The Kendall Dilemma
The A’s had a very impressive weekend against the Giants despite the loss to Matt Morris yesterday. And their starting pitching continues to simply remain the best in all of baseball, statistically speaking. The A’s starters are the only staff in baseball with an ERA under 3 at 2.71 and the lowest batting average against at .225. The closest to them in terms of ERA is, surprise, surprise, the Angels at 3.37.
I would say that the credit deserves to be spread around from the pitchers themselves to Curt Young to Billy Beane and yes, to Jason Kendall as well. Kendall has been quite the offensive albatross on the A’s for the last three years, albeit not nearly as big as he’s been so far this year. Yeah, he had a miserable beginning to his A’s career in 05, but once May hit, Kendall did at least get his OBP up above .300. He’s yet to come close to a .300 OBP in either April or May this season. And really, that’s all Kendall has left to contribute offensively is his OBP. At least Geren has had the cojones to put Kendall in the ninth spot in the lineup more often than not this year, but that basically has pretty much made the A’s a National League team with about as much production out of that spot as many NL pitchers provide.
It can be argued that the A’s starting pitching would likely be doing what they’re doing regardless of whether or not Kendall was behind the dish, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he does call a solid game and has been a big part of the starting pitching renaissance this year. But I’ve been wondering, especially since so many younger players have already broken into the green and gold so far this year, how long will it be before the A’s call up Kurt Suzuki?
Suzuki is having a fine year at Sacramento. He started out a little slow, but in May, he’s been batting over .300 for the Rivercats with an .804 OPS.
I’m not suggesting that the A’s replace Kendall right now because I honestly think Kendall will turn it around and start to hit better. Not only that, but the A’s theoretically might need the catching position available once Piazza returns from injury given the way Cust has hit as the A’s DH so far. And from what I’ve heard from a few different people, Cust is miserably bad defensively and will hurt you in the field. I don’t really want to see Piazza behind the dish and it wasn’t really what Mike signed with the A’s for, but things change and players have to be flexible. And the A’s could really use Cust, Piazza and Dan Johnson all in the lineup. And when Kotsay comes back, the A’s will essentially have too many players for a few spots, in particular the DH spot. Maybe you platoon Cust and Piazza, but I also don’t really like that idea either. It becomes quite a quandary.
If the A’s were to call up Suzuki now, it could just wind up being a bigger issue down the road with shuffling players, especially if Suzuki performs immediately. But I do believe that the A’s will be going with Suzuki as their new catcher in 2008 as Kendall’s contract is finally up after this year, so it would be in their best interest to get Suzuki some experience catching some of the pitchers and seeing some of the AL pitchers. That being said, the time isn’t right yet for the A’s to get young Kurt up with the A’s. Give him more time at Triple-A.
Ultimately, there isn’t much that the A’s can do about Kendall. He’s a smart player who has been a master of getting on base in the past, but that hasn’t held true in the beginning of 2007. He always seems to be in the middle of amazing moments with the A’s with the head first tag and the interference calls to end games. But Kendall’s time should be short with the A’s, despite his pleas to be with the A’s until he hangs up his cleats. It’s just a matter of when. I would argue for something more immediate if there was a solution, but since there isn’t, Kendall will continue to be the guy behind the dish for a while longer, like it or not.
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The Team Needs Offense and Stronger Pen
.. the Angels have started scoring a lot of runs - they have gotten hot at the worst possible time, when we are really banged up and depleted. The A's need to: (1) beef up the offense as much as possible; and (2) fix the pen which has been horrible. Kendall used to be a favorite of mine but this year he is contributing absolutely nothing on offense. Salary or not, he will have to go if he doesn't turn it around - unless the A's don't wish to compete this year. :(
by Randy Bell on
May 21, 2007 8:38 AM PDT
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Kendall gets a chance till Piazza comes back.
Then if his OBP is still under .300 (it's .234 now) then he should become the backup catcher to Piazza. Cust becomes the full time DH.
Melhuse should go to AAA till Sept. Whoever's healthy of Swisher, Kotsay, Bradley, Kielty, Snelling, Buck, and Stewart should play OF.
by WaddellCanseco on
May 21, 2007 8:39 AM PDT
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Melhuse
Should catch more until Piazza comes back. When he played on Thursday he made no errs, was walked once and got two singles. Melhuse should be in the line up once a week despite Kendall's insecurities. Put him with Blanton. Blanton seems the least shakable in the rotation. Honestly, the A's lose practically nothing with Melhuse behind the dish and gain someone who can throw a runner out AND hit with some regularity.
by mlleaimee on
May 21, 2007 12:44 PM PDT
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Couldn't agree more
Can't understand the blind insistence on playing Kendall game after game. If that mythical "game calling" is so difficult that only Kendall can do it, have him talk to Melhuse between innings. Plenty of managers call games from the bench. It's not like the pitcher is just going to stand on the mound dumbfounded and unable to function without Kendall.
by kkdaz on
May 21, 2007 2:37 PM PDT
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The Only Thing Kendall Has Over Melhuse Is
He can sure take a punch. Oh, and get hit by pitches.
by mlleaimee on
May 21, 2007 3:18 PM PDT
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I really don't believe ...
that we go into next year starting a catcher with zero or near zero (say a September call-up) big league experience.
If Zooks isn't up in the next month or so, expect him to start 2008 as a backup.
Catcher is completely and fundamentally different from every other position on the diamond. It's about so much more than how much talent and physical ability you have.
