Balfour Makes It Scary, But A's Stave Off Angels' Late Rally to Split Series
by baseballgirl on May 26, 2011 4:00 PM PDT
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If you're going to the game tonight, Gio has a message for you:
GioGonzalez47
Everyone who is coming out to the game tomorrow remember to show up wearing your Oakland gold.
For 26 outs of today's game, the A's were cruising nicely. It was the kind of game where you sort of smiled a lot; the starting pitching was near-perfect, the offense was timely and clutchy, and it looked like they wouldn't have to exert much effort to get a win to split the series. They even toyed with the icing on the cake; the game was one out from being a shutout.
In what was no doubt an expected event during this A's meltdown week, Grant Balfour turned out to be just as scary to watch as Brian Fuentes. At least Fuentes worked with very limited margins; Balfour very nearly blew a four-run lead in the ninth. My vote? Ziggy closes the games until we get Bailey back (and he's coming back soon, right? Right?).
The game started out rather promising for the green and gold. Brett Anderson retired the first ten batters he faced, finally allowing a single in the fourth. He would go on to pitch eight innings; allowing three hits and three walks.
The A's would score their first run in the second inning on back to back singles by Matsui and Suzuki. Ellis dropped down a successful sacrifice bunt (which I'd like to point out that I applauded soundly; when you are batting like a pitcher, I am all for sac bunts!) and Andy LaRoche came up with an RBI groundout.
LaRoche would double in two more in the fourth; plating Willingham and Ellis (both singled to get on). Pennington would single in LaRoche, and the scoring was done for the A's.
They would have had a nice, easy 4-0 win, but Balfour allowed a leadoff single to open the ninth. He struck out the next two batters (Abreu and Hunter), and walked Callaspo. Mark Trumbo promptly homered, scaring A's fans everywhere, and probably inciting murderous rage from Brett Anderson. The Angels' newest addition, Russell Branyan, came up to pinch-hit and took Coco practically to the warning track for the last out of the game.
But when all is said and done, the A's win the game 4-3, and split the series; a pretty fantastic and terrific outcome considering what we've been through this week. The A's crawl back home to open a series against Baltimore.
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I like wins.
The camera even caught Geren talking to people a couple of times.
"Bob Geren DOES communicate!
He just can’t help that no one else understands the language of the pheromones his fingers give off"- ChickenStanley
Nice win.
A bit too close for comfort at the end, but it was nice to see the entire lineup contribute.
I wouldn't second guess Geren on Balfour
Never mind, I will. His decision is purely by the book: Anderson had thrown over 100 pitches, Balfour is the new closer. Let him do his job.
But on the other hand: It’s more of a lift to the team if Anderson gets his complete game shutout. It’s more of a lift to Anderson to get a complete game shutout. It’s more of a lift to fans if Anderson gets a complete game shutout. The extra 20 pitches don’t make any difference and besides, Balfour would be warmed up just in case. Mostly, though, it’s a vote of confidence in your pitcher, and sends a message of confidence to your players.
It’s this kind of decision that shows the difference between a good manager and one like Geren.
I also think, in retrospect, that Fuentes’ outburst actually tied Billy Beane’s hands. If BB had any intention of replacing Geren when he does the late May/early June trade/bring up number, he couldn’t without himself losing face.
Also, while I’m at it: that late May/early June event is starting to look to me like moving Jackson to first base, sending Barton down to work out his difficulties, and bringing up either Weeks or Cardenas for a look-see.
Sending Barton down still won't open up a spot for Weeks
Unless Billy is ready to move on from Ellis we won’t be seeing Weeks any time soon… which is a shame. He’s looked great all 4 times I’ve seen him this year… at the plate and in the field.
And honestly I’d like to see both Jackson and Barton sent down… Actually Landon Powell too. I think it’s time Recker gets a look. That dude has been ripping the cover off the ball even on outs. He’s been playing a lot of 1B as well as catching.
I'm bothered that Cardenas hasn't gotten a callup,
even though I fully recognize that there really isn’t a place for him to play (he hasn’t been playing 3B or 2B, the OF is crowded with “pretty good mediocrity,” and so on).
But here’s a guy who is hitting .348/.413 .463 at AAA, in his second stint there, while at the big league level no one is hitting, especially including at positions Cardenas has played a lot in the past, and the team can’t score.
I mean, bring him up and roll the dice with him somewhere, in case he can outhit someone else and hold his own defensively — it ain’t all that unlikely. They’re willing to put Conor Jackson, who’s likely to fail defensively, at 3B, and play LaRoche, who can’t hit RHP very well, and Kouz. who has been a monstrosity, but not Cardenas? Come on.
Yes, he has generally struggled at each new level initially, but that doesn’t mean he HAS to struggle the first time he’s called up to the big league. Try him. You can’t have someone hitting so well at AAA while the big league team is so bad offensively.
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 wonder if the front office has a set date at which they're gonna start shuffling it up.
sometime in early June, if not June 1st.
"Bob Geren DOES communicate!
He just can’t help that no one else understands the language of the pheromones his fingers give off"- ChickenStanley
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 26, 2011 4:36 PM PDT up reply actions
If you want a date
Pick June 15th, which I think is the date that Fuentes can be traded.
Bingo. What kind of message does it send to your prospects if they're hitting exceptionally well and not being moved up?
"Nah, you look like Elijah Wood." - danmerqury
Agree
When you have a team that has scored 5 runs or more only 18 times out of 51 games you can’t talk yourself out of a move based on defense…. especially when your team is also towards the top of the league in errors.
I will say Cardenas has been pretty bad the couple times I’ve seen him play 3rd… but then again so has Kouz. Still I do think Cardenas is better suited to play outfield or even DH but I agree they need to find someplace for him.
Taylor is also starting to push the issue so we could be having this same conversation about him very soon. I saw him last weekend for the first time and can tell you he’s much thicker this year and that strength is really paying off. I also saw some good plate discipline with him sitting back and seeing breaking balls far better than he has in the past.
But this all comes back to my grip about trying to turn Carter into an outfielder. Had we left him alone there’s a very good chance he’d he an option at 1B right now. The last thing we need is one more outfielder.
