Farhan Zaidi: Dispelling Some AN Rumors?
by athleticsBB4life on Sep 18, 2009 12:41 PM PDT
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I noticed this interview with Farhan Zaidi on Scout.com yesterday. Melissa Lockard and Zaidi discuss many issues that we've all debated over the past year. I just wanted to pass it along and see what AN thinks. Here are some of the key points:
- on Travis Buck being in the doghouse:
Lockard: Turning to the outfield situation, which is as crowded at the starting rotation situation, I thought it has been an interesting year. There have been guys like Rajai Davis who have really stepped forward, while guys like Travis Buck and Aaron Cunningham have gone back-and-forth between Triple-A and the big leagues.
Zaidi: I think that there is this conception that certain guys have fallen out of favor with the organization, but the fact is that there were guys who were simply playing better than those players. We still really like Travis and really like Aaron, but we couldn’t justify playing them over guys like Raj and guys like Ryan Sweeney who were producing at the major league level.
later:
Zaidi: There is nobody in that group that we are down on as an organization. If we had a guy who was in Triple-A who was hitting .400 with an .800 slugging percentage and we didn’t call him up, then I could understand someone saying that there was a rift between that player and the organization. But ultimately it is the best players who give us the best chances to win who are playing.
- on Jack Cust's swing being messed with:
Lockard: Is there a concern that his numbers are down this year? It seemed like he changed his approach a little bit, maybe in an attempt to cut down on his strike-outs, and perhaps that deflated some of his numbers, especially early in the season.
Zaidi: You hear this from players all of the time, but baseball is obviously a constant game of adjustment. He didn’t look that different to me early in the year. Maybe he was pitched to a little differently because of some of the other guys we had in the line-up, but I think the talk about him really changing his approach is a little bit exaggerated. He has always been a streaky guy. He has cold streaks and he has streaks where he can carry your team. He has shown some of those hot streaks coming down the stretch. He has been one of the reasons that we have played so well over the last month-and-a-half or so.
He has been working with [A’s hitting coach] Jim Skaalen and he has added a toe-tap to improve his timing and that is one of the things that he attributes to him being able to get back on-track this year. That is something that is always going to be the case with all of these guys. When things aren’t going well, guys are going to make adjustments and you hope that those adjustments work and that their production jumps from there. I credit him for doing that. I think early in the season, he had some struggles, but I don’t think it was because of any huge change in his approach and it certainly wasn’t something that we asked him to do.
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I love Travis Buck about 35x as much as the next guy,
but as someone slightly more rational and slightly less madly in love with Travis pointed out, he really just hasn’t been that good since 07. He needs to earn his chances, and he needs to do more than look pretty to do that.
Founding member of the Eric Patterson fan club.
Also,
Cust’s approach was changed, the numbers back that. I dunno who changed it, and frankly I don’t care, but he was swinging waayyy more earlier this year. Even as his number 1 fan, I’m a little concerned that as his approach has shifted back, his numbers have stayed down. I’d say there’s a decent chance he actually has declined, and it’s not just a product of his approach. That being said, I think the A’s should re-sign him, as he will still be cheep, and he is capable of being far above average offensively.
Founding member of the Eric Patterson fan club.
Dude, no way
I’m Custs’s #1 fan, by a long shot.
Uh oh.
I’m ready to fight.
Founding member of the Eric Patterson fan club.
actually
Our numbers are low. We need to band together.
I'll take my chances with you guys
Odds are in a fight, you’ll swing and miss more often than you make contact or just stand there watching the punch come.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Nice.
What you fail to understand in your joyless myopia is that baseball is the key to life-- the Rosetta Stone, if you will. If you just understood baseball better all your other questions your, your... the, uh... the aliens, the conspiracies they would all, in their way be answered by the baseball gods.
Either that or they'll knock your head off...
every 21.18 times they fight you.
Oh, I *know* who I'm backing in the
who-loves-Travis-most competition.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
To be fair
Travis hasn’t really had a whole lot of chances since then due to injuries and being in Sacramento. The powers that be must really care about Sac’s playoff chances because I’m surprised Travis isn’t up here already.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
by Helloooo 1st on Sep 17, 2009 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Sub .800 OPS in his two stints in AAA since 07.
I mean it’s not like his performance is begging for a callup.
Founding member of the Eric Patterson fan club.
Meh
I still feel he needs to be given an extended shot, like Cunningham, to show whether he’s a bust or the awesome player we saw his rookie year.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
by Helloooo 1st on Sep 17, 2009 7:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Erm... Rajai Davis completely SUCKED the first half of the season.