I have no doubt that Zooks can catch the ball, throw the ball and hit the ball better than Jason Kendal ... but is he a better catcher than the rugged one? I can't say for sure, but I doubt it. If Kendall is really gone after this year, I would very much like to see Zooks up ASAP, splitting time and getting about 30-40% of the starts so he can learn the craft of catching from Kendall ...
by devo on
May 21, 2007 8:41 AM PDT
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that's an awful nickname
if that's really what people are going to be calling him
by fadedash on
May 21, 2007 8:51 AM PDT
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As I understand it, that is what his teammates
actually call him.
by devo on
May 21, 2007 9:30 AM PDT
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double check your suzuki stats
minorleaguesplits.com shows him hitting .290 after 138 ABs.
minorleaguebaseball.com has him at .268 after 149 ABs.
so i don't think he's hitting over .300 in May anymore.
by fadedash on
May 21, 2007 8:49 AM PDT
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Um
click on the link I have for Suzuki's stats. It's from minor league splits and it has him hitting .302 in May.
by Blez on
May 21, 2007 9:22 AM PDT
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um, re-read what i wrote
Look at the overall stats on that same link you have. It has Suzuki hitting .290 after 138 ABs overall.
However, looking at minorleaguebaseball.com, Suzuki is actually hitting .268 after 149 ABs.
Unless Suzuki magically got 11 more ABs in April, those ABs happened in May and without doing the math, you can tell that there weren't many hits in those 11 ABs. Therefore, his actual May BA is not over .300.
Get it?
by fadedash on
May 21, 2007 9:26 AM PDT
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in fact, he went 0-11
since the last time minorleaguesplits.com updated the stats.
Still think he's hitting over .300 in May?
by fadedash on
May 21, 2007 9:28 AM PDT
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Well MILB.com has him at .257 for the month of
by theblackpearl on
May 21, 2007 9:33 AM PDT
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didnt even know they had splits on that site
but i'll trust their stats over anyone else's.
by fadedash on
May 21, 2007 9:35 AM PDT
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And if you read closely
I'm not suggesting that Suzuki is ready right now. I'm saying he needs more time in AAA, but I'd like to see him get his feet wet before the end of the year, especially if he's going to be "the guy" in 2008.
by Blez on
May 21, 2007 9:36 AM PDT
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wait, what?
what exactly are you accusing me of not reading closely? I never once said you thought Suzuki was ready. I was simply trying to inform you that Suzuki was not in fact hitting over .300 in May.
I would think that you'd like to be as accurate as possible on your front page diaries, but if not, my mistake.
All I said was to double check your stats.
by fadedash on
May 21, 2007 9:39 AM PDT
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the A's pitchers are quite insistent
that Kendall deserves alot of the credit for their success. It's hard for me to discount their view.
(though we know A's ballplayers will stick up for each other publicly, at least while they're still on the same team. Not a word was uttered publicly, for example, about how some of the A's pitchers didn't like Miller's gamecalling, and had asked for Melhuse instead, until after Miller wasn't re-signed following the 2004 season).
I would like to see Suzuki as a September callup (so he can play regularly this summer, which he wouldn't do if he was called up earlier). How often he actually would play in September would no doubt be determined in part by how the A's are doing in the division race. But at least he could participate in the preps for the games and begin to get to know the pitchers more.
by OaklandSi on
May 21, 2007 8:52 AM PDT
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But not a word was uttered positively
about Miller, either ...
by devo on
May 21, 2007 9:29 AM PDT
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that's true
the only positive thing I ever read was during spring training 2004, when Huddy or Mulder (forget which) remarked that they were impressed with Miller.
I only mentioned that because if any of the A's were less than happy with Kendall they are probably unlikely to say anything. But since it seems that the pitchers go out of their way to praise him, it's something we need to take into consideration. That's why I've refrained from calling for anything except dropping Kendall down in the batting order (which Geren has already done) and resting him more regularly (which he hasn't really). I've noticed that Kendall's bat responds positively to a day or two off.
by OaklandSi on
May 21, 2007 9:37 AM PDT
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too bad they didn't give him a day off on Sun
by ohtobe21likehuston on
May 21, 2007 9:44 AM PDT
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Here, here
by mlleaimee on
May 21, 2007 1:01 PM PDT
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true
but the kids were also operating under a different skipper. It's one thing not say anything bad about a teamate publically, but why shower the guy with all the praise?
I'm sure if they were really unhappy with Kendall, Geren would know about it. He seems like he's a cut about Mach and has the players respect. And wasn't it E-lo who requested Melhuse to catch a game instead of Kendall last year?
by sf drift king on
May 21, 2007 11:37 AM PDT
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Couple of thoughts
- I think that Kendall is pressing. I think he really wants to stay in Oakland next year--he tried to have Beane extend his contract in the off season. This is the first time in quite a while that he doesn't have the security of that long term deal. I think he will come around to some degree.
- I expect the A's to sign a veteran catcher, capable of starting a lot of games if necessary, in the off season to a one-year deal at a reasonable price. A Damian Miller sort of deal. This will let Suzuki ease his way into the team in 2008. If Suzuki plays well then there is no real impediment to giving him more playing time and the A's wouldn't be stuck having to throw him out there is he struggled.
by Larry E on
May 21, 2007 8:59 AM PDT
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Now there is an interesting thought.
Don't we have a team option on Piazza next year? If so, might we sign him as the starting catcher to school young Suzuki while filling in part time at the DH spot? Should be plenty of opportunities to keep Cust in the lineup under this scenario, assuming that Jack really is the annointed one?
by alox on
May 21, 2007 11:14 AM PDT
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No option on Piazza
by grover on
May 21, 2007 12:08 PM PDT
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There's no way Kendall will be back here next yr.
A veteran catcher like him will be in high demand even with his low .OBP. He'll fetch a multi-year deal worth 3 to 4 million per.
by sf drift king on
May 21, 2007 11:40 AM PDT
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hmm...
for some reason I don't think so...
by The Pilots Dared Me To Die on
May 21, 2007 11:49 AM PDT
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Let
Them have him. I dust my hands of Kendall.
by mlleaimee on
May 21, 2007 1:04 PM PDT
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what i don't get is
how does one assume that the A's rotation would be pitching just as well if Kendall wasn't calling the game? No one knew what to expect from Gaudin and Kennedy so how do we know they would have been doing just as well with someone else behind the plate?
