Barton > Wallace?
by niallmack on Dec 17, 2009 4:51 PM PST
Email
PrintHey guys and gals. I don't usually do fanposts but I found something interesting after a thought I had last night. Is Wallace a better bet going forward than Barton?
I was thinking about the implications of the Taylor for Wallace trade and came to the conclusion was that Taylor fit better in the A's future OF than Wallace did in the A's future infield (since his defense is suspect). The main reason is that Barton is potentially a better bet than Wallace.
Quick stats analysis:
From the minor league data it seems that Barton has had much better strike zone control while Wallace has had more HR. Barton put up a better OPS in the minors at younger ages than Wallace. Barton is almost exactly one year older than Wallace and has shown better K/BB ratios in the big leagues than Wallace has at any stop in professional baseball.
Verdict: Barton will be better overall.
Barton is a safer bet since he has no questions defensively and has kept his K/BB ratio solid while in Oakland. I think that Wallace has more upside due to his power potential but he will have to prove himself even at 1B (which he hasn't played much).
108 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
i really like barton
but i haven’t seen enough of him yet to make a decision on which version of Barton is the actual one.
by thewhizkid on Dec 17, 2009 4:59 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
I like the 2007 version
.347 AVG .429 OBP .639 SLG 1068OPS
"-i never said half the things i said." --Yogi Berra
Was that pre or post sunscreen in the eye?
"I mean, come on, man. I'm a vet. Don't talk to me like that. If they do, I'll just smile." Nnamdi Asomugha
by s0sNe@kYbUtY? on Dec 19, 2009 7:13 PM PST up reply actions
Wrong underachieving first baseman.
Keep in mind, of course, that "the best defense of Derek Jeter's life" ranks somewhere in between "the best fiscal responsibility of Mike Tyson's life" and "the best not-getting-assassinated-ness of James Garfield's life." -FJM
Am I really getting that incident mixed up?
who am I thinking of here?
"I mean, come on, man. I'm a vet. Don't talk to me like that. If they do, I'll just smile." Nnamdi Asomugha
by s0sNe@kYbUtY? on Dec 20, 2009 1:00 AM PST up reply actions
OMG!
Dan Johnson!! Cant believe I missed that……just popped into my head…..
"I mean, come on, man. I'm a vet. Don't talk to me like that. If they do, I'll just smile." Nnamdi Asomugha
by s0sNe@kYbUtY? on Dec 20, 2009 1:01 AM PST up reply actions
Reportedly the Jays initiated the trade
And specifically wanted Wallace, who they had drafted in 2005 but couldn’t sign.
by OaklandSi on Dec 17, 2009 5:19 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
it was this
"If you hit .440 with 20 bombs, you don't have to do s---. You don't have to bring a glove to practice, just hit and leave whenever you want. You can bring a 40 and smoke a cigarette and call me from the parking lot asking me what time the game is, and I'll tell you. You can even say 'F--- you, Steve!' Actually, don't say that, that wouldn't be very nice." -Steve Friend, Head Coach, Chabot College Gladiators Baseball
I think it was
Blue Jays coveted Wallace so that’s who they got. I think that Wallace’s trade value is much higher than Barton at this point.
RIVER CATS: AAA CHAMPS!
it's good enough for me and my Bobby Crosby
"You know, a long time ago being crazy meant something. Nowadays everybody's crazy."
-Charles Manson
by kaweahkaweah on Dec 17, 2009 6:44 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
Ha!
"Life is a horizontal fall" -Jean Cocteau
by King Richard on Dec 17, 2009 7:55 PM PST up reply actions
Barton > No one
Barton sucks. He may very well be the worst position player in team history.
by Sage of the Vaca Valley on Dec 17, 2009 7:19 PM PST reply actions
That's a pretty silly statement
Last of the Ninth - Photography
by Flashfire on Dec 17, 2009 7:36 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
+1
"You know, a long time ago being crazy meant something. Nowadays everybody's crazy."
-Charles Manson
by kaweahkaweah on Dec 17, 2009 7:44 PM PST up reply actions
In fact, it may very well be the worst first comment in AN history.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
by Nick on Dec 17, 2009 7:46 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
John Barleycorn + the Internet = bad combo
O'Hara: Detective Lassiter is literally on fire.