Meanwhile Travis Buck was either on the bench or shuffling between Oakland and Sac.
They call their best player "Kung Fu Panda" and they complain that people aren’t taking them or the game seriously enough? -Nick
How can this be?
It sounds to me like Rajai got the same treatment as Buck, but when the chips were down, he ponied up and performed. In other words, he seized his opportunity and made the most of it. Travis not so much.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
This is true
As much as I’d like to see Buck playing, he hasn’t done much with his chances.
Which have been few and far between
You can’t call the beginning of this season a fair shot when he’s playing once every 4 games.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
by Helloooo 1st on Sep 17, 2009 7:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Buck had options, Rajai didnt
and Rajai played CF, Buck in Corner OF.
Don't believe in yourself.
Believe in Me who believes in You.
There's reality.
Al: We gotta form a government for the settlement.
Merrick: Who does?
Al: Us! You and me. Come to me in a vision! You stupid bastard
by Leopold Bloom on Sep 18, 2009 3:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Really
What did we expect the guy to say, oh, of course he’s out of favor, we hate the guy?
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."
by DMOAS on Sep 17, 2009 2:13 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Did you not read the title of the fanpost or the text inside it?
Specifically:
I just wanted to pass it along and see what AN thinks.
I posted what I think. Sorry if that bothers you somehow?
Yes, I completely think he avoided the question, because frankly Sweeney wasn’t playing well either at the beginning of the year. I’m not sure what the point of ever calling up Buck or Cunningham is if they aren’ t going to be allowed to play.
They call their best player "Kung Fu Panda" and they complain that people aren’t taking them or the game seriously enough? -Nick
Wooh!!!
That wasn’t a knock on you at ALL. I was agreeing with you. My comment was strictly a response to Zaidi himself more than anything.
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."
Shit, my bad. Been all fired up since reading the FJM Reunion on deadspin all day.
Hug?
They call their best player "Kung Fu Panda" and they complain that people aren’t taking them or the game seriously enough? -Nick
Sure why not
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."
2 main reasons. Travis IS NOT and never will be a CF, and he had options
left, where as Davis didn’t.
by theblackpearl on Sep 17, 2009 3:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Right, but Sweeney was getting most of the playing time in CF to start the year
Rajai was basically Cust’s pinch runner and defensive replacement, and Sweeney would shift to RF.
They call their best player "Kung Fu Panda" and they complain that people aren’t taking them or the game seriously enough? -Nick
exactly, and Buck had options left, why leave Buck on the bench as a pinch
runner defensive replacemnt, when he can play everyday in AAA. Does Sweeney have any options left? I think that is the main reason.
by theblackpearl on Sep 17, 2009 5:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Davis didn't really start hitting well until he got off the bench as an everyday player
Buck has had problems both 2008 and 2009 with consistancy in the big leagues.. and I think part of that is the same as Davis.. He needs to play everyday. So how about the A’s have 5 starting OF. Buck, Hairston, Davis, Sweeney and Cunningham and play them all every game.
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, either way, YOU'RE RIGHT !"
The point is, what Farhan said isn't true.
You just said it yourself. Davis didn’t start hitting well until he got off the bench as an everyday player.
If that’s the case, why is “Davis was producing” the reason for Buck to get screwed with during the beginning of the year?
They call their best player "Kung Fu Panda" and they complain that people aren’t taking them or the game seriously enough? -Nick
I think it's different situation
I read Farhan’s answer as meaning Buck didn’t get the chance earlier in the season because they felt Sweeney was playing well, and that Rajai’s performance is the reason he has stayed in AAA at the end of the season.
I think it is very debatable that Sweeney was “earning” his playing time earlier in the season, but I don’t think Davis’ performance as a back up CFer had anything to do with Buck’s situation during the first half of the season.
I'm not sure Ellis
would be thrilled about all the ground he’d have to cover on the infield. He’s a unicorn sure, but you’re still asking too much of him.
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."
He didn't play well as a part-time player
That’s for sure
by OaklandSi on Sep 17, 2009 11:56 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
uhhh mikev
Davis got 25 PA’s a month in the first half, you really want to compare Raj as 25h man vs Raj the everyday player?
On these particular issues, not really very helpful
I never put much stock in the “A’s hate Travis Buck because of xyz off-field issues” theory— I mean, if anything, Ryan Sweeney has shown more immaturity and lack of effort at times than Buck has— but, as pointed out, the whole outfield was sucking pond water at the beginning of the year, yet Buck wasn’t given an extended period with the job. All this does is raise more questions.