Instead, find merit in what the manager and pitching staff say about Kendall. If the ace of your staff loves the guy and doesn't even care about his batting average as long as he's calling a game, what does that say?
The only way there is a "Kendall Dilemma" is if he's the only weak link in the offense, which we know is not the case. Chavy and Crosby have OBPs at .300, Ellis is showing more and more that his one good year was a fluke, and Shannon Stewart is showing why no one else wanted him. You could go so far to argue that Crosby and Stewart really haven't helped the team much defensively. Furmaniak and Murphy are killing it in AAA, much more than Suzuki, so why not have a Crosby Dilemma? When Bradley and Kotsay return in the next couple of weeks, why not have a Stewart Dilemma?
I'm not a fan of Kendall, but I don't see an issue here. Nothing worth writing about at least.
by fadedash on
May 21, 2007 9:03 AM PDT
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Well if you look at Crosby's stats, he has more
HR's and RBI, than Miguel Tejada, and his defense has improved greatly from the first month. Lest we forget, he missed almost the whole year, and Frank Thomas didn't play the field, and he struggled for the first month, last year.
by theblackpearl on
May 21, 2007 9:29 AM PDT
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With an OPS at .435?
He's by far and away the weakest link in the offense. To put it in perspective, the next closest "regular" to him in terms of OPS is about .250 points better. You make it sound like it's close, but it really isn't at all if you look at the numbers.
by Blez on
May 21, 2007 9:29 AM PDT
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funny you should say
"look at the numbers".
I didn't say he wasn't the weakest link. But he's the weakest link on a lineup that is full of weak links. When management and the pitching staff love the guy and think he's a big reason for the only successful part of the team, why would there be a dilemma to replace that link?
by fadedash on
May 21, 2007 9:37 AM PDT
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I agree
it's full of weak links, why focus on him when he's obviously doing something write with the pitchers the last 3 yrs..
Let's just face it, people who do things outside the STAT sheet never get any love.
by sf drift king on
May 21, 2007 11:43 AM PDT
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Yeah, Kendall rocks!
Kendall does things on the stat sheet, too! He got an RBI the other day, didn't he? Walked with the bases loaded... Kendall's a titan!
by The Pilots Dared Me To Die on
May 21, 2007 11:51 AM PDT
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Agree on Kendall but not on Stewart
I know it's easy for everyone to call for Kendall's head but I don't think there is a chance that the A's brass plays Piazza or Melhuse over him. That doesn't mean that A's fans don't have a right to complain about his pathetic offense.
"Shannon Stewart is showing why no one else wanted him" makes no sense to me. I think the guy has done a pretty good job so far and his plantar problem has seemingly disappeared. Does he have a more limp noodle of an arm than Johnny Damon? Maybe but he is also doing a decent job of leading off.
by ohtobe21likehuston on
May 21, 2007 9:41 AM PDT
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shannon stewart
.261/.343/.342
The funny thing is that these are worse numbers than what Kendall put up last year, but people were still criticing Kendall last year and no one's criticizing Stewart this year. The only difference is that Stewart makes zero contribution to the pitching staff and hurts the team on defense with his range and arm (not that Kendall's is any better).
All I'm saying is that there are plenty of other scapegoats and "dilemmas"
by fadedash on
May 21, 2007 9:46 AM PDT
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but he is just getting healthy
give peace (or Stewart) a chance and he may surprise you by season's end.
by ohtobe21likehuston on
May 21, 2007 9:49 AM PDT
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oh who am I kidding? He'll be on the DL!
by ohtobe21likehuston on
May 21, 2007 9:53 AM PDT
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It's looking better for Stewart.
I don't normally but much stock into month-to-month splits, but for players working their way back from injury I think it's a consideration.
Stewart's hitting almost .300 in May with an OBP of .400. He's lost all semblance of power, and he's not your ideal masher-in-LF, but he has a place in this offense (for now). As long as he continues to get on base and our other outfield options are hurt, he's not a bad guy to have on the team.
Same thing with BoCro. He's hitting .299/.365/.493 (you know, the player we all want him to be!) with improved defense and a proclivity hit line drives the other way. He's dramatically cut down on his K's and is walking more. His OPS+ is up to 93, which is approaching average to above-average for shortstops. I doubt he'll put up an .850 OPS for the season, but if BoCro can hold on to whatever adjustments he's made, he'll have a very solid year.
by salb918 on
May 21, 2007 10:22 AM PDT
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His playing time will dry up on
June 1st at the latest, or when Bradley comes back.
Players he is worse than:
Swisher
Bradley
Johnson
Buck
Kotsay
Snelling
by mikeA on
May 21, 2007 12:18 PM PDT
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Amen brother!
it's only a matter of time.
by sf drift king on
May 21, 2007 11:44 AM PDT
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His upside is
2006 Kendall. And he's a LFer. A bad LFer.
by mikeA on
May 21, 2007 12:20 PM PDT
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Stewart and Piazza
I do not think that Piazza is going to be a option except maybe once a week to play catcher. If I remember correctly he did not even bring a catchers mitt to spring trainning. Putting him behind the platte would be just giving the other team 2nd base on any hit. Not going to happen, I have at least some hope that Kendel turns it around the second half.
As for Stewert I think he is gone as soon as Kotsay is healthy. He just does not bring anything to the table except for maybe a defensive sub. I do not see him playing once Bradley and Kotsay are ready.
by ogallalabob on
May 21, 2007 12:50 PM PDT
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No. Piazza did bring a mitt and attends all the
catcher-pitcher meetings. The A's brass didn't think he needed to do either, but he's doing it anyway.
by WaddellCanseco on
May 21, 2007 1:26 PM PDT
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once Bradley and Kotsay are ready?
