Jack Hannahan-- Cust, part deux?
by PaulThomas on Aug 13, 2007 10:21 PM PDT
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He's 27 right now and will be 28 next year
So he's entering his prime years. A's might be hoping he'll pull an Eric Byrnes and become a solid regular when he hits his peak (age 28-31 years according to Bill James).
I wonder when he'll get the call up though?
Will the A's add him to the 40 man, then bring him up and send down Furmainiak? Or will they wait till the rosters expand?
interesting...
if nothing else, he's someone for Dan Johnson to hang out with, being another Minnesota native with blurred vision. Both of their problems can probably be traced to having to deal with the horrendous lighting in the Metrodome during their childhood.
I like the idea of having a guy
who can fill in at both 1B and 3B next season. I'd really like to see Barton get most of the ABs at 1B in Sept to see if he's ready to take over next season, making DJ expendable. I also want to see Swisher put in RF and left there. Same with Buck - LF every day.
You left out the most important part
get rid of Kotsay no matter what it takes.
by china bob on Aug 14, 2007 7:36 AM PDT up reply actions
Boy, you just can't wait to watch somebody turn
catchable fly balls into doubles, can you?
Good diary, Paul Thomas.
No, he's just tired
of watching Kotsay turn hittable pitches into catchable fly balls.
by BlameChannel53 on Aug 14, 2007 9:19 AM PDT up reply actions
Which would fall for doubles
if only Swisher or Buck were in CF...(And the debate rages on...)
Sadly
At this point, I don't think Kotsay is capable of hitting a ball that would fall for a double if Joe Blanton were in CF.
by BlameChannel53 on Aug 14, 2007 9:32 AM PDT up reply actions
He'd have a great shot, though,
considering Blanton would be the only OFer out there, having eaten the LFer and RFer. Also, if it had rained earlier there's a decent chance Blanton would be beached.
I'll give you this
Kotsay would have a chance at a double if Blanton were in CF while it was raining after Blanton had eaten the LF and RF because they reminded him of that Grand Slam he had at Denny's for breakfast, if Kiki Calero was pitching to Kotsay.
by BlameChannel53 on Aug 14, 2007 9:42 AM PDT up reply actions
New nickname for Calero
Kiki's Delivery Service-- because he's always serving up fat, delectable sliders.
I'm not fooled.
Have you ever seen them in the same place at the same time?
Hanahan
Is Cust's illegitimate half-siamese brother-in-law twice removed.
by kaweahkaweah on Aug 14, 2007 9:02 AM PDT up reply actions
So no, it's not a coincidence.
by kaweahkaweah on Aug 14, 2007 9:02 AM PDT up reply actions
Wouldn't look too far into this...
The platoon splits are definitely there and there is no doubt that Beane made this move in order to cover for Chavez's injury, but I doubt this move was made with an eye for years into the future.
Like it or not, the A's are a much better team with Eric Chavez as the everyday third baseman, against any type of pitching, and any player brought in will strictly be of the stop-gap variety.
And comparing Jack Hannahan to Jack Cust is sort of far-fetched. Cust has a LONG track record of being a top minor league hitter and just bounced around from team to team for various reasons beyond his control. Hannahan looks like a guy who's always had a little bit better talent than the guy's around him, but has never really lived up to that potential, which is the storyline of pretty much every AAAA better... which is what Hannahan most certainly is at this point in his career.
Like Donnie Murphy, Hannahan will probably be given every opportunity to show what he can do in Chavez's absence, but I expect both guys to be sent back to AAA once Chavez/Crosby can make it back to the field.
You forgot to mention Kevin Melillo in your list of guys at AAA that have been tried out at 3rd base. If he can handle 3rd base defensively, then he'd be a guy to watch as a possible long-term bench player, since he can handle 2nd as well and is a much better hitter than Hannahan or any of the other candidates you mentioned above.
Interesting diary though!
Yes, there's no question of him replacing Chavez
especially insofar as they have identical platoon orientation. I suppose that if he really torched major league pitching, he might stave off Daric Barton's emergence at first base for another season, but his role in future years is as a backup, except in the catastrophic event that Chavez can't ever return effectively.