Spencer: What kind of fire are we talking about-- "Michael Jackson in the Pepsi commercial" fire, or "misusing the word literally" fire?
by PaulThomas on Dec 17, 2009 8:13 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Ha!
"Life is a horizontal fall" -Jean Cocteau
by King Richard on Dec 17, 2009 7:55 PM PST up reply actions
Yuniesky Betancourt says hi.
Stewart: "What really needs to be clear is it wouldn't have mattered if there was an earthquake or not. We were going to beat the Giants.
Oh no!
We’re gonna get Yuniesky some time in the future?
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
The Sage...
…is just trying to educate you rubes.
I prefer first basemen that can hit.
by Sage of the Vaca Valley on Dec 17, 2009 8:06 PM PST reply actions
The Sage...
…should maybe rethink the Sage’s decision to refer to himself in the third person. The Sage may have chosen…poorly.
by Spass30 on Dec 17, 2009 8:49 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Guy must be a major dill-weed or something.
BTW, is Vaca Valley in Clovis?
by LowcountryJoe on Dec 18, 2009 2:37 AM PST up reply actions
I am sage'ing this thread
Don't believe in yourself.
Believe in Me who believes in You.
by Zonis on Dec 17, 2009 10:40 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
This made my day
Now if I could just find my corn cob pipe…
by eastbayexpat on Dec 18, 2009 11:55 AM PST up reply actions
Ok, ignoring this Sage ridiculousness
I don’t know if I’d say that Barton is more promising than Wallace but I do like his chances going forward. Once he got his chance last season Barton managed to pretty much replicate the same skills he’s shown through out his minor league career. He got his strikeouts back under control which had really jumped up in ’08.
Barton will probably never hit for the type of power you would like to see from a first baseman and I think his defense might be a bit over rated around here. But I think he is probably going to be the best on base guy on the team next season and can settle into a .290/.375/.425 line while giving average to slightly above defense at first base.
yeah, Barton just needs some Thyme
I suspect that you think tilting at windmills means something other than what it does.
but no rosemary, and definitely no more parsley.
Don't believe in yourself.
Believe in Me who believes in You.
And definitely no Sage.
JJ Martin
The best way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until the ball stops rolling and then pick it up. ~Bob Uecker
errrrrr.........
no sunscreen…….
"I mean, come on, man. I'm a vet. Don't talk to me like that. If they do, I'll just smile." Nnamdi Asomugha
by s0sNe@kYbUtY? on Dec 19, 2009 7:15 PM PST up reply actions
What about some Basil and Oregano?
Do herbs score?
CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."
Wow
Vast underestimation of Wallace’s offensive ability. The guy was in AAA less than a year after being drafted… even for a college player that’s practically unheard of. Counting the playoffs Wallace hit 296/356/464 in AAA and he was drafted in June 2008. He’s heading into his age 23 season… he’s got plenty of room to grow.
The monster at the end of this blog.
yeah, wallace was a damn good prospect
defense aside. the dude can rake, and was promoted at an insane rate. i don’t know that barton, at his peak, was as good a prospect as wallace (since he never had much power).
by guy incognito on Dec 17, 2009 10:52 PM PST up reply actions
Age 23 in AAA
Barton hit 261/386/458 last year in 253 AB’s. Barton had 45 BB’s and 43 K’s
Wallace had 44 BB’s and 124 K’s to go with his 296/356/464.
I think the only way to say Wallace is better is to say that his bat is much better scouting wise since his defense is in question compared to Barton.
RIVER CATS: AAA CHAMPS!
Your numbers are off on Wallace
I’m guessing you used thebaseballcube.com. Normally they get things right but for whatever reason they messed up Wallace’s numbers. According to the Cube he played in 200 games last year… sound fishy?
Wallace actually had 422 at bats in AAA last year and struck out 82 times.
Anyways, keep in mind that Barton had 3 years of pro experience before facing AAA pitching. Wallace had about 3 months. He’s sprinted down the development path.
The monster at the end of this blog.
Weird about the cube
Do you think that having less experience as a pro is a good thing for Wallace? Does it lead you to believe he has more potential?