Bradley is mr. glass and Kots has had the bad back although we hope he'll be better because of the surgery. But even under the best circumstances, those two guys cannot be expected to play everyday (not even close) - so you still need Stewart on this club IMHO .. and we don't know when Kielty will be back ..
by Randy Bell on
May 21, 2007 1:28 PM PDT
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Ha, exactly.
Perhaps our two least reliable guys (and that's saying something!).
Fact of the matter is, Stewart has improved as the season has gone on.
by OldhamA on
May 21, 2007 2:48 PM PDT
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Cut Keilty
I think he needs another team. He's just one of too many on the A's.
by mlleaimee on
May 21, 2007 3:20 PM PDT
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But what about all that GRIT?!
I also think Kendall will begin to hit better... I just don't think it'll be good enough for him to be in the lineup every.single.day.
As for his game-calling and staff-handling skills: Part of me wants to take the pitchers' & coaches' words for it, and part of me agrees with OaklandSi's Damian Miller example, above. I think Kendall's game preparation & pitch calling skills were probably critical to the success of the pile of baby pitchers we had in 2005, but they're big boys now and I think they could do just fine with Melhuse "handling" them once in a while.
Also, maybe Kendall would work out whatever he needs to work out in order to hit better if he actually had some COMPETITION for the job. He's not the kind of personality that would consciously do anything less than "his best," but on some level I'm sure he realizes that he could just wrap his jock around a bat and send it up there to hit, and he still wouldn't get benched.
by Poppy on
May 21, 2007 9:22 AM PDT
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{mental image}
Ew.
by oblique on
May 21, 2007 9:49 AM PDT
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for now
Kendall should be platooning with Melhuse. At least we know he has some pop in his bat.
by sf drift king on
May 21, 2007 11:08 AM PDT
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Kendall=hand injury
This anonymous comment from "thesoulofbaseball.blogspot.com:
Kendall lost his power as a result of a torn thumb tendon that he sustained at the very start of the 2001 season. The Pirates asked him to keep quiet and play through it because they needed him as a drawing card in their first season at PNC Park (and you have to hit Kendall with a tranquilizer dart to get him out of the lineup anyway). He played hurt all year, in secret, had two operations that offseason, and then never hit for power after that. I'm pretty sure that he sustained permanent damage to the hand as a result of his heroic (and unsuccessful) efforts to keep that team away from 100 losses.
by One won lost won on
May 21, 2007 9:57 PM PDT
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Spectacularly bad OPS seasons of recent past
Kendall's OPS is presently a breathtakingly awful .435.
In the last 10 years, the lowest OPS for a player getting at least 300 plate appearances is .524 by Homer Bush of the 2000 Blue Jays (325 PA).
The last player to post a sub-.500 OPS with at least 300 PA was Rafael Belliard of the 1992 Braves (315 PA, .494 OPS).
In the last 4 years, no one with an OPS below .550 has gotten as many as 300 plate appearances.
If Kendall continues to flail this badly, you simply cannot continue to send him to the plate 4 times a game. Consider any and all alternatives, but this performance is totally unacceptable.
In checking the numbers I found an interesting resemblance between the careers of Kendall and Tony Pena. Kendall is in his 12th season as a regular catcher. In 1993 Pena was in his 12th season also, with the Red Sox. His offensive numbers had been declining for several years and in 1993 he collapsed to a .502 OPS in 347 PA. 1993 was Pena's final season as a regular catcher. After his 1993 debacle, Pena moved on to Cleveland as Sandy Alomar Jr.'s backup. In that role he had moderately productive offensive seasons in 1994 and 1995. In the Indians' 1995 World Series year he actually caught a few more games than the oft-injured Alomar. But 1996 saw him drop to .195/.255/.236, and his career ended with cameos with the White Sox and Astros in 1997. A difference is that Kendall is about 3 years younger now than Pena was in 1993, but the total games caught at that point of their careers is pretty similar (i.e. very high).
by Soaker on
May 21, 2007 9:22 AM PDT
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Wow
That's an enlightening comparison. And a .435 OPS is just frightening. I don't expect Kendall to ever hit for power, but he should at least be getting on base.
by Blez on
May 21, 2007 9:33 AM PDT
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well you do have to "try" to hit for power before
it actually happens. His hit-aiming strategy is becoming increasingly more difficult to watch.
by ohtobe21likehuston on
May 21, 2007 9:52 AM PDT
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And he isn't throwing anybody out ..
.. either .. he threw out, who was it, Aybar? - in that first Angels series - but since then, he has thrown very few runners out. Some of that isn't his fault - (and I have defended him when it wasn't, e.g. German's SB in the last KC game) - but all of that can't be the fault of the pitchers ..
by Randy Bell on
May 21, 2007 9:57 AM PDT
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Maybe the problem is
His eyesight. Really, I'm being serious. He just hasn't been able to hit that 2cd base runner with any kind of accuracy this year.
by mlleaimee on
May 21, 2007 3:21 PM PDT
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Breath-takingly awful
As far as extra-base hits, Kendall, at this rate, would surpass ALL players in the 20th century (and up to the present season) for fewest extra-base hits in a season, playing as a regular.
That is incredibly telling.
The following is merely an amateur perspective; I haven't hit a fastball in 40+ yrs., but....
Kendall seems to be moving his feet too much to get any power from his lower half of his body.
Kendall tries to "inside-out" every single pitch, to right field. Instead of a double down the right-field line, it's a soft fly ball to the right fielder. And if the pitch is too inside to him, he doesn't hit it down the left-field line for a double.