Even there, though, he provides flexibility (the ability to play first, third and in an emergency shortstop) which is utterly lacking with Dan Johnson, who's annoyingly unable to play any position other than first.
Someone was asking about the rosters. I think he'll be added and called up to replace the Fuzzsaw (get it-- fur? maniac? Oh, never mind) today, but I could be wrong. One thing that did come to mind is that if he's not called up, he should be eligible for minor league free agency after this year. As such it's a virtual guarantee that he will at least be moved onto the 40-man roster by September.
I don't see a Hannahan/Scutaro platoon
being seriously considered. Scutaro isn't a good enough 3Bman to play there unless you have run out of options--he's not someone you plan for at 3B. Hannahan/Murphy, however, would make some sense. Murphy also has big platoon splits, and is a younger cheaper Scutaro to back up on the infield. Since you won't see Hannahan, Crosby, Murphy, and Scutaro all on the roster, I'm guessing Scutaro is the odd man out and that if he's not going to be the starting SS that Murphy learns 3B between now and April.
Oh. I'm not talking about next season
although I suppose in the direst of eventualities, if Chavez is out for half a year or more, a Hannahan/Murphy platoon might get the job done at third. We know Murphy has the arm to play third; the question is, does he have the reflexes?
I think Murphy has the reflexes
His strength appears to be athleticism, his prior weakness immaturity. I don't think it would take long for Murphy to exceed the rather low standard Scutaro has set at 3B.
This is the last piece
of the Carlos Pena unload trade.
Hannahan for Perry
Perry for John-Ford Griffin (always want to put John Ford-Griffin)
Griffin, Lilly, and Jason Arnold for Pena and German
Lilly begat Kielty
Arnold begat Durazo
and now Griffin c/o Perry begat Hannahan
Since the first two pieces flamed (literally) out, let's hope Hannahan is a keeper.
forgot to add him
since he was the PTNL
He's not doing so hot lately.
I'll miss Perry
at the Rivercats games anyway.
by luvsthecurveball on Aug 14, 2007 12:28 PM PDT reply actions
root for Nick Blasi instead.
I like Blasi. He works hard.
by The Pilots Dared Me To Die on Aug 14, 2007 10:08 PM PDT up reply actions
"Classy" Nick Blasi?
Does he hate pencil-necked geeks?
by EddieVegas_NRAF on Aug 15, 2007 10:41 AM PDT up reply actions
Frankly, I'm
pretty blasi about him.
Watch the third base coach wave him around 3B
in "Blasi Come Home!"
Probably a bad time to mention this
but in his entire minor league career, Hannahan has never managed even an .800 OPS.
He's proven he can't really hit minor league pitching, and he's 27, so I can't see him suddenly figuring out major league pitching at this point.
He was brought in because he didn't cost he A's anything and he can play 3rd base.
Um
Stats:
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO
101 336 56 99 20 1 13 63 5 5 76 92
AVG OBP SLG OPS
.295 .422 .476 .898
Not saying he's the next coming of Brooks Robinson or anything, but 4 months of an 898 OPS seems like a pretty healthy performance to me.
Brooks
my first thought after reading this comment was, "I don't think Brooks Robinson was actually that good of a hitter." We all know about the amazing fielding, but as for the hitting, I wasn't so sure. Indeed, baseball-reference.com confirmed my suspicions: lifetime .267/.322/.401 hitter, career 104 OPS+. Quite average. It seems as though he's really the only player from the past whose high profile is based almost entirely on his defense. So really, the more Chavez declines offensively, and the more gold gloves he accumulates (though it would be almost Palmeiro-level injustice to Beltre if he got a reputation-GG this year), the more accurate the Brooks Robinson comparisons are. As for Jack Hannahan...no Brooks Robinson fielding-wise, perhaps a chance to be better offensively. Rate-wise anyway...hard to beat him in counting stats considering Brooks lasted over 20 years.
by Cutthemullet on Aug 16, 2007 2:18 AM PDT up reply actions
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