You'd think the Kouz injury would be a prime opportunity to do this without having to DFA anyone
by Glorious Mundy on May 26, 2011 4:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Rosters.
The need to DFA someone is when you need a slot on the 40-man roster, not the 25-man roster. Unless Kouz’s injury puts him on the 60-day DL, he does not free up 40-man roster space.
That said, Cardenas is already on the 40-man, so DFA isn’t an issue at all here. The issue is whether someone without options would have to be put through waivers, but I think that’s probably easy to avoid.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I agree
Bring him up. See how he does against MLB pitchers. If he keeps getting hits, you find a place for him.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Flash, have you heard anything on Chris Carter? Any timetable for his return?
You know you are big-time when people chant your name while you pee. - 67MARQUEZ
by bakerbeachboy on May 26, 2011 10:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Haven't heard anything except for him still having pain in the thumb as of a couple weeks ago
Didn’t even see him at the ballpark yesterday.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
That's a bummer.
If we was healthy and hitting at all right now I’d have to think he’d have a chance to be called up with Barton’s poor showing.
You know you are big-time when people chant your name while you pee. - 67MARQUEZ
by bakerbeachboy on May 26, 2011 10:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Totally 100% agree
Cardenas cannot be any worse at third than Conor, so why not try Cardenas there if the A’s were willing to test out Conor? I doubt that he will be as bad defensively as some of the skeptics have suggested him to be.
by Rygoslinglover on May 26, 2011 4:54 PM PDT up reply actions
I think our OF is at full capacity
I think its been articulated by the organization that he doesn’t have the goods for an IF position.
Weeks needs to be called up too
I think Ellis has lost the passion to play baseball…for the Oakland Athletics.
Except hes like our fourth best position player but who cares about that right?
You don't need a religion, you have the A's. - My girlfriend
by designatedforassignment on May 26, 2011 11:37 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah
The team is a sinking ship at this point.
Crisp CF
Weeks 2B
DeJesus RF
Matsui/Willingham DH
Suzuki C
Barton 1B
Jackson 3B
Cardenas LF
Pennington SS
That team indeed is a sinking ship.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on May 27, 2011 12:17 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm coming around to the idea of replacing Barton with Carter, mainly because
I don’t see Barton as much more than an adequate solution at 1B, and Carter can be a star, but:
1) Carter is hurt and hasn’t played much 1B recently
2) Barton is having a terrible year and is at the nadir of his trade value
3) Barton can be optioned or traded and doesn’t have to be DFA
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:02 AM PDT up reply actions
Especially #3
If he really is struggling, send him back to AAA. You don’t just DFA a guy if you don’t have to.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Unless he's Jerry Blevins
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:25 AM PDT up reply actions
So did he clear waivers or what?
That whole situation is so weird that I wonder if something wasn’t misreported. He made it back to Sacramento and he’s still showing on the 40-man roster. It’s almost as if they optioned him all along but just wrote it down wrong on the transaction wire.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
more than likely we won't know until he has cleared or gets claimed.
If it was an actual DFA and not a mixup, the 3 day waiver period can be any time during the 10 day DFA window.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
I don't think he'd be allowed to pitch in Sacramento if things weren't already squared away
Last of the Ninth - Photography
This.
You don't need a religion, you have the A's. - My girlfriend
by designatedforassignment on May 27, 2011 12:08 PM PDT up reply actions
So what do we think happened here then?
They felt confident Blevins would clear waivers. They wanted to clear a spot on the 40-man for the future, even though there is no immediate need. They DFA’ed Blevins and he has already cleared waivers, so that’s why he’s playing in Sacto now. But he’s still showing on the 40-man because the 10 days aren’t up yet?
That’s the only scenario I can come up with, except that I thought he was supposed to be off the 40-man roster immediately upon the DFA.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Oh wait, here it is
He did indeed clear waivers.
That says he was outrighted. As I understand it, outrighted means he’s off the 40-man roster. So I think my scenario above is correct and the only problem is that mlb.com forgot to remove his name from the roster when he was DFA’ed.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
FWIW he was listed as being on the 40-man roster when I picked up Wednesday
And it was current as of 5/25.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Give it another month and then I'm with you
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on May 27, 2011 10:36 AM PDT up reply actions
I have a big problem with us letting Barton trying to work out his problems in the bigs
At this point I’d stick Cardenas at 1B and let Barton figure it out at AAA.
I mean the ideas for replacing Barton right now are laughable.
Carter is hurt and hasn’t played 1b or hit recently.
The Brewer’s aren’t going to just give us Fielder nor can we afford an extra 10m in salary
Powell cannot hit better than Barton.
Cardenas has even less power than Barton and has never played the position.
Come on people, don’t be dumb.
You don't need a religion, you have the A's. - My girlfriend
by designatedforassignment on May 27, 2011 12:11 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
The only real option is playing Conor Jackson there.
Which we’ve done for an occasional game here and there, which I think is fine.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I like this a bit more
not counting Leftie/rightie pairings:
Crisp – CF
DeJesus – RF
Matsui/Willingham – DH
Suzuki – C
Jackson – 1B
Weeks – 2B
Cardenas – LF
Pennington – SS
A lower pressure spot in the order for Weeks to start out at theoretically.
Baja been here
That's still a pretty crappy lineup
A different one than we have now, but crappy nonetheless
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions
I know 3B is a black hole and all, but we should have *someone* there
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
I think we can definitely improve the offense
by going to an eight-man lineup. It’ll hurt the defense though.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Jackson
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on May 27, 2011 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions
I remain skeptical.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
Michael Jackson
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions
He pitched until he was like 43
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on May 27, 2011 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions
Younger than Jamie Moyer
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions
So glad that we had him spend like a month getting ready to play there
And have been playing LaRoche there instead
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on May 27, 2011 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions
That said, I do think we'll see more Conor at 3B.
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on May 27, 2011 10:48 AM PDT up reply actions
This:
They’re willing to put Conor Jackson, who’s likely to fail defensively, at 3B, and play LaRoche, who can’t hit RHP very well, and Kouz. who has been a monstrosity, but not Cardenas?
