The Hidden 2010 MVP: Bob Alejo?
by Nico on Oct 10, 2009 9:45 AM PDT
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PrintPerhaps the best return in the Jason Giambi signing was the return to Oakland of Bob Alejo. (And let's face it, it certainly wasn't Giambi's bat or glove.) Bereft of impressive "slash lines" or high "3-letter acronyms" (UZR, WAR, ERA, take your pick), Alejo is easy to overlook. But remember...
Brett Anderson is a hugely important, as well as a not naturally well conditioned, piece in the A's rebuilding plans, who reportedly doubled his upper body strength and tripled his lower body strength under the tutelage of Alejo. Unlike Clarence Cockrell, whose philosophy of "Lift weights! More! Better! More!" seemed to systematically harm some (Harden?) while conditioning no one, Alejo's understanding of the word "conditioning" to mean more than "Beeeeg muscles!!!!!" has already paid off for Anderson and could be a key factor in the future of...
Brett Wallace? By all accounts, Wallace has strengths as a 3Bman, including soft hands, good instincts, and a determination to do what it takes to succeed at 3B. Unfortunately there are some physical realities that limit his range and mobility. Perhaps an exceptional Strength and Conditioning coach could help Wallace to develop and keep more of a 3Bman's body for the next few years. It may or may not be possible, but if it's possible I'd wager that Alejo is a good bet to be the right mentor for the job.
When you look at how many good 1B/DH prospects the A's have in the immediate pipeline, it would be huge -- pun kind of intended -- for Wallace to be able to stick at 3B, as a decent defender, for the next 2-3 years. If you're skeptical, remember that Wallace already has the work ethic and the hands for the job, just not the body/range, and that the A's have a S&C coach who came back with Giambi in 2009 but who, unlike Giambi, neither failed nor moved on.
See you at 3:00pm for some NLDS!
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I don't know who is responsible
but Daric Barton who used to have a Wallace like body looks more and more like a well tuned athlete now. He came up with the same hype as Wallace, a guy who is too slow, too heavy and with minimal fielding skills to be anything other than a DH long term. The guy I see at first base now is polished, great instincts and a potential to be an outstanding first baseman if his hitting learning curve continues.
Rockies-Phllies postponed
They’ll play game three Sunday, four on Monday…if game 5 is needed, it will be Tuesday as scheduled…
There's no crying in baseball!
later I think
it’s about 20 degrees there currently, but webcam shows no great accumulation of snow…yet….
There's no crying in baseball!
by gigglingone on Oct 10, 2009 10:12 AM PDT up reply actions
You mean they don't want to play baseball
In 20 degree weather?
I shudder to think about it…
by OaklandSi on Oct 10, 2009 10:14 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
can you imagine watching baseball in 20 degree weather???
at least the players could go running around, or have a heater in the dugout….the fans though? security is going to have fun looking through all the bags of blankets and more blankets…
There's no crying in baseball!
by gigglingone on Oct 10, 2009 10:17 AM PDT up reply actions
I've done it
The A’s opened in Chicago once while I was there. 22 with flurries.
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson
So long as you dress for it.
Hanging out outside for hours in 20 degree weather can be just fine.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
why they scheduled the game tomorrow for 8pm local time is beyond me
looks like midday would be better…..
There's no crying in baseball!
by gigglingone on Oct 10, 2009 10:15 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, especially as it's a Sunday, right? I mean, TV issues shouldn't matter so much
oh well. Another one for the Bud Selig book of genius
all four series will be playing games on Sunday
they should’ve bumped someone from one of the earlier slots….although, the colorado game is the furthest west, but still….
There's no crying in baseball!
by gigglingone on Oct 10, 2009 10:33 AM PDT up reply actions
If any of the games were on FOX, I'd agree
but they are all on TBS….which basically means MLB doesn’t want to have two games played simultaneously (although they could put one game on it’s sister station TNT, which has been done before in cases where one game goes past the start time of another….but what do I know, I’m just a fan…)
There's no crying in baseball!
by gigglingone on Oct 10, 2009 10:59 AM PDT up reply actions
They'll lose a shedload of ratings to the football.
Some motherfcukers are always trying to ice skate uphill - Blade.
I agree about Alejo
About Wallace, I think that if his bat is good MLB 3B quality, his willingness to put in the work can make him acceptable at 3B. I’m also wondering if having a SS with good range can help make up any range deficiencies that Wallace might have.
Many times when players were mentioning Alejo it sounded to me like they were calling him Baba Lejo… Cute!
by OaklandSi on Oct 10, 2009 10:07 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
should you have to pay for a crime simply because someone saw you?
Maybe you can find one made by Go F**k Yourself San Jose... -Poppy
by Leopold Bloom on Oct 10, 2009 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions
None of those snooty ecclesiastical hos for Bob.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Ellis said that Alejo did help him
he designed a program to help Ellis recover from his calf strain and gain more flexibility and strength, while helping him to run faster. Ellis liked the results so much that he continued even after he was healthy, and said that he’d never run this well before working with Alejo.
in case you're interested
here’s a link to one article where Ellis talks about Alejo. Apparently other veterans bought into Alejo’s work, which helped gain interest on the part of the younger players.