Is this a matter of slowing bat speed? If so, nothing is going to help. Maybe one could compensate with a heavier bat and choking up... just don't know. But I do know (as has been repeated by experts, not my observation) that players that show that they cannot catch up to the fastball (see Julio Franco this year) soon retire, or get much reduced chances to bat.
by One won lost won on
May 21, 2007 11:24 AM PDT
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from www.thesoulofbaseball.blogspot
Kendall lost his power as a result of a torn thumb tendon that he sustained at the very start of the 2001 season. The Pirates asked him to keep quiet and play through it because they needed him as a drawing card in their first season at PNC Park (and you have to hit Kendall with a tranquilizer dart to get him out of the lineup anyway). He played hurt all year, in secret, had two operations that offseason, and then never hit for power after that. I'm pretty sure that he sustained permanent damage to the hand as a result of his heroic (and unsuccessful) efforts to keep that team away from 100 losses.
by One won lost won on
May 21, 2007 9:58 PM PDT
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I think Kendall is done
washed up. gone. I think Piazza will be the starting catcher when he comes back.
Perhaps Cust 5 days DH 2 days OF, Piazza 2 days DH, 3-4 days catching, with Kendall catching the rest?
by closetasfan on
May 21, 2007 9:44 AM PDT
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not when your starting ERA leads baseball
I wouldn't be against them playing Kendall less but realistically I just don't see that happening. If they were even considering a change wouldn't you think Melhuse would have played yesterday? That to me-- says it all.
by ohtobe21likehuston on
May 21, 2007 9:48 AM PDT
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Cust == Pinch Hitter?
Having him around gives the team additional pinch hit options. Currently the bench is a negative for pinch hitting, except for PHing for Kendall. Having Cust available gives some major pop off the bench. And can even play outfield positions.
And for fielding, is he any worse than Bonds?
by MobiusKlein on
May 21, 2007 9:44 AM PDT
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disagree
For two reasons:
- Seems as if the sporadic and unpredictable PT in his previous call-ups was part of what depressed Cust's performance. Not sure how he'll do with reversion to that role.
- He'd have to be used as a PH only leading off an inning, or when he represents the tying/winning run with 2 out (i.e., a HR to win/tie). As the truest three-true-outcomes batter imaginable, he's unlikely to deliver a single or a sac fly in any situation.
by monkeyball on
May 21, 2007 11:34 AM PDT
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Request for quantification
Lots of smart people fear what might happen if Piazza were the primary catcher, mostly from base stealers gone wild. My question is this: would the cost of the (presumed) increased steals on Piazza's watch outweigh the benefit of having Piazza's bat, as compared with Kendall's presence? This has to be at least estimateable, perhaps using the steals against numbers from San Diego last year.
Numbers mavens?
by FreeSeatUpgrade on
May 21, 2007 9:53 AM PDT
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interesting presumption
isn't there a streak of 20+ successful stolen bases against Kendall going? I think it would be pretty difficult for it to get worse, but if anyone can do it, I guess Piazza can.
I think the bigger thing that people fear about Piazza catching is his game calling and also his ability to block pitches in the dirt, especially when your ace is throwing splitters all day.
by fadedash on
May 21, 2007 9:56 AM PDT
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Well, with Piazza,
if his throwing is as horrific as it's been portrayed, you'd expect to see a big jump is steal attempts. Though something like 29 straight runners have stolen versus Kendall (and/or the pitching staff), I don't yet get the sense that teams are running wild against Kendall the way folks think they might against Piazza.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on
May 21, 2007 10:03 AM PDT
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The latter is my bigger concern
The former being that I don't think Kendall has been particularly adept at throwing runners out any way.
by Blez on
May 21, 2007 11:07 AM PDT
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Piazza's pitchers have been very complimentary
of him in the past. In fact he's been known as a very good catcher at blocking pitches in the dirt, calling a game, and doing everything defensively except throwing out base stealers.
In other words he's been defensively what Kendall is supposed to be now. And the A's pay him more than Kendall to boot! No need to agonize over sunk costs!
Of course he should be the starting catcher when he gets back.
by WaddellCanseco on
May 21, 2007 1:29 PM PDT
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Question about the presumption:
Would there be an increase in steals off Piazza over Kendall? Were Kendall's 2005 and 2007-so-far steal-stopping numbers aberrant?
(I could probably look this up, but I'm sure somebody knows off the top of their head, and that's quicker.)
by Poppy on
May 21, 2007 9:59 AM PDT
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Last year's numbers
Piazza: 97 SB, 13 CS in 99 games
Kendall: 71 SB, 31 CS in 141 games
Pro-rating Piazza to 141 games you would get 138 SB and 19 CS (ughhhhh)
But Kendall is nowhere near 71:31 this season. He's at 33:9 through 38 games which projects to 122 SB, 33 CS over 141 games.
by Soaker on
May 21, 2007 10:02 AM PDT
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*Should add to this
A big difference between 2006 and 2007 is the presence of Chad Gaudin in the rotation. Base stealers are 10 for 10 with Gaudin on the mound.
by Soaker on
May 21, 2007 10:09 AM PDT
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I've been working on just such a diary
(partly inspired by your asking the same question over the weekend).
I should have it up later today.
by andeux on
May 21, 2007 10:09 AM PDT
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I'm hoping it's in meter
by monkeyball on
May 21, 2007 11:35 AM PDT
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Cust, Piazza, and Kendall
A couple quick notes about the subject:
- I've never understand the idea that you need a veteran catcher to be the "starter", and a rookie can only be a backup. If Suzuki is the best option, both offensively and defensively, he should be the start. If "calling a game" was a problem, I imagine that would surface in the minors, and they would address it and/or promote him accordingly. Call him up in Sept., have him work with the starters all spring training long. Good enough.
- Kendall simply doesn't have anything left. Sometimes I wonder if he's going to just retire, as he seems like too proud of a player to continue to be THIS BAD. And even on defense he looks terrible. Piazza is bad on defense, but right now, not much worse than Kendall.