This is where their logic completely breaks down for me. If you’re willing to try out a guy who literally hasn’t played 3B since college, why wouldn’t you be willing to try a guy who’s a minor league 2B/3B, has been playing there recently, has prospect pedigree and is singling pitchers to death in AAA.
It just doesn’t make sense. Something’s afoot.
by sleepingcobra on May 27, 2011 10:05 AM PDT up reply actions
And more to the point:
Why aren’t you, at the very least, having this guy experience the grind at 3B everyday.
Sorry – it’s not the call up that doesn’t make sense – it’s he’s playing left field (splurrrgoink?!) that is so batshit crazy to me.
by sleepingcobra on May 27, 2011 10:09 AM PDT up reply actions
He might look even worse than Jackson in practice
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions
Fair.
But I moved the goal posts. If find it hard to believe that he looks so much like he has cerebral palsy at 3rd that they won’t grind him there in AAA to see if there’s any improvement.
Eric Chavez was a shit defensive prospect coming up.
by sleepingcobra on May 27, 2011 10:12 AM PDT up reply actions
Ya I don't see why he's not being played at 3B every day either
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:15 AM PDT up reply actions
Maybe the A's are trying to move him in a trade to a team
who wants an OF prospect?
It’s all I can really think of.
by sleepingcobra on May 27, 2011 10:17 AM PDT up reply actions
Or a prospect who isn't a defensive liability?
If he actually looks good in left, it’ll raise his trade value, as opposed to looking bad in the IF.
Wait a minute. It’s starting to make sense to me now…
by sleepingcobra on May 27, 2011 10:18 AM PDT up reply actions
Not really. He'll never be better than Sweeney in LF, and Sweeney
isn’t that great either. It makes no sense to me at all.
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:19 AM PDT up reply actions
What would that change about Cardenas' trade value?
by sleepingcobra on May 27, 2011 10:21 AM PDT up reply actions
His max trade value as an OF is something less than Sweeney
His max trade value as a 2B is something along the lines of Todd Walker or Howard Kendrick. That’s a lot higher.
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:22 AM PDT up reply actions
He's blocked at 2B though - so it's a non issue.
by sleepingcobra on May 27, 2011 10:23 AM PDT up reply actions
but not 3B
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
His trade value at 3B isn't worse than in LF
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:25 AM PDT up reply actions
What if he looks worse than Conor Jackson in practice?
by sleepingcobra on May 27, 2011 10:25 AM PDT up reply actions
I think you stick him there anyway
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:26 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't think his trade value really matters based on where a potential trade partner wants to play him
Nobody is going to trade for a guy like Cardenas without having scouted him. They’re going to know what he is and isn’t good at and make their determinations based on that.
He may be blocked at 2B here but not in another system.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
In fact, if anything him playing LF makes him more well-rounded overall
Teams may see that he can play a little infield and a little outfield and like that – if the A’s do see him as a trade piece.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
I don't have a problem with using him as
a utility guy in Oakland to replace LaRoche
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions
This, too, negatively affects his trade value.
by sleepingcobra on May 27, 2011 10:29 AM PDT up reply actions
How?
I wouldn’t expect Cardenas to bring back, say, a top prospect anyway. The more versatile he is, the better. Teams can ALWAYS use a good utility player.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
You're asking why he should replace
LaRoche? I’m saying it’s because he’s no worse than LaRoche defensively except at 3B and because he’s a better hitter. You still have Kouzmanoff to play 3B
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:32 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm not asking if or why he should replace LaRoche
He should. At least Cardenas could have a future in the majors. LaRoche is what he is.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Because he won't hit .360 as a utility guy in the majors?
There’s a car salesman aspect to prospects. Teams are all trying to fuck eachother over to some degree. A .360-hitting starting LFer just feels better than a .270-hitting utility guy.
And if you say, “teams aren’t stupid. that shit doesn’t work” – I give you Vernon Wells.
by sleepingcobra on May 27, 2011 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't want Vernon Wells
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:35 AM PDT up reply actions
No, but a young, .360-hitting AAA LF/2B
Has more trade value than light hitting MLB utility guy who can’t even be trusted to play 3B in AAA.
It’s all about the packaging. You follow?
by sleepingcobra on May 27, 2011 10:38 AM PDT up reply actions
All I'm trying to do
Is find a reason the front office is playing him in LF. We basically have two options.
1) His trade value is highest there for whatever reason.
2) They are batshit insane and are putting players at random positions just to fuck with everyone on AN.
by sleepingcobra on May 27, 2011 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions
2 would actually be really funny if it were true.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
The biggest problem is they have too many infielders and not enough positions for them
Last of the Ninth - Photography
More like they have too many 2B
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:33 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, this
Really, Weeks/Sogard/Cardenas/Tolleson are all probably best at 2B.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
It's weird that he's adequate at 2B but
so horrendous at 3B that they’d move him to LF
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 12:53 PM PDT up reply actions
But he doesn't hit well enough to be a LF
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
Not a starting one anyway
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 12:54 PM PDT up reply actions
I figured it out, Nico.
They’re raising his trade value. If he looks good in LF and is hitting .360, he’s more valuable than if he look bad at 2B/3B and is hitting .360.
Cardenas is going to get moved in a deal.
by sleepingcobra on May 27, 2011 10:20 AM PDT up reply actions
He didn't look bad at 2B. Just not as good as Weeks.
I don’t see why they didn’t play him at 2B when Weeks was out and position him as the next Howard Kendrick
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:22 AM PDT up reply actions
FWIW, at least we can take solace knowing that Edwin Encaracian has been worse then everyone we're talking about
He’s hitting 237/262/324 in Toronto with -7.9 defensive runs so far in only 36 games, good for -1.1 WAR already.
"Juuuuust a bit outside" - Harry Doyle
Regarding leaving Anderson in for the ninth...
Spitballing: The Classic Second Guess by Jeremy Greenhouse at BP, just published today
Given the difference between Anderson and Balfour I’m inclined to think that leaving in Anderson may have still been the better decision by the numbers, despite the fact that it is, according to the article, almost always smarter to put your closer in. Of course, this ignores the message that could be sent, as well as some other details.