Contract aside I’d rather have the guy with more professional experience at similar ages myself. The fact that Barton has held his K/BB ratios in Oakland is a big plus for me.
RIVER CATS: AAA CHAMPS!
Ok, except Wallace got to AAA fast BECAUSE HE WENT TO COLLEGE!
Barton didn’t, and very few 19 year olds are playing in AAA.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Dec 18, 2009 11:51 AM PST up reply actions
I'd say the average HS draftee should be 12-18 months ahead of the average college draftee
College is useful, but it’s at a noticeably lower intensity than pro ball.
So Wallace’s age 22 season is the equivalent of age 20-21 for Barton. At 20, he was mostly hurt; at 21, though, he hit .293/.389/.438 in AAA, which is essentially identical to what he put up last year.
O'Hara: Detective Lassiter is literally on fire.
Spencer: What kind of fire are we talking about-- "Michael Jackson in the Pepsi commercial" fire, or "misusing the word literally" fire?
Sure, Pac-10 and everything
However, how many other college trained players can you think of that went from NCAA to AAA in 3 months of game time?
The monster at the end of this blog.
And how many 21-year-olds can make their ML debut and do well (SSS, of course)?
I think PT’s nailed this one: I think their development is about equal thus far.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Dec 18, 2009 6:18 PM PST up reply actions
Well the sample size does present a problem doesn't it?
Especially when 2008 followed.
I’m not saying Barton sucks. For a HS draftee he moved pretty quick through the minor league system (although I can’t help but wonder what would have happened had the A’s slowed him down so he could work on his catching… oh well).
It took Wallace 86 games to go from draft pick to AAA player. That’s… wow… when talking about a position player. He essentially learned how to play pro ball in AAA. That’s impressive.
The monster at the end of this blog.
The point is that it's equally impressive for Barton to make the majors in the time he did
The other thing: you’re assuming Wallace is ready for the majors to start 2010. I don’t think he is. And I don’t think most A’s fans thought he was truly ready to take over third (or first, or DH) before the trade.
I’m sure Wallace will be a pretty good major leaguer, but I do see a lot of merit in the idea that Barton is better now and will continue to be better over the course of their careers.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Dec 19, 2009 7:36 AM PST up reply actions
Well yeah... Barton's the better big league player right now
Wallace isn’t in the Show!
I’m not actually judging the two players or trying to argue which one will be better down the road. I just feel like the inital write up undersells Wallace’s potential.
The monster at the end of this blog.
gordon beckham? and thats just from the same draft class.
"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT
There are differing opinions on me. According to Iglew "DFA is PT with a sense of humor. PT is DFA with introspective self-doubt. I like them both" but according to sirbed Im "The Stats Killer"
by designatedforassignment on Dec 18, 2009 9:15 PM PST up reply actions
Didn't Longoria?
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
Brain Matusz
That’s 3 players in a draft class of 1504. There are probably a few more
I’d say that we’re talking a special group of prospects so far.
The monster at the end of this blog.
well if you want to include the blake crosby's of the world
you also missed Gillespie who was on the Giants MLB club in September of that year and he sucks a lot.
"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT
There are differing opinions on me. According to Iglew "DFA is PT with a sense of humor. PT is DFA with introspective self-doubt. I like them both" but according to sirbed Im "The Stats Killer"
by designatedforassignment on Dec 19, 2009 11:24 AM PST up reply actions
But he got sent to A-ball or something in 2009
So I crossed him off the list.
The monster at the end of this blog.
Well a huge chunk of your 1504 drafted players won't ever make it past A ball
and no one expected them to so to include them but not Gillespie seems very suspect.
"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT
There are differing opinions on me. According to Iglew "DFA is PT with a sense of humor. PT is DFA with introspective self-doubt. I like them both" but according to sirbed Im "The Stats Killer"
by designatedforassignment on Dec 19, 2009 1:42 PM PST up reply actions
I'll compromise
3 (at least) on talent + 1 based on contract language out of 1504 draftees.
Suspicion eased?
The monster at the end of this blog.
In the first round and supplemental of that draft there are 6 players who have played in the MLB
its less rare for 1rst round prospects than you are implying.