- I guess the choice is pretty much between playing Piazza at catcher (Cust as DH) or Cust in the OF (Piazza at DH). If Kendall gets his throwing straightened out, I could envision a platoon of sorts, where against teams that run a lot, the lineup is C-Kendall, DH-Piazza, OF-Cust, and for teams that don't, it's C-Piazza, DH-Cust, OF-other. That makes the most sense to me.
by rageon on
May 21, 2007 11:16 AM PDT
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Kendall on "Bereavement Leave"
He lost his best friend in baseball:
His ability to hit.
He'll get over it... about Sept 30th or so...
by One won lost won on
May 21, 2007 11:29 AM PDT
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i think we'll have to look at piazza as
catching some games unless cust just falls off the map (which could happen). but if cust can sustain say 850 ops production then piazza will need to get say 300 abs catching and maybe another 100 dhing. we have to figure he can be good for 250 avg with an 800 ops in those abs and maybe 12-15 hrs. even if kendall gets hot he's still probably looking at like a 600 ops. its going to be interesting for sure. plus if harden and loaiza ever come back, along with bradley and kotsay, we be able to ship off several players for some high ceiling prospects and start to get some depth back in the minor leagues.
by Backspin on
May 21, 2007 11:18 AM PDT
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Are the A's in trouble?
I understand the dilemma about Kendall, Here's the problem: Right now Chavez and Geren are talking about the A's getting hot when their players come back. But unless you're talking about Loaiza or Harden in the troublesome fifth spot in the rotation, the question is how much offensive improvement are we likely to see?
Okay. Dan Johnson must play every day, and that puts Swisher in the outfield. Assuming Jack Cust continues his rampage, that puts him at DH. So the "healthy" outfield will consist of Swisher, Bradley and Kotsay, putting Stewart, Piazza and Buck on the bench. If we assume that Kotsay is a slight improvement over Stewart at the plate, then the real difference comes when Bradley replaces Buck.
Question is: Is that enough to make a .500 team a .700 team for the remaining games (which is what needs to happen if the A's will challenge the Angels)? I think the real difference must come from three spots: Chavez, Ellis and Kendall. If these guys hit for the rest of the season as they're hitting now, and the starting pitching comes a bit down to earth, which is likely, even with Bradley and Kotsay the team will remain a .500 club.
by richwol on
May 21, 2007 11:23 AM PDT
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i still think
chavez will follow his career arc and put up a hot 2nd half which leave him somewhere around 270/375/475 with 30 hrs.
as for ellis, i think 250/340 with great d is all we will get. not great, but isn't totally killing the team.
if we were a great hitting team, then carrying kendall wouldn't be a problem, but when we're a poor hitting team, and have the best hitting catcher of all time on the roster (even if he's old now), i just don't see how we can continue to let kendall play 6 of every 7 games, even if he does start to heat it up. piazza will out produce him with ease.
by Backspin on
May 21, 2007 11:29 AM PDT
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Here are some of my points about Kendall:
Isn't there at least one weak link in every team's lineup? Kendall is ours. But, would we be focussing on Kendall's faults as much if everyone else in the lineup with such 'great potential' start producing like like they should be?
by sf drift king on
May 21, 2007 11:24 AM PDT
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I don't buy the "Kendall will improve" idea
Before coming to Oakland, he averaged 7.5 home runs a season and a solid line. Not earthshattering, but solid. Since he's come here, he's been mediocre at best include just 1 homer and now only 2 extra base hits this year.
Watch him hit. He makes weak contact and that includes what you see in BP. I've watched him take BP hacks and thought, that's an out, that's an out, that's an out too. Teams are wisening up to him and moving their outfields in and that's a big part of cutting down on his extra base hits and more frequent outs. He can no longer dump balls into the outfield like he used to.
He's probably going to improve some, but not much. Given the circumstances, we're stuck with him this year, but he shouldn't be playing 6/7 games a week. Melhuse needs to start at least 2/3 times per 7 games. When Piazza returns we can cross that road, but outside of "calling a good game" he brings nothing to the table anymore. If I had to guess, he's been playing hurt.
by DMOAS on
May 21, 2007 11:25 AM PDT
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Agree, he's playing hurt
It's the only explanation. Like Jeff Kent, he "fell off his truck while washing it" or something he doesn't want to admit. I'm thinking broken ribs...something that doesn't show, but hurts like hell even to breathe, much less (1) throw (2) swing a bat.
I was wondering about BP, and you gave us the report. Thank you. If a guy isn't trying at least to hit a few bombs, let it all hang out, in BP, it seems he's hurt.
The "Kendall Shift" or "Little League Shift" is indeed keeping him with a low batting average. But the fact that he is swinging late on fastball strikes, and striking out much more than last year, tells me his mind says "swing" but his ribs say "NO!".
by One won lost won on
May 21, 2007 11:37 AM PDT
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Or...
he's just old and years of catching have finally caught up to him physically. He has been slowly declining for the past several seasons.
by kaweahkaweah on
May 21, 2007 12:18 PM PDT
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See, I'm not so sure that's all it is.
If you look at the power drop off from the year he left Pittsburgh to his first year, it's an extremely large drop in power. From then on it's been a "catcher's" decline, but the Pitts drop is major. Either he's injured or maybe he had been juiced or something.
by DMOAS on
May 21, 2007 3:11 PM PDT
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change of leagues?
Has Kendall experienced an Eric Karros thing where he just cannot hit very well in the AL? Remember Antonio Perez had a pretty good line with the Dodgers in 2005 but did nothing offensively for us last year. Maybe it is a combination of general decline and change of leagues. Some players are more fit to be NL players, Édgar Rentería comes to mind ..
by Randy Bell on
May 21, 2007 3:39 PM PDT
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torn thumb damage now too far gone??
Perhaps Kendall should just admit how bad it is at present:
According to Joe Posnanski's "thesoulofbaseball.blogspot.com"....