As far as Cust goes, well, I just don’t believe it. I mean, maybe they didn’t actually post a memo on the clubhouse door with respect to strikeouts, but clearly there was enough nudging and hinting in certain directions that a lot of players— not just Cust; look at Ellis and Suzuki’s numbers this year too— got the message that they needed to start hacking more. The A’s are now a below-average team at drawing walks. Let that sink into your mind for a minute.
And in the case of Cust, there’s no question that his approach changed. Fangraphs’ plate discipline statistics are basically a slam-dunk proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The only question is who was responsible.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
who was responsible???
How many MLB players have a father who runs a baseball skills facility?
What happens if the guilty party comes forward? If Jim Skaalen said, “Gee, I asked him to do this, do that, but obviously it didn’t work…” what are the consequences??
Death by firing squad?
Why the big secret, if some outside of Jack Cust himself, or the other Jack Cust, asked him to change?? It was a mistake, so what?
In my opinion, Cust the player took it upon himself. He’s a unique and streaky hitter, and no one would conceive of tinkering with such a player, IMHO.
As far as Buck, he admitted in a couple of interviews to psyching himself out and affecting his hitting. Sweeney never made such comments. They gave Buck a chance early in the year, and I doubt that I have seen (only on TV) an MLB player looking much worse striking out. More mental spiraling? I’d say that’s more the root cause of this AAA-tenure.
"It is the mark of a truly intelligent person to be moved by statistics. " GB Shaw
by One won lost won on Sep 17, 2009 4:07 PM PDT up reply actions
I'd imagine the concern over perceived responsibility
has more to do with internal baseball politics than anything else. Remember, most guys in baseball are looking for new jobs every few seasons. You have to be really careful as to who you piss off and when.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
"I mean, if anything, Ryan Sweeney has shown more immaturity and lack of effort at times than Buck has"
I don’t understand that assertation at all…..explain please…?
Zeigler to Geren…."A-Rod? He’s my bitch." -alox
I'd imagine he's talking about failing to run out popups, etc
Wasn’t he benched for that a couple times this season?
I can't remember....it's possible, though.
I think where Buck is concerned, I still have a sneaking suspicion he was pushing someone’s buttons…..and it was not being appreciated.
Zeigler to Geren…."A-Rod? He’s my bitch." -alox
that is the story the A's want us to hear.
how true it is debatable. Just like everything sports people say to the media
Not buying it
Zaidi says that the outfielders got playing time on merit of their current form. However Buck had just come off a September wheere he OPS’d .900 and yet Geren still started the season starting him only once or twice a week and benching him against all lefties despite the fact he has a much better split than Sweeney. Sweeney and Davis were awful at that time yet Buck saw no regular at bats, just a smattering here and there so while Zaidi says Buck is not in the doghouse and that outfielders were picked depending on who was performing well, all the evidence points to the contrary.
Geren is an idiot
Even 9 Chris Carters won’t fix that.
by redtopcowboy on Sep 18, 2009 8:00 AM PDT up reply actions
Do you hear that, Billy?
All your rebuilding plans, great trades, drafts, and development will be for naught with Geren screwing up the daily game management. 2011 is coming. Get a new manager.
by redtopcowboy on Sep 18, 2009 8:04 AM PDT up reply actions
90% of AN wanted to DFA Rajai as late as June, probably
but Geren believed in him and kept running him out there.
Even if Geren is “an idiot”, he sure outsmarted a lot of us here on that one.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
The number of occurances of FIRE GEREN in the comments here at AN
is inversely proportional to the A’s current win percentage.
by LoneStranger on Sep 18, 2009 8:54 AM PDT up reply actions
That may be more along the "broken clock being right twice a day" explanation
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Yeah, it might
but the 3 big criticisms of Geren that I remember were:
1) The team is dead/lifeless
2) The team is losing
3) Players are being mismanaged WRT their individual roles
I don’t think anyone would argue 1 or 2 any more, and it sure isn’t because Geren got fired. He’s still there, sniffing his fingers, and everyone agrees that the team is more aggressive and lively, and their record is much better since the start of July. And incidentally, the consensus here is that the one guy most responsible for that liveliness is the guy everyone here wanted the A’s to dump, while Geren kept playing him: Rajai Davis.
As to #3, people always find things to criticize in how a manager uses the bullpen or sets the lineup (e.g., there have been quite a few people pointing out lately that Geren should flip AK and Rajai at the top of the order). But there’s not much passion in those comments any more because 1 and 2 have turned around. And if everyone was blaming Geren for those problems in the first half of the season, doesn’t he need to get an equivalent amount of credit for how good things have looked in the second half?