"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT
There are differing opinions on me. According to Iglew "DFA is PT with a sense of humor. PT is DFA with introspective self-doubt. I like them both" but according to sirbed Im "The Stats Killer"
by designatedforassignment on Dec 19, 2009 3:02 PM PST up reply actions
Wait a sec...
So we’re comparing Wallace to:
Brian Matusz
Buster Posey
Gordon Beckham
Dan Schlereth
Conor Gillaspie
Posey, who signed for the highest bonus ($6.2 million) of anyone in the 2008 draft class, took longer to reach AAA than Wallace did. He got called up to SF because they had injury issues, were trying to make the play-offs and therefore didn’t care about starting his service time.
Schlereth is a relief pitcher and Gillaspie was a contract gimmick who spent all of 2009 in High-A ball. No way are you going to sit there and tell me that Schlereth’s advancement is anywhere near as impressive as a position player’s.
Even if we limit the discussion to the 46 2008 draftees taken prior to the 2nd round Wallace advanced to AAA before Matusz and Posey got out of A-ball! More importantly, we can say (without any argument) that Wallace was 1 of 4 starting caliber prospects (as identified by you) from the 46 1st and Supplemental round picks to reach AAA or the Show by the end of 2009.
And that’s not worthy of note to you?
Tough cookies.
The monster at the end of this blog.
I dunno, I tend to favor guys who have made the majors over guys who haven't
We can toss out Gillespie, but I think you’re insane if you find Wallace more impressive than Posey in really any way at all.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Dec 19, 2009 6:42 PM PST up reply actions
I'm not the one comparing one to the other
I’m saying they are in a select group.
The monster at the end of this blog.
This is just incorrect
You are comparing Wallace to players who have actually made the MLB, which Wallace decidedly has not.
Of the 14 college position players in those 46 draftees four or about 1/3 have played in AAA. Furthermore Wallace because he signed quickly had more playing time in 08 in the minors than a lot of these prospects.
"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT
There are differing opinions on me. According to Iglew "DFA is PT with a sense of humor. PT is DFA with introspective self-doubt. I like them both" but according to sirbed Im "The Stats Killer"
by designatedforassignment on Dec 19, 2009 9:01 PM PST up reply actions
Get this through your head
I’m comparing Wallace’s rate of advancement to the rest of his draft class. He went from college ball to AAA in 86 games played. That was a rapid advancement and I contend that it counts as a positive marker for Wallace.
It is extremely rare for any college trained draft pick to go from school to AAA in less than a year and those that do generally warrant high prospect grades in the process. (I think relief pitchers can move as quickly without necessarily earning high grades.) Wallace will be 23 next season and still has room to develop.
All of which is just a longer winded version of what I said initially!
The monster at the end of this blog.
Gillespie had it in his contract that he would get a callup in 08.
Keep in mind, of course, that "the best defense of Derek Jeter's life" ranks somewhere in between "the best fiscal responsibility of Mike Tyson's life" and "the best not-getting-assassinated-ness of James Garfield's life." -FJM
I know this, doesn't mean he didn't play there way before Wallace.
"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT
There are differing opinions on me. According to Iglew "DFA is PT with a sense of humor. PT is DFA with introspective self-doubt. I like them both" but according to sirbed Im "The Stats Killer"
by designatedforassignment on Dec 19, 2009 8:48 PM PST up reply actions
So credit the agent
I thought we were more interested in the abilities of the players.
The monster at the end of this blog.
Sure, but that appeared to be due more to some sort of contractual agreement than anything else
Last of the Ninth - Photography
I looked at age 23 in AAA
For Barton so one year older. I still think Barton is the safer bet while Wallace has more upside (and backside).
RIVER CATS: AAA CHAMPS!
Is it getting hot in here or is it just me?
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
Barton is a better first baseman defensively
Wallace may someday end up at first base, but Barton is there now. And now, Barton is an average first baseman, and could becom above average if he continues to work at it. So Beane was right to trade Wallace for Taylor. Go Cardenas!!
there is no way that you can know that Barton is better at 1b than Wallace
"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT
There are differing opinions on me. According to Iglew "DFA is PT with a sense of humor. PT is DFA with introspective self-doubt. I like them both" but according to sirbed Im "The Stats Killer"
by designatedforassignment on Dec 18, 2009 9:17 PM PST up reply actions
Barton is more agile, has better range, and already has a positive track record.