Thanks -- I also know he's running a voluntary (it has to be)
conditioning mini-camp this off-season where participation is expected to be excellent. Does anyone have a link to anything talking about that? It’s another big “victory” for the training crew, IMO.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
I won't pretend to know how effective Alejo is at his job
but call me crazy I do think professional athletes should be in you know shape. I have high hopes for Brett Wallace but he needs to lose weight if he wants to make the most of his talent.
Since the A’s have so little room for error they need to focus on things that don’t cost much like making sure all of their players are in the best shape they can be in.
I hope the A’s are starting to promote that fitness is important with their minor league players so by the time they get to Oakland they already have a program that has them in shape.
If the A’s are going to become a team that runs more and tries to get guys from 1st to third then being athletic sure would help and it’s a heck of a lot more fun to watch than sitting around waiting for a home run that never seems to come.
I agree with a couple of things -
I’ve never understood why it’s acceptable for professional athletes to be out of shape. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t want to put in the work (or rather, I’m surprised that the mindset that creates athletic overacheivers doesn’t motivate them to be the best they possibly can).
Harking back to a previous post from a few weeks ago, I’m surprised that a small market team (the A’s, for example?) doesn’t try to maximize its talent resources by installing better training facilities and programs in its minor league affiliates. It seems to me like it’d be a worthwhile investment?
I don't think it's that their out of shape
I think the issue is whether their in the right kind of shape for their body type, for their position, for what they can do with the bat. And whatever combination of those things.
Like was said in the FP, there’s a difference between strength and condition and just building big muscles. Because even though big muscles might be considered “in shape,” it might not be best for playing baseball.
by timed exposure on Oct 10, 2009 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions
I think it's also that some players want to be in shape,
but don’t know what to do on their own and/or can’t sustain a program without guidance. That’s where I think an Alejo comes in.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
That's a good point Nico
I know getting a personal trainer helped me get rid of my fat ass 15 years ago. Some people either eat wrong or aren’t self starters and need help to get in shape.
And some people have different body chemistry and
metabolism such that their body naturally inclines to a different shape.
Of course, such people rarely become professional baseball players. I mention it only in case someone misreads your comment as implying that any regular person who has been less successful than you in getting rid of his or her fat ass must therefore be a bad eater or non-self-starter.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Yeah... I'm not suggesting that 'big muscles' is the 'right' shape to be in
But I really don’t think that baseball is such a different sport than almost every other that ‘excess body fat’ is good for performance.
I mean, even in cricket there have been great leaps forward in terms of conditioning; I’m just surprised, with the large amounts of cash floating around baseball, that more is not demanded of highly paid athletes.
It would be a good investment for the A's to make bobnothing
and again I have no idea what the A’s think about this issue but I think it might be a way to find an advantage.
Harking back to a previous post from a few weeks ago, I’m surprised that a small market team (the A’s, for example?) doesn’t try to maximize its talent resources by installing better training facilities and programs in its minor league affiliates. It seems to me like it’d be a worthwhile investment?
I’ve often wondered this as well. It seems like a no-brainer to do everything in the team’s power to ensure the same level of conditioning and nutrition at the minor league levels as they have in MLB. The investment shouldn’t be huge considering the potential benefits.
Seems to me that any player can benefit from what a good strength/conditioning coach can do.
Look at how Jeter has transformed, at his age, into an acceptable fielder this year.
According to both Ultimate Zone Rating and John Dewan’s Runs Saved, Jeter went from being awful in 2007 to merely subpar in 2008 to solid in 2009. Not Gold Glove- quality, mind you. But plenty good enough to shout down any notion of a position switch.
At 35.
If all this is right, rather than just a blip — and two seasons would be a fairly massive blip — then what Jeter’s done is both fantastically valuable and exceptionally rare (if not unique, which it might be).
There’s no reason why A’s players can’t all increase their speed/agility/reaction/whatever. It seems to me that maybe, especially given the team’s recent history with injuries, they ought to consider having a few strength/conditioning coaches to work with multiple sets of players. In a perfect world, you could have one for middle infielders, one for outfielders, one for corner infielders, one for catchers and one for pitchers (or even two: one for starters, one for relievers).
At the very least, there should be differing programs for the differing needs of individual players. Because if Jeter can do it, our much younger guys can.
And I know that if Derek Jeter can become a good major league shortstop at 35, just about anything is possible.
Interesting post timed exposure
by all acounts Jeter has had a terrific season (although since he’s the most perfect human being ever according to some I guess we shouldn’t be surprised).
Whatever got Jeter to have this kind of year should be looked at by any team.
Please don't infer...
that I in anyway like Derek Jeter. He’s probably one of my least favorites. But I respect his play, and again, if he can do this at 35, our guys ought to be able to do it better at 25, and at all positions.
But yah, he’s had a good season.
by timed exposure on Oct 10, 2009 4:35 PM PDT up reply actions
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