Really I just wanted to link this article because of its relevance to today.
"Juuuuust a bit outside" - Harry Doyle
Two assumptions in the article
The first assumes a quality reliever like Rivera or Valverde replacing second-tier pitchers like Colon and Porcello. The second operates solely from percentages, which indicate that a reliever gives up .35 runs in that last half-inning, and the starter .45 runs - but that includes ALL pitchers, both good and bad starters, and good and bad relievers.
In this case you’d have to look at Anderson and Balfour, knowing that Balfour hasn’t pitched all that well lately and that Anderson was on a roll.
Except Balfour had pitched extremely well lately
Unless “lately” is defined as “his last outing.”
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Yeah, that's what I meant
And now it’s the last two outings.
Brett Anderson just tweeted the best response to this
http://twitter.com/BrettAnderson49/status/73890679239086080
Winning is like…better than losing.
It feels out there. I mean, it's a major rush. I mean, it feels radical in kind of a tubular sort of way, but most of all, it feels out there.
by AsFan72 on May 26, 2011 4:31 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
I have to laugh at Balfour's first appearance since the hullabaloo
being in a non-save situation. Not that I’m disagreeing with the move, just that it’s funny. “So that’s what it means that Balfour’s now the closer!”
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 think Bob Geren must have read Fuentes' contract. We don't have closers, just a pitcher who ends
the game.
by theblackpearl on May 26, 2011 4:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Shouldn't Fuentes have been brought in to face Branyan?
The knock on Branyan over his career is that he has really struggled against LHP.
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
Geren would have had to been warming up Fuentes in advance of the homer,
in anticipation of Balfour doing something bad, which is something managers don’t like to do, because it shows up the closer a little bit.
"Bob Geren DOES communicate!
He just can’t help that no one else understands the language of the pheromones his fingers give off"- ChickenStanley
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 26, 2011 4:38 PM PDT up reply actions
He's not the closer!
The closer will be back next week.
by Glorious Mundy on May 26, 2011 4:39 PM PDT up reply actions
They could have claimed a vocal cord injury from swearing after the homer?
Last of the Ninth - Photography
heh
"Bob Geren DOES communicate!
He just can’t help that no one else understands the language of the pheromones his fingers give off"- ChickenStanley
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 26, 2011 7:10 PM PDT up reply actions
We don't have closers.
Bobo can bring in any pitcher in any situation. He said so hisself
Hell no, Nico must go!
If Balfour is the "closer" then he should have not been in the game. It should have been Anderson or Wuertz/Devine with Balfour warming up, but this is BOBO we're talking about
"The A's leave 2 men on and fail to score." - Anyone broadcasting an A's game.
Bailey's back this weekend so all this nonsense can end already.
But we really need to be using Devine more.
I don't want to pitch him 2 days straight for another week.
Make sure he’s getting rest since he’s probably the next arm that Geren tries breaking (along with Bailey’s)
if you are talking about devine then
he already pitched back to back games…
by heartstopper on May 26, 2011 7:58 PM PDT up reply actions
If saves were not an official stat, would we still have closers?
I bet we’d see considerably different use of the bullpen by most managers.
somebody please explain to me the hypocrisy of giants fans. when schierholtz crushed the chinese catcher i heard nothing about illegal plays. when it happens to pretty boy posey, the rules should be changed. f*ck the giants.
the artist formerly known as inbillywetrust
cry babies
Ford went in hard at Suzuki and kicked the ball out of the glove and it was OK so it is more double standards.
except suz dropped it without getting hit
by heartstopper on May 26, 2011 7:58 PM PDT up reply actions
and Ford isn't Shierholtz. I know what you're referring to.
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on May 27, 2011 9:27 AM PDT up reply actions
It's simple
Posey was injured. If Posey wasn’t injured, it would have been forgotten.
If posey would have been in position on the balls of his feet
instead of the tops of his feet on the ground, we would not be talking about it either.
Put a bird on it
and what about ford hit zooks on saturday? oh yeah. nobody was hurt so it was forgotten. f9ck the gints.
the artist formerly known as inbillywetrust
Nothing wrong with it
If a catcher gets in front of the plate they should expect contact. Cousin did nothing wrong in hitting Posey just like nothing wrong in Ford kicking the ball out of Suzuki’s mit. If Posey was blocking correctly he would not have gotten hurt.
I agree on posey
I agree that Giants fans shouldn’t complain about cousins. I think the ford thing does not really rise to the same level.
Put a bird on it
sorry, sunday. no it doesn't. the coach of the giants was an mlb catcher. until 10:45pm yesterday, where was his rule, editorial, proposed rule change, argument? nowhere? exactly. stfu.
the artist formerly known as inbillywetrust
hypocrites. they're new to baseball. i get their confusion.
the artist formerly known as inbillywetrust
I have a Giants fan friend, he hasn't been an ass
I was talking to him about it, being rather callous as I hadn’t seen the play. He said “it’s part of baseball, don’t change the rules”.
Then I saw the play and I feel like the batter left the baseline to hit Posey and maybe the rules could use some tweaking.
I’m sure there are a lot of new Giants fans (with brand new World Series Champions hats) who are being asses, but not all of them.
I have another Giants fan friend who used to be a catcher. I’ll have to ask him what he thinks when I next meet him.
Ralph Barberi
The KNBR host was making a as of himself yesterday. I was driving home yesterday and wanted to hear the scor eof the giants game and on came Ralph claiming that Cousins had enough room to go around the plate. Wrong even from the picture of the collision you can see if he went around it would have been a easy out. That is the problem who owns home plate. Its part of the game.
Fosse
basically said the same thing, saying that Cousins had a piece of the plate that he could have slid for.
Of course, given Fosse’s experence he never ever likes seeing a catcher get hit at the plate. And because of Fosse’s experience I tend to agree. Runners should try to avoid the catcher, but whether they should change the rules or not, I don’t really think they should.