Seems like a reasonable assumption to me.
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
Im not saying that Barton isn't going to be better, I am saying you cannot reasonably make that definitive statement.
Wallace has excellent hands and a good arm, which are the only reason that anyone thinks he can stay at third. I just want to quote grover here:
Ultimately he’d have to move off the hot corner and to 1B. An average 3B defender is still a better defensive player than an average 1B defender. "Average" defense is in comparison to players at the same position.This is absolutely true. Barton’s defense is a safer and better bet going forward but saying with certainty that its better than Wallace’s is not accurate.
"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT
There are differing opinions on me. According to Iglew "DFA is PT with a sense of humor. PT is DFA with introspective self-doubt. I like them both" but according to sirbed Im "The Stats Killer"
by designatedforassignment on Dec 19, 2009 11:52 AM PST up reply actions
Well of course not --
Even to say Wallace will ever play in the big leagues at all cannot be said with certainty. Obviously, there is projection/prediction involved in making the comparison.
But it’s also likely that a good goal for Wallace as a 1Bman would be to become as good defensively at 1B as Barton is now. And given that Wallace’s likely ceiling is Barton’s current proven ability, it’s a fair statement to predict that Barton will always have the edge defensively between the two.
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 see no reason why insufficient 3b range and excellent hands isn't at least worth of less certainty to be better than
good 1b range and ok hands.
"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT
There are differing opinions on me. According to Iglew "DFA is PT with a sense of humor. PT is DFA with introspective self-doubt. I like them both" but according to sirbed Im "The Stats Killer"
by designatedforassignment on Dec 19, 2009 12:47 PM PST up reply actions
Depends how much you value range, and how much you value hands, I guess
Barton can also do the splits. Wallace will do the splits exactly once in his life.
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
Im not making that evaluation. Im just saying that pretending that there is a level of certainty there is not reasonable.
"Since other people actually read these threads, though, probably best that your particular brand of wrongness not go completely unchallenged." - PT
There are differing opinions on me. According to Iglew "DFA is PT with a sense of humor. PT is DFA with introspective self-doubt. I like them both" but according to sirbed Im "The Stats Killer"
by designatedforassignment on Dec 19, 2009 3:03 PM PST up reply actions
Welcome to the future.
It’s a bit uncertain at times.
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
We already know that Barton is pretty solidly above average at 1B.
And based on what we know about Wallace, it seems pretty fair that he’ll be average at best.
Your day breaks, your mind aches.
You find that all her words of kindness linger on
when she no longer needs you.
I'd just like to say that, predicting the ceiling or floor for someone
who hasn’t played the position as a pro is a really big mistake. Wallace’s ability to play 1B is an unknown… we should just say as much and wait for more information.
The monster at the end of this blog.
How is it a mistake?
We can all be pretty sure Cust at SS wouldn’t have worked.
I think it’s perfectly reasonable to look at what a player can do and make a guess about how he’d play elsewhere. That said, I do think it’s tough to do that with a minor leaguer we haven’t actually seen/compiled enough data on.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Dec 19, 2009 7:38 AM PST up reply actions
I was referring to reasonably possible moves
Cust spent about a decade playing DH or OF in the minors. No one would suggest taking a 30 year old outfielder and converting him to SS unless they were joking around.
But what if someone suggested making Cust a 1B? Do we really want to try and “answer” how good he’d be at 1B with the information we currently have on Cust?
Looking at my previous comment… I kinda pulled my punch and I probably shouldn’t have. Maybe we can speculate on how bad a player would be (his floor) if we did something as ludicrous as moving Cust to SS. Danmerqury suggests that the ceiling for Wallace’s defense would be average, that’s the part that bugs me.
The most pro-Wallace scouting report I could find said that he could be an average defender at 3B and even that came with a sunset clause. Ultimately he’d have to move off the hot corner and to 1B. An average 3B defender is still a better defensive player than an average 1B defender. “Average” defense is in comparison to players at the same position.