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
I'll give Geren due credit for the improvements in 1 and 2,
and also say that it doesn’t preclude anything I said before. I think Geren is handling the team differently — and better — than he did in the first half. For example, the benchings of Sweeney and Hairston were, IMO, appropriate and sent the right message, and Geren did not do this in April-June.
Personally, I believe there is a cause and effect — that when a manager demands “best effort” from his players and then backs this up with his actions, that it has a positive effect, but I sure can’t prove it.
I do give Geren credit for being a better manager post ASB than pre ASB, and I also give Rajai Davis a ton of credit for the team’s elevation to a new level of play.
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 people think back, another issue that Geren had was acting like everything was great...
…when the team was not only losing but looking and playing like crap while doing it.
Whether the trades just sparked a few guys who were on the bubble before, whether Geren changed the way he did some things, whatever – things are different now.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Nope.
My complaint about Geren was always that Billy Beane gave him too much free rein and didn’t overmanage him like he did with Howe and Macha. So naturally I interpret the A’s relative success in the second half to Billy stepping in and taking control again. Geren still sucks, but Billy’s pulling the strings now.
How do I know this is true? Well, heck, we’re all just speculating here anyway. It’s my Kool-Aid, and I done drunk it.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
It never ceases to amuse me that the same people who are now kaotowing to Davis
wanted to release him in June. I can’t prove this since I was on sabbatical at the time, but I don’t think I was ever of the opinion that the A’s should actually waive the guy.
Overreaction rarely makes sense, but it REALLY doesn’t make sense in baseball where you need huge play samples to say anything useful about a player.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
The calls to DFA Rajai
generally went along with calls to give Buck more playing time (or to call him up from AAA). As I remember it, folks generally wanted Buck to get Rajai’s ABs, sliding Sweeney over to CF and Buck taking over RF (with Holliday in LF).
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
They also went with Rajai
doing a lot of bizarrely and extremely incompetent stuff, like dropping fly balls and making baserunning blunders — which he still does, but at only 1/50 of the frequency that took place in April-May.
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
Paul, I remember you being pretty bullish on Denorfia
during the spring. Would that have affected your opinion on whether to keep Davis on the roster?
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Not really
Partly because I tended in my more optimistic moments to envision a roster with Denorfia as the 4th and Davis as the 5th outfielder, and partly because by June it was fairly clear that the Italian Stallion had come up lame anyway.
Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving
Nick, it never takes much to outsmart me
Just a fan outburst. These pop out occasionally.
by redtopcowboy on Sep 18, 2009 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't remeber him being "run out there"
unless you mean pinch running. I remember that. He didn’t get Playing time until holiday left
Rajai got starts in the first half of the season
People were furious that he got CF starts, with Sweeney in RF, while Buck sat on the bench.
From the start of the season to the end of June, Rajai played in 48 games, 30 of which were starts (out of 75 games the A’s played). He had 116 PAs with a statline of .229/.302/.305. He started 5 games (and played in 5 others) between July 1 and July 23, when Holliday was traded. I think his PT was reduced when the A’s got Hairston and were starting Holliday/Hairston/Sweeney regularly.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
that looks like a bad player
I was one of the people wanting Davis and the A’s go in a different direction. I think it was justified. He has done great since the Holliday deal. Kudos for that.
Generally speaking
It’s a good idea not to believe anything a front office person says in a public interview.
"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico
I emphatically disagree with the prevailing sentiment here
of pouty complaint at Zaidi’s refusal to say, “Yes, we hate Buck” or “Yes, it’s our fault that Cust sucks.”
Of course the front office is going to put a good spin on everything. That’s to be expected, and if you think beyond immediate gratification that’s a good thing. We don’t want a front office that’s dissing its own players or airing dirty laundry in public.
Even so, whenever you get someone like Zaidi to answer questions at all, even if he is evasive, it still tells you something of what the organization’s official position is now and it gives you a chance to read between the lines. I thought this was an excellent interview, and kudos to Melissa Lockard for asking some really good questions. Even if she didn’t score any “gotcha” points by catching Zaidi in a gaffe, I’m glad she got him to say something on those topics.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
by iglew on Sep 19, 2009 5:39 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
It would be kind of fun, though
“Melissa, we haven’t called Buck up this year because frankly we don’t like the guy. We don’t think he’s a very good player and he’s a better player than he is a person. We actually hope to sabotage his career the way we’ve done with Brad Halsey.”
{awkward pause before next question}
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
convo in here is bizarre
why are people judging Raj’s performance when he got to start 1 time a week? of course you suck when you never get to play…..unless you start hitting and give the team no choice but to play you, which is what happened here.
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