Imagine if they had a rule where contact would cause an out, the Kendall’s of the world would do everything they could to get a interference call, instead of trying to make a tag.
by Oaktown Shutout on May 27, 2011 8:25 AM PDT up reply actions
To me
There isn’t much you can do as long as catchers are allowed to block off access to the plate – the runner has to have the ability to get there. The other thing is – even if he could have somehow slid around to get to the plate – we only see that on reviews after the play, how would the runner see that as he’s running at full speed to score and just sees a catcher in full gear in front of the plate? For me the only way to change the rule would be a rule that if the catcher is blocking off the plate then its automatic interference and the run scores.
Also, why not the same discussion of changing rule of sliding hard to break up a double play after the Twins 2b broke his leg. Both are really unfortunate but hard to fully take away that risk, in my opinion.
by longtimeasfan on May 27, 2011 10:02 AM PDT up reply actions
the runner sets the baseline
and only goes out of it when they are avoiding a tag.
I get your poitn, but disagree
Put a bird on it
i agree with FutureEd
the runner was in the baseline and touched the plate even as he crushed posey. watch the runner’s right leg…it’s right on the line.
the runner also didn’t know if posey had caught the ball or not. he has to hit the catcher or risk being tagged. as the 25th man on the roster, he can’t lazy his way out of that one. he’s gotta score at all cost there.
the artist formerly known as inbillywetrust
You are off base there, no rules need tweaking, its entirely Posey's fault.
I feel like the batter left the baseline to hit Posey and maybe the rules could use some tweaking.
That’s entirely untrue. Here, read this excellent piece on the play.
Look at the left bottom pic there
He clearly leaves his path down the line to the plate and goes right to Posey, who sits 2 or 3 foot besides the plate (from the runners perspective)
I have no problems in general with hitting the catcher if he blocks the plate. But if he has a path to the plate, go there as fast as possible and thats it.
Don’t like this one. No matter the name or team of the catcher.
i disagree. the runner's feet are on the baseline. and he touched the plate after hitting posey. i disagree.
the artist formerly known as inbillywetrust
by after hitting posey, i mean that as the runner is falling down his leg sweeps the plate. cousins didn't do anything wrong.
the artist formerly known as inbillywetrust
also if you watch it posey is moving to the baseline to block the runners
“clear lane.” If he were to slide and Posey held on, it is reasonalble for the runner to conclude that his “open” lane would be closed by the time the runner reaches that point.
And Posey should be on the balls of his feet to avoid breaking his leg and tearing ligaments.
Put a bird on it
this is the same as every other one
just people don’t regularly get hurt because they are in position to get hit
Put a bird on it
Even if Ford had taken out Suzuki, broken Zook's leg and torn three ligaments
It wouldn’t be seen as the same level of calamity for fans of the A’s as losing Posey is for fans of the Gnats. That’s not really hypocrisy, you know- it’s a rational evaluation of the situation.
It’s a fact that Posey is a budding star. Sunday, Fosse was saying on air that the Gnats need to move him to another position, because he’s too good a hitter to take a chance on shortening his career by having him behind the plate. (Funny how that worked out). Suzuki is what he is. A good catcher. Not a good enough hitter that he needs to come out from behind the plate.
In the Wednesday game thread, one of us called Posey a puss who overreacted. Broken leg, three torn ligaments and he’s a puss??? But he’s a Gnat, so we hate him, his fans and the whole team.
I don’t see it that way. I hate Neukom, because he’s making it difficult for the a’s to move to SJ. I hate Wolff, because he doesn’t see enough corporate money in Oakland to want to build a stadium there. I hate the City and County because they’ve screwed the A’s over in favor of the Raiders.
But I don’t hate Buster Posey. I wish we had him, I’m jealous, that’s all.
As far as changing the rules, not so hard. Just make it consistent with the play at the other bases, which was changed so that if a baserunner clearly leaves the basepath in order to try to take out the fielder, he’s out.
Even if that is the rule, though, losing a run doesn’t compare to losing a player for a couple of months at best.
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on May 27, 2011 9:15 AM PDT up reply actions
joe torre was on espn radio today and said that no rule change is necessary. and i suppose this is part of his jurisdiction in his new mlb role?
the artist formerly known as inbillywetrust
He's also a former catcher
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:06 AM PDT up reply actions
You hate Wolff because he doesn't hallucinate?
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Pretty much. I don't actually hate Lew. Actually I more hate the East Bay business community for being unwilling to make any kind of corporate commitment in the range of the South Bay...
Heat of the moment writing = bad writing.
It’s not like there are none: Safeway, Clorox, Pixar, Genentech, Chevron et al are not big boys a la Silicon Valley, but there is money there.
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on May 27, 2011 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions
I wrote that stupid comment about Posey, and do not believe it to be true.
Heat of the moment yadda yadda, but I have seen way worse injuries, it just didnt look as bad as people were talking about being. But it was. I wish Posey no ill will, nor do I ever wish injuries to players. I hate the Giants and want them to finish in last place, always. But ideally it would be due to underperformance, not injury.
I too wish we had Posey, Lincecum, Cain and Belt, I’m jealous we do not. But what I wrote crossed a line and I apologized for doing so. Please do not quote me on that.
I didn't see where you had apologized, for one.
Two, I went out of my way not to specifically quote you.
Not calling you out, just saying that we (note use of we, not you) have crossed over a line in regard to our hatred of the Gnats in general. . ..
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on May 27, 2011 2:33 PM PDT up reply actions
The giant's fans haven't been bad
really, cherry pick a few that whine, but I think the most of them understand how the game goes.
Its annoying
If this were rod barajas or chris snyder, the media wouldnt bat an eye. But since it happened to a budding superstar, all the rules need to be changed. Its kinda like what has happened to QBs in the NFL. Brady got hurt and missed a year, and now no one can touch a QB w/o getting flagged.
Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel. - Yogi Berra
by SoCal As Fan on May 27, 2011 8:44 AM PDT up reply actions
Brutal tweet from Jane Lee
JaneMLB Jane Lee
Laugh along when everyone else is laughing at you, right Bob Geren? http://bit.ly/7LLQPB
Sweeney's pretty candid there...
"It’s not like it was a surprise. Everybody saw it on TV I think. It might have been a little awkward in here, but I think everyone is trying to move past it and try to play baseball and have fun."
That’s it, then?