Wallace isn’t going to have any better lateral range at 1B than he’d have at 3B. His arm strength won’t get as much play as it would have on the hot corner. The key will be how well he handles himself around the bag, particularly how he handles throws from his infielders. And we have no idea what kind of talent Wallace possesses in that area. So if we don’t have any information about such a critical part of his game how can we be setting any ceilings for his potential?
Put another away, I’d much rather refer to an actual scouting report than make a guess.
The monster at the end of this blog.
Wallace actually reminds me a lot of Giambi,
and had Giambi not taken PEDs and thus had a “very good” instead of “great” hitting career, they may be even more comparable.
Giambi came up as a 3Bman but was destined to move to 1B, where he became a very skilled fielder on balls he could get to, but with little range.
Offensively, he was a big guy with an excellent eye who could give you walks, doubles, and HRs.
Given the similarities, I suspect Wallace will turn himself into a solid defensive 1Bman but simply won’t have a lot of range. You could do worse, and you could do better. And if he can produce a .370 OBP, or 25HRs, he’ll be a player you wish the A’s had. But Taylor might be a player you even more wish the A’s had, or are glad they have, which is why the trade went down.
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
Barton really hurt his value last year
He had a worse 2008 campaign than Rudy Giuliani. But I still have a lot of hope for him. If he could hit .300, play great defense and keep his excellent K/BB ratio, he would be a pretty good player. Wallace will have more power, but it’s not like he’s projecting in a 40+ range. Still, if Billy could have traded Barton for Taylor and kept Wallace, he would do it any day and twice on Sunday.
by Manstein on Dec 18, 2009 12:42 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
If anyone can "hit .300 and play great defense"
they are more than a pretty good player.
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
"if he could hit .300..."?
in a sea of .230’s, when’s the last time in recent memory an a’s player hit .300? I heart jay payton.
Did Davis stay at .300 last year?
"I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did." -Yogi Berra
He did, .305
He made A’s baseball interesting last year.
Well, he didn't qualify for the batting title
If we’re going with those seasons, Mark Ellis’s 2005 was pretty sweet.
O'Hara: Detective Lassiter is literally on fire.
Spencer: What kind of fire are we talking about-- "Michael Jackson in the Pepsi commercial" fire, or "misusing the word literally" fire?
Barton's the safer bet but Wallace's got the bigger upside
1-Wallace is a beast, and ultimately I do think he’s the better player than Barton as he develops the stronger bat.
2- I put very little stock into that 2008 season. Yeah, a player had a bad season at age 22. If we applied this same logic to say.. someone who was even worse at a MLB season at an incredibly young age…I don’t know… this guy , or this guy, it would sound asinine as hell. Sure, he probably belonged in AAA.
"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it" ~ Mae West
I like Barton a lot
I think Barton has a better eye than Wallace and he has similar pop in his bat. I believe Wallace has a quicker bat, but you can see Barton getting stronger at that 1b position. I think Barton will put up surprising numbers this year.
.285, .390, .445?
I haven't given up on Barton
Someone just has to make sure every page of his calendar shows as September.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
swimming pool tarp
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
too easy to dive through
daric really needs a bean bag chair big enough to fill the whole pool
The A's. The SWINGING A's. That's right, the SWINGING A's.
by eastcoasta'sfan on Dec 18, 2009 2:42 PM PST up reply actions
Deeper pool filled with jello
CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."
That works for a lot of things.
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
$240... a'worth a'pudding.
awwww yeaaaaah!
by LoneStranger on Dec 20, 2009 4:36 PM PST up reply actions
< tries in vain
to find an image of Clemens as chicken from “Homer at Bat” >
"Starbucks doesn’t change its logo just because it no longer serves naked mermaids in Fremont." —Librocrat
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Baseball Nation Recent Stories
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Ask Alex: Can Jose Reyes repeat as NL batting champ?
- U.S. Cellular Field: Home of the Chicago Cubs?
- MLB Fan Cave candidate explains the stories behind his 30 MLB mascot tattoos
- Kate Upton’s new MLB 2K12 ad is really something
- Five tips for Showtime’s second season of ‘The Franchise,’ featuring the Miami Marlins
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
