 2008

[Geowhizzer]

Yanks down 3-2, 9th inning, 2 outs, Jeter at 2nd

Abreu Ks looking

[PhillyPhreak54]

Its all good - Rocket is coming to save the Bronx

[Geowhizzer]

Its all good - Rocket is coming to save the Bronx

If I were Clemens, I'd watch myself.  Pitchers have a strange way of getting injured up there... 

[PhillyPhreak54]

Yeah, stay outta Pavano's Porsche!

[Geowhizzer]

Braves designate left handed reliever Steve Colyer for assignment

[SD_Eagle5]

Barry Roids hit #745

[ice grillin you]

interesting article on baseballs 50 most valuable players

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/05/07/bp.ufd.first/index.html

ignoring salaries....the list is based on value over the next 6 years....

[PhillyPhreak54]

No. 48. Jimmy Rollins, SS, Phillies, Age 28 (NR)
Rollins isn't a name that jumped out at me when I first started considering candidates for this list. "Quick little shortstop, good player, great baserunner, decent glove, but nothing special" -- that's how the world has always thought of him. But all of the sudden Rollins has become something much more than that. Did you know that he had 79 extra-base hits last year -- more than Garrett Atkins, Miguel Cabrera and Andruw Jones -- and that he could join Barry Larkin and Alex Rodriguez as the only shortstops in the 30-30 club

Only a decent glove? Bzzzt. Wrong answer.

No. 29. Cole Hamels, P, Phillies, Age 23 (NR)
For most pitchers the changeup is a throwaway pitch, used to keep the hitter off-balance. For Hamels, it's his bread-and-butter. Opponents hit just .155 against his change last season, which is remarkable considering that he throws the pitch nearly 30 percent of the time. One of his top PECOTA comparables is another famous Phillies left-hander: 329-game-winner Steve Carlton.

What the farg is a PECOTA comparable? Bill Pecota? The guy Mitch struck out to win the NLCS in '93? I farging hate sabrementrics.

No. 22. Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies, Age 28 (NR)
Leaving him out of the Top 50 was the biggest mistake I made in compiling last year's list, more so than even Jose Reyes, because Utley had done more at the major league level. There is some room for debate about his defense -- our system hasn't loved it, while others rate it as among the best in the league -- but there's no longer any arguing about his bat, which is the best power stick at second base since Ryne Sandberg.

Who'd the Phillies trade Sandberg for again? Great call.

No. 14. Ryan Howard, 1B, Phillies, Age 27 (32)
Howard should be thought of more along the lines of David Ortiz than some sort of up-and-comer. He didn't become a big league regular until age 25, and with that big body the injury risk is greater than you might think; his No. 1 PECOTA comparable is Mo Vaughn. With that said, if calling someone the next David Ortiz is damning him with faint praise, you've got a pretty good ballplayer on your hands.

Ooooh goody...more PECOTA bullshtein. farg sabrematicians.

Oh, and putting Daisuke Matsuzaka at 19? Nutzo.

[SD_Eagle5]

6 of their top 10 players play in the NL East.

[Geowhizzer]

Yanks get ripped

Does this part sound familiar?

With the score 1-all in the fifth, Texas took advantage of New York's fielding failures. Laird hit a leadoff triple on a catchable fly that dropped behind Bobby Abreu, who slowed as he neared the right-field wall.

[BigEd76]

Jayson Stark:

Here's the take of one AL exec, who hadn't seen a lot of Bobby Abreu in the NL, on the half-dozen games he has seen Abreu play this year: "Last year, after he came to the Yankees, he really looked energized. But this year, he's a very passive guy. To see him come up there twice in big situations (against the Red Sox) and try to bunt, I thought, 'That's amazing.' Even in RBI situations, he's just very content to take his ball four and go to first. Look, I believe in the value of walks as much as anybody. But these were passive walks. They weren't active walks, if you know what I mean. I think I'm starting to understand why the Phillies traded him." Digest this fascinating stat: Abreu's OPS leading off an inning is .912. But with runners in scoring position, it's only .600.

[MDS]

Yes. He's a great player. No, he doesn't want to be up there when the game is on the line. Does that make him bad? No, just not that good.

[PhillyPhreak54]

myspace blog of the guy who got Griffey's jock

Heckler at Dodger Stadium was given Griff's jock after talking shtein to Junior all game.

They featured it on PTI....along with Vernon Wells telling a heckler via writing on a baseball to shut up and enjoy the game and asking him which gas station he worked at so he could come heckle him.

Good stuff.

Not seen is the part where the guy sells the jock to Chuggie and he sniffs it.

[hbionic]

sells?

[SD_Eagle5]

per ESPN Giambi failed an amphetamines test sometime within the last year. Looks like he's going the Caminiti route, possible ghoulpooler.