"There was other stuff," he admitted, "but I’m not gonna say what it was."
wow. OTHER stuff ???
Rosales
What is the status on Adam Rosales? Didn’t he fill in at third last year?
No
He is probably about LaRoche’s level. In my opinoon, I think people really overrate him because he “hustles” and is “gritty”, but I would not want us to count on him for anything more than just being a utility infielder. People, not necessarily you, but in general on here talking like he’s the savior while calling for Barton to be DFA’d is just absolutely baffling to me – but of course he’ll come back struggle and within a couple weeks people will call for him to be DFA’d as well.
by longtimeasfan on May 27, 2011 10:09 AM PDT up reply actions
I wouldn't mind DFAing the whole offense.
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:11 AM PDT up reply actions
Barton has options
He also looks dead in the water at the plate. His low BABIP indicates that he’s not quite as bad as he seems, but at the same time, watching every day, he’s also not hitting the ball with much authority even counting the bad luck.
The only thing he can do is walk, and given the rest of the line-up, all that really means is another LOB statistic at the end of the day.
What I've seen he has been making some good contact
Not all of the time of course – but there seem to be at least an ab or two a game where he has hit the ball pretty hard and rgiht at somebody. Just my opinion – but that’s why I think he’s been fairly unlucky. At the same time, he does have to improve – I’m just not sure that going down to AAA to work it out is the answer. I would rather see him moved down in the order some.
by longtimeasfan on May 27, 2011 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions
The sad thing is I don't see anyone who's any better than him to bat 2nd
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:36 AM PDT up reply actions
True
Maybe Sweeney when he’s in. DeJesus if he picks up his production a bit – has had some decent signs of coming around – still hard to know though.
by longtimeasfan on May 27, 2011 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't see any problem with switching DeJesus and Barton in the lineup right now
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on May 27, 2011 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions
No, but it also wouldn't have much impact either
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions
(shrug)
You asked.
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on May 27, 2011 10:48 AM PDT up reply actions
And you answered.
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions
Recovering from a broken ankle. Just got cleared for baseball activities and is months away from being ready.
You don't need a religion, you have the A's. - My girlfriend
by designatedforassignment on May 26, 2011 7:38 PM PDT up reply actions
why? he's not really that much better than anybody playing for the a's today.
the artist formerly known as inbillywetrust
this
You don't need a religion, you have the A's. - My girlfriend
by designatedforassignment on May 26, 2011 11:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Jeez
That John Cook guy just sent another invite for the CT show thing on June 1. That’s three this afternoon alone.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Taylor's already 2-for-2 tonight
RBI single down the RF line in the first, 2-run homer to right-center in the second.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Michael Taylor is now 2-2 with a HR and 3 Rbis
Hopefully he has gotten his rhythm going
He hit that HR RIGHT after I thought:
“Geez, he’s not really hitting for power so far….” I guess he heard me. Although I don’t really care if he’s only hitting singles so far. If he can keep consistent production and get back on track, I’ll be ecstatic.
is he dropping his back elbow still?
You don't need a religion, you have the A's. - My girlfriend
by designatedforassignment on May 26, 2011 8:12 PM PDT up reply actions
I wasn't looking for it
I’m planning to be there on June 1 so I’ll see if I can get a video of one of his ABs.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
He just lined another RBI single to LF
I’m watching on MILB.tv and I’m not seeing much movement in him before the swing. Maybe he did correct it.
I’ll still see what I can get next week.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
thanks!
You don't need a religion, you have the A's. - My girlfriend
by designatedforassignment on May 26, 2011 11:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Meh
He’s not walking, not hitting for power, and his BABIP is .484.
Just a shiny batting average and really nothing else, not counting today’s game.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
by Helloooo 1st on May 26, 2011 8:16 PM PDT up reply actions
this.
The homerun is really good and will start to get me hopeful, but so far his peripherals are worse than last year…
"Life is a horizontal fall" -Jean Cocteau
by King Richard on May 26, 2011 8:27 PM PDT up reply actions
Wrist injuries sap your power though.
You don't need a religion, you have the A's. - My girlfriend
by designatedforassignment on May 26, 2011 11:36 PM PDT up reply actions
good point.
"Life is a horizontal fall" -Jean Cocteau
by King Richard on May 27, 2011 2:32 AM PDT up reply actions
True, but it doesn't matter right now
He needs to get comfortable and get back on track after a disappointing season last year and a couple of injuries. Power will come later. He might not hit 20 HRs anymore, but hopefully his power will be passable.
I agree with this in that him having a very high BABIP may not be indicative of future success stat-wise,
but it may help him relax and “feel” like he’s doing well, which seems to have been his huge problem in the past year and a half… So then maybe the superficial success will enable him to recover his hitting abilities.
"Life is a horizontal fall" -Jean Cocteau
by King Richard on May 26, 2011 8:33 PM PDT up reply actions
He's already got 7 multi-hit games in his first 12 games back, so that's nice to see so far
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Definitely.
Also you just inspired me to get milb.tv, so I’m now watching too.
"Life is a horizontal fall" -Jean Cocteau
by King Richard on May 26, 2011 8:38 PM PDT up reply actions
Well the problem is that its just a SSS
With the singles and homerun tonight, his slugging jumped just under 100 points.
right, anytime your BABIP is around .500 it's gotta be a small sample size...
But my hope is that him being on a “hot streak” will give him enough confidence that maybe his peripherals will improve (HR tonight is a good start).
"Life is a horizontal fall" -Jean Cocteau
by King Richard on May 26, 2011 8:49 PM PDT up reply actions
This is a misconception. Batters in the low minors should put up high BABIP
because they are hitting the snot out of the ball. Basically in the MLB you don’t face as much shitty competition that you do when your facing AA flame outs so your not getting prime cut 88 mph fastballs to destroy, so there is more of a component of luck involved in varying BABIP from an established baseline for a hitter. In the minors you want a high BABIP, but not an astronomical one, but they usually don’t carry over into the bigs.