Kendall lost his power as a result of a torn thumb tendon that he sustained at the very start of the 2001 season. The Pirates asked him to keep quiet and play through it because they needed him as a drawing card in their first season at PNC Park (and you have to hit Kendall with a tranquilizer dart to get him out of the lineup anyway). He played hurt all year, in secret, had two operations that offseason, and then never hit for power after that. I'm pretty sure that he sustained permanent damage to the hand as a result of his heroic (and unsuccessful) efforts to keep that team away from 100 losses.
by One won lost won on
May 21, 2007 10:01 PM PDT
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After having watched Cust in the OF
in Sacramento 2 years ago, I can tell you that calling him "miserably bad" is quite an upgrade over his actual ability with the glove.
He'd make you long for the days of T-Long and Jeremy Giambi.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/athleticsnationpodcast
by gallopingael on
May 21, 2007 11:30 AM PDT
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S<s>t</s>unk costs
My guess is that Beane will continue to misinterpret the concept of sunk costs, and will continue to insist that Geren get their "money's worth" out of Kendall, a la Hatteberg in late '04 and '05.
Quite honestly, my inclination at this point would be to DFA Kendall, and call up Suzuki to platoon with Melhuse. I'd throw caution to the wind and lay Cust in LF a couple times a week to get Piazza "showcase" ABs in the interest of shipping Mike out by the trade deadline. And I'd give Kotsay maybe 1 start per week to rest Swisher, and use Kotsay judiciously as a late-inning defensive replacement (esp. in the games where Cust is in LF and we have a lead).
by monkeyball on
May 21, 2007 11:41 AM PDT
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< snerk >
Yeah, I love Cust, but not that much: play him in LF.
by monkeyball on
May 21, 2007 11:42 AM PDT
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hmmm...
I think Blez could give us better defense in left than Cust...
by The Pilots Dared Me To Die on
May 21, 2007 12:03 PM PDT
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In taking your comment seriously
I'd totally agree with it. I might throw in a few Piazza catcher starts as well. I think Kotsay will improve though since he finally had the surgery, so I'd at least give him a chance to earn his job back.
by DMOAS on
May 21, 2007 3:13 PM PDT
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Well, us fans "manage" from afar
but according to the story on MLB.com, the players attribute a lot to Kendall and the players don't care what he is hitting.
If the teammates don't care, and actually say stuff like "He is the reason we beat Zito so badly, with his (Kendall's) scouting report." do the fans need to think about all "the above"???
?
by One won lost won on
May 21, 2007 12:01 PM PDT
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OK, but Kendall could've coached A's hitters
just as well from the bench. Or did he have to be catching Gaudin in order to deliver scouting reports on Zito?
by FreeSeatUpgrade on
May 21, 2007 12:04 PM PDT
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Transferrence of sunk costs...
too bad we can't just make Kendall the bench coach and get him the heck off the field... That would be a nice little transferrence of sunk costs... the club can pick his brain at will and keep him the hell out of the batter's box...
Kendall's going to make a heck of a manager someday.
by The Pilots Dared Me To Die on
May 21, 2007 12:05 PM PDT
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Word
I think he should be a bench manager as well.
by mlleaimee on
May 21, 2007 3:30 PM PDT
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Regardless of what we want
* Kendall is the starting C the rest of the season, playing 7 of every 8 games. The only change is that Piazza will get the 8th game rather than Melhuse when he comes back. I don't see them calling up Suzuki, making Piazza the starter, or platooning with Melhuse.
* Kendall, Melhuse and Piazza will all be gone next season with a new veteran and Suzuki splitting time.
* I expect Cust to settle down around a .250 BA, but an .875 OPS, making it difficult for Piazza to displace him (given Piazza's fairly anemic numbers prior to his injury).
by boilerdan on
May 21, 2007 12:07 PM PDT
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There is no dilemma here
Suzuki isn't ready. He would probably struggle horribly if called up now. Kurt's stength through AA was his control of the strike zone, that was the key to his offensive success. He has struggled with that all year in AAA. His struggles would only get worse if he started playing at the highest level.
Kendall needs to play less and Melhuse more. The only other option is to call up Jeremy Brown and send Melhuse down. I suppose Melhuse/Brown could contribute more than the sub-.500 OPS Kendall is offering, but I figure the odds are about 50-50 that Kendall could up his numbers to match most of what a Melhuse/Brown platoon could offer.
If you cut Kendall you're still going to be eating his contract so no money saved. It's doubtful that there is a realistic option right now that would increase offense from the Catcher's position. Moving Piazza back behind the plate could happen, but let's see if that's really an option a month from now. Cust has been great, can he keep it up?
by grover on
May 21, 2007 12:17 PM PDT
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I agree
Very succinct explanation of this situation.
by One won lost won on
May 21, 2007 12:33 PM PDT
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Some positivity NOW! on Kendall
Back in April 2000, (okay, you can certainly get washed up in seven years, so I already know that "that was then this is now") Kendall was hitting .179 on April 11. He then went on a tear, hitting 24-for-52 and raised his average to .351 !!
This includes a home run at the end of the streak.
So we know that at least he has the "mental" experience of getting hot for weeks at a time. And it is a very mental game.
Let's go Jason!
by One won lost won on
May 21, 2007 12:39 PM PDT
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April 11 = 10 games into the season
That is basically the kind of slump that all hitters, good and bad, experience now and then.
Here we are 43 games into the season and he's still sucking badly.
by kaweahkaweah on
May 21, 2007 12:44 PM PDT
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because jk will end the year at
around .265, he's gonna hit .300 from now on. the best is yet to come. don't bail now.
by oakath on
May 21, 2007 12:55 PM PDT
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I've never understood that logic
Isn't that a fallacy?
Or at least a fellatio?
by JediLeroy on
May 21, 2007 4:00 PM PDT
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what logic?
He just made a simple statement of 'fact'/opinion.
by devo on
May 21, 2007 4:01 PM PDT
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'fact' / opinion = Jason Kendall's jaw /2 = null
by JediLeroy on
May 21, 2007 4:28 PM PDT
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Sounds like we need to revisit
Oaktoon's "regression to the mean" diatribery.
by green star oakland on
May 21, 2007 4:01 PM PDT
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I agree, let's not bail
by A'sfansince1970 on
May 21, 2007 1:17 PM PDT
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I don't know; I didn't send one
Cindi might have. Was it about hair?
by Nico on
May 21, 2007 4:13 PM PDT
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Grover's right
The obvious thing to do is just play Melhuse more.
I'm shocked that anyone is defending Kendall at this point. I hope things improve, but please tell me if outfielders ever played him where they play him now. I'm guessing no. Freddie Lewis was playing Kendall about where Ellis played Bonds. It was unbelievable. And he isn't walking. And he's striking out much more.
What does all of this tell you? He has no value, that's what? So, given whatever allegiance, given whatever mythology exists in the players' minds about his game-calling skills, given whatever sway he holds in the clubhouse, and given his fat contract, I suppose he has to play. But, my lord, not so much. He just has no value. He's the worst offensive starter in the majors by quite a bit, I'd imagine.
by RLangford on
May 21, 2007 3:57 PM PDT
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I don't see any reason to defend Kendall ...
I also don't see any reason to champion Melhuse or expect that he'd be any better.
Kendall is not a great option -- but we don't have a better one.
by devo on
May 21, 2007 4:00 PM PDT
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Of course he'd be better
Kendall has no offensive value. Melhuse has power and would certainly have much better stats than Kendall, whose OPS is 70 points lower the next worst player in baseball.
It's ridiculous to contend that Melhuse would be this bad, that anyone would be this bad. The reason you don't bring up a rookie is because, though he might be a bit better, you might harm him in the process.
But since Melhuse is here, of course they should be using him more.
by RLangford on
May 21, 2007 4:07 PM PDT
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not defending Kendall at all ...
... and I agree that it feels as though he's striking out a lot more, but he still only has 17 Ks in 144 ABs -- yes, 1 every 8.5 ABs is more frequent than his career and A's-career numbers, but not all that high given the relatively small sample size.
Frankly, given his weak-ass swing, I'd rather he strike out when he's up with men on base.
by monkeyball on
May 21, 2007 4:55 PM PDT
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Kendall's VORP
right now is something like negative 11. This puts him on pace for having a year of historically bad proportions. I don't care what the pitchers or Ray Fosse says about his ability to "handle a staff". Kendall is big black hole in the lineup and he will end costing the A's up to 5 wins this year. I really don't think this team is good enough to overcome that kind of handicap. Melhuse may not be an all star but he is absolutely better than Kendall right now.
by Bearcat on
May 21, 2007 4:06 PM PDT
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MLB T.V.
with the red sox/yankees game on ESPN is the A's/White Sox game going to be blacked out on MLB t.v.??
somebody please help me
thanks
by chavyizdamn3 on
May 21, 2007 4:08 PM PDT
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I "think" Fox Sat is the only nat'l blackout.
by ohtobe21likehuston on
May 21, 2007 4:13 PM PDT
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Sorry if I didn't make this clear already
But I think Kendall should be benched immediately and Melhuse should be named the starter. If the pitching suddenly gets appreciably worse, I would blame the pitchers themselves plus random chance. It's hard for me to understand why Kendall is such a large factor in their success. I realize I could be wrong, of course.
by RLangford on
May 21, 2007 4:10 PM PDT
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Piazza catching
For those suggesting that Piazza catch, whether a little or a lot, when he gets back, remember that he didn't even catch an inning in ST. I think the only way that this will happen is if he catchs during an extended injury rehab in the minors.
by Larry E on
May 21, 2007 4:28 PM PDT
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$13 million salary in 2007
For which the A's are paying 8. They aren't going to pay a bench player that much, and they certainly can't move a guy at his age with this skill set. He'll finish out the year, taking up more plate appearances than any other catcher in the league, and the 9th spot (hopefully where he stays) will continue to be a black hole.
Piazza at catcher would be atrocious. The A's get by on pitching, defense, and guile. Weakening the defense-- at a very key position-- to improve the offense by a relatively small margin would be a bad move, in my opinion.
Melhuse presents an interesting case. Not as good defensively as Kendall, but better offensively in short bursts.
This will all be so much easier to deal with when Kendall goes off into free agency and Suzuki gets called up next year.
by Joey C. on
May 21, 2007 4:35 PM PDT
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At certain points teams do eat salary
Winning does matter. Bret Boone was cut, remember?
by RLangford on
May 21, 2007 5:00 PM PDT
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Agreed!
I don't necessarily think that now is the time to eat that salary... but maybe soon...
by The Pilots Dared Me To Die on
May 22, 2007 1:38 PM PDT
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Kendall 2007
Cust will cool off and be sent down to Sac when Piazza comes back. So I don't see Piazza EVER catching. But if Cust doesn't cool things will get interesting.
Kendall keeps the pitchers happy. Pitching is the only thing that's keeping this team above .500. With that said Melhuse should play A LOT more often. I'm noticing Kendall is pinch hit for late in games. This should be a daily occurance. Basically if the starter is out so is Kendall. Melhuse should start AT LEAST once or twice a week. Kendall should be the starter but his playing time should be reduced.
by Mr C on
May 21, 2007 5:04 PM PDT
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great idea...
Kendall catches the starters, Melhuse catches the relievers, and when Piazza's back, he's the emergency backup in case Melhuse gets hurt...
As silly as this is, I kinda like it...
by The Pilots Dared Me To Die on
May 22, 2007 1:39 PM PDT
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