You don't need a religion, you have the A's. - My girlfriend
by designatedforassignment on May 27, 2011 12:21 PM PDT up reply actions
OMG YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN JOSE BAUTISTA THEN
oh. Right. His balls in play don’t fucking land in play.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
well, depends on the Floating point implementation
X / 0 is
+Inf if X > 0
-Inf if X < 0
NaN if X == 0 (Not a Number)
That Was Close
Balfour almost blew it; every since he was promoted to the role of closer he’s been struggling. Good game by LaRoche, and an excellent outing by Anderson. He pitched really well and deserved the win.
Hopefully we can go and win in Baltimore to prepare for the series against NYY!
Hopefully not, since the games are scheduled for here. I think we'd get hit with a forfeit if we went there.
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on May 27, 2011 9:18 AM PDT up reply actions
Will the 2010 Daric Barton please stand up...
I’m about ready to ship him back to Sactown and call up Carter to play 1B
Are you (AN) fed up with Daric Barton? What seems to be the problem?
Every man for himself...
Totally fed up with Barton
The problem is that he’s apparently the successor to Jack Cust in that he’s good but people are going to whine when he’s in a slump.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
He's good but not great
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:08 AM PDT up reply actions
And with our current roster
Good is not something we should be complaining about because he really don’t have any position players that can be labeled as “great” and there is nobody at the 1B position in the minors who can be labeled as “great” either.
by longtimeasfan on May 27, 2011 10:12 AM PDT up reply actions
Carter could be great
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:14 AM PDT up reply actions
His chances at stardom are a lot higher than Barton's
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:24 AM PDT up reply actions
Barton's 2009 and 2011 tell me he's not low risk either
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:29 AM PDT up reply actions
but hes actually put up a 5 WAR season in the bigs, which is hugely more indicitive of potential 5 WAR seasons than anything carter has done.
You don't need a religion, you have the A's. - My girlfriend
by designatedforassignment on May 27, 2011 12:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Unless it was fueled by otherworldly defense like Sweeney's 4 WAR year
Neither will ever be a star
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 12:30 PM PDT up reply actions
Which it wasn't.
127 WRC+ and 12 UZR compared to 100 WRC and +20 UZR.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
i don't know how to do the math, but its not clear that carter is so much better a hitter that it makes up for his woeful defense.
the artist formerly known as inbillywetrust
Yes, Carter's defense is terrible. It's possible...maybe
even probable, that he’s going to be a DH from beginning to end
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 12:48 PM PDT up reply actions
Then we're back to Carter DH and Barton 1B?
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 1:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Probably easier for some people to accept if Carter's at least hitting 30+ HR a year...
…and Barton’s maybe between 5-10.
But it’ll help if Barton gets back to 2010 at the plate, too.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Barton better get going if he's going to hit 5 HR
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 1:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Right so it was a combination of great defense and a MLB-leading
16.0% BB%. It’s not hard to see why Barton is seeing more strikes this year. To me, he projects like a 3-3.5 WAR player. It’s good, but unless he starts hitting for power I can’t see him repeating a 5 WAR season.
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions
59.4% of the pitches he's seen this year have been strikes (554/932)
Over the rest of his career? 57.9% (3628/6264)
Not really anything major there.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
56.7% in 2010. I'm not sure whether that's a big
difference or not. Also his Z-Contact% is down from 90.2% to 88.4%….and it’s no surprise then that his K% is up a little and his BB% is down a little. The bigger problem is the BABIP as everyone already seems to know.
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 1:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Yah.
and I’m not sure how much of a difference there needs to be in those numbers for it to be significant.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
that would be 08 and 11
he had a 413OBP in 2009 (50+games)
by heartstopper on May 27, 2011 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions
Hes hit like shit in two years of AAA... hardly likely.
You don't need a religion, you have the A's. - My girlfriend
by designatedforassignment on May 27, 2011 12:22 PM PDT up reply actions
PECOTA and I disagree with you on the importance of his superficial AAA numbers
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 12:36 PM PDT up reply actions
PECOTA
I did some research a couple of years ago on PECOTA’s accuracy rate, which wasn’t bad in the majors but wasn’t very good when it came to how minor leaguers would perform once they hit the majors. Unless they’ve updated their methodology, I wouldn’t trust those figures.
They did revise it a couple of years ago to increase the difference between
AAA and the majors, especially for older players. When did you do your research?
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 12:51 PM PDT up reply actions
His slump has lasted for almost two months now
How long do you keep dead weight on the roster? And, frankly, as opposed to Jack Cust, he has no power.
I think you keep him there till Carter is ready to come up at least
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:18 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't think he's helping anybody right now
So I’d send him down and use Jackson while Barton figured things out. At the least, I’d start playing Sweeney every day (he has a OBP of over .400) and put him in the #2 slot, and if Barton plays, bat him #8.
Then I’d put Willingham at DH and DFA Matsui. But that’s just me.
How long do you let Ellis have a .514 OPS? How long do you let Matsui have a .634 OPS as a DH?
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
Ellis is streaky
He hit over .400 last September. He really does deserve a longer look than Barton. Plus he plays great defense. Matsui: He’s no help to the club at all.
Ellis' great defense isn't even making up for how bad he's hitting.
and he’s in the last year of his contract and won’t be back.
and, probably most importantly, he’s got no upside left. Barton does. and there is a top prospect waiting to be called up to replace Ellis. The top 1B prospect in our system can’t play defense and has a hurt thumb.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
this
I’m a big Ellis fan based on his career – and I understand that he’s certainly not the biggest problem on this team – but I am ready to see what Weeks can do – before he gets injured again down in Sac.
by longtimeasfan on May 27, 2011 10:37 AM PDT up reply actions
Ellis's upside
We know from the past that Ellis is a much better hitter in the second half. I can see him being DFA’d, going to another team, hitting .300 and playing sterling defense the rest of the way.
If Barton went to another team, he’d be sent down to AAA.
I think Barton should go to AAA to figure things out. At that point, you bring up Weeks, keep Ellis around, and see if Weeks can do the job. If he can, then you DFA Ellis. (Of course, a week later,, Weeks will break an arm bone and be done for the season, but that can’t be helped).
34 year olds who have a career .730 OPS do not have upside.
It’s far more likely that he’s done as a hitter than it is he hits .300
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
By far, the best month Ellis has had in his career is September
Think about part of why that may be for a moment.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
September callups + his birthday month (June)
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
Then keep Ellis through June and see what happens
If the season were over and there was no shot at winning the division, then it would be time to jettison Ellis because this is his last year with the team (unless Cardenas is traded and Weeks turns into a pumpkin).
But for now, with the possibility of one more turnaround, I think it’s too soon to throw Ellis to the wolves. Maybe that’s sentiment at work here, but it’s also true that with Geren tolerating sloppiness and bad play, someone with Ellis’s approach does add something to the team that goes beyond his batting average and defensive play. Also, of course, if Weeks is brought up, he can work directly with Weeks as a player/coach.
No point in believing first-half second-half stuff; it's just an arbitrary cutoff
He either sucks now, or he doesn’t.
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on May 27, 2011 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions
The exact cutoff may be arbitrary but the distinction is not.
I can think of two significant ways in which first half differs from second half.
One, the weather is generally hotter in the second half, so the ball moves differently. If a hitter’s skills are such that they benefit from warm weather more than the average hitter’s does, he could consistently be better in the second half.
Two, most hitters and most pitchers are more worn out later in the year. If a hitter’s skills are such that they benefit from worn-vs-worn better than they do fresh-vs-fresh, he could consistently be better in the second half.
This would be pretty straightforward to test. I don’t think we have a large enough sample to draw conclusions about Ellis specifically, but we can look at all of baseball to see whether players’ first-half and second-half record are significant predictors of future performance separate from just overall record.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I'm ready to jettison Ellis and bring up Weeks and put Willingham at DH
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:30 AM PDT up reply actions
This
WC, I’ll be the field manager and you can be the GM. Deal?
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on May 27, 2011 10:40 AM PDT up reply actions
Fire Cup now!
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:41 AM PDT up reply actions
I'll need you to stand up at my wedding
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on May 27, 2011 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions
Yikes! Then I'll be BMW
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions
Not a bad acronym
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on May 27, 2011 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions
You know what sucks?
We are pretty much stuck with this team. I can only hope we trade our crap for Wilson Betemit to play 3B when Moose gets called up, thats like the only move I see happening….but it might be the only one we need to make, other than sending Barton down for a couple of weeks.
Tell me again why we want Wilson Betemit
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on May 27, 2011 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions
He's better than Kouz+Laroche, available for cheap
and he’s hitting well currently. But that’s it. He’s no long term solution.
I'd rather have Jackson move there full time
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
This
Jackson is free.
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
by cuppingmaster on May 27, 2011 11:45 AM PDT up reply actions
I want him for his Nashian limerick potential
A zookeeper named Wilson Betemit
Fed the carnivores tofu instead o’ meat.
This habit intriguin’
Owed to being a vegan:
"Other animals I simply won’t let ’em eat."
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I love this.
There was also a wordupthome joke about an asian player named sun betting his mitt and someone asks “Will Sun bet a mitt?” and then Betemit shows up and says “huh?”.
He's still young and I in no way want to give up on him
But going to AAA and beating the living hell out of some pitches is going to give him confidence and is the best thing we can do right now.
I'm terrified of the idea of trading Barton...
He seems the perfect candidate to go somewhere else, maybe get a minor tweak from a better coach, and then go absolutely nuts and erupt into the hitter he always seems on the verge of becoming.
by AsFan72 on May 27, 2011 10:42 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Bruce Bochte?
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions
Just a guess that pitchers have adjusted to him
Barton can’t play lawyer ball like he did last year because pitchers are throwing him more strikes. So now he has to learn how to swing a bat instead of waiting for a base on balls. Maybe he can learn, but maybe not. If he shows up in the two slot again at all this year, Billy Beane needs to have a brain transplant.
I don’t know the numbers, but it seems that Barton is looking at a lot of called third strikes this year. Plus he’s slow so even if he gets on base, he’s a DP waiting to happen and a double won’t bring him home. He’s not a #2 hitter. DeJesus, on the other hand, is hitting well now and has fast feet. That’s a nice spot for him.
by rovingralph on May 27, 2011 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions
False.
He’s swinging at more pitches so far this year, and he’s making contact more — especially with pitches outside the strike zone (that’s the O-Contact%)
So, basically he’s doing exactly what everybody bitched about. He’s being more aggressive and swinging the bat more.
I’ll take the more patient version back from last year, thanks.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
by mikev on May 27, 2011 10:51 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Won't matter.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
It also looks like pitchers are throwing him more strikes. Patience might not be an option now.
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 11:01 AM PDT up reply actions
Which goes back to the comment about pitchers adjusting to lawyerball
Either it’s true or it isn’t.
Solid Performing Reliever For 2B as bad as the one we've got. Nice.
by AsFan72 on May 27, 2011 1:33 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
And off he goes to AAA
and Bobby Cramer gets called up.
Translation: Cramer available for Outman/Moscoso implosion if and when it happens which is a good idea
Roster Shakeup
Similar to the Giambi/Mabry trade a long, long time ago. LOOKOUT!
I can’t make any sense of this trade.
by Colorado Fan on May 27, 2011 1:46 PM PDT up reply actions
It's clear that Purcey's been a cancer in the clubhouse
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 1:58 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't see the point of this either unless there are a lot more moves to come
We’ve now got 5 2B in AAA — Sizemore, Sogard, Tolleson, Weeks and Cardenas
I vibrated with joy that join A's. -- Kim Seong-min
by WaddellCanseco on May 27, 2011 1:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Yet another 2nd baseman with no experience at SS, that’s hitting just as bad or worse than every single MLB/AAA player. The only upside is his high walk rate, which is negated by his 30% K rate… They couldn’t even bother to get a bad 3B, instead?
I had no clue who had been traded for a little while.
The reporter was holding his tongue with his fingers when he talked.
by LoneStranger on May 27, 2011 2:12 PM PDT up reply actions
This is clearly because Purcey was in that picture with Fuentes
that Brett Anderson tweeted. Beane’s picking them off, one by one, for showing solidarity with Fuentes.
Say bye to BA and Gio now, too…
/snark
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