CWSGuy406

On Tango Tiger's 2005 Fans Scouting Report, Yankee fans gave Jeter an overall 59, which is slightly above average. He ranked above average in every category except for the "First Step", in which he was rated 43 (50 being average). So, hhj's comment of Jeter being neither horrid nor great defensively is right. He's also right in saying that Jeter is nowhere near as good defensively as Uribe is.

Jason, I'm really not trying to compare the two defensively. I have no idea how good Owens is (or isn't) defensively, and you (obviously) don't think he can handle CF. Seeing as how I've never seen the kid play, I'll take your word for it. My comparison lies in their offensive capabilities. Low power, high AVG speedsters, and I tend to think both of their OBPs will be BA heavy, even if neither's were that way in the minors.

QUOTE(JimH @ Jan 2, 2006 -> 03:14 AM) Keith you are a lot smarter than this. It is not saying Anderson is bad. Look at what type of player Guillen likes. Do you not think a player like Tavares has a good chance to gain more plate discipline, do you think Brian is capable of stealing 20 bases per year. Guillen wants more speed at the top of the lineup, do you not think he will support every effort to get more speed? I think he will. Jim, in my opinion -- and I could be wrong -- I think you're overstating Ozzie's quotes. What I mean by that is, if Kenny was really on board with getting another slap-hitting speedster, I think he would've had the better, left-handed Willie Taveras already (Juan Pierre). I think that Kenny realizes the importance of power in his lineup, and I think he likes having three guys at the bottom of the lineup all capable of 20+ HRs (Iguchi/Uibe + Crede + Anderson). I also think that he's extremely confident in Anderson's defensive capabilities. Will Taveras gain more plate discipline? Ehh, he might, but even at his peak, I don't think he's that great of a player. If this were to be a move for further down the line, I think I'd dislike it even more, as we already have a guy like him in Jerry Owens. ...... QM, you made a comment about everyone thinking Anderson will put up All-Star numbers. Is .250/.315/.425 really the line of an All-Star. 'Cause, frankly, I have minimal expectations for BA in his first year offensively. Really, his importance will come on how good he is defensively out in CF.

QUOTE(quickman @ Jan 2, 2006 -> 03:05 AM) Do you think thats what there looking for? More speed, good D. A guy that can hit #2. i don't know, maybe everyone is right Brian Andersen even though he strikes out like Sammy Sosa, he might have more power, at least he had some power in the Minor leagues. Hit #2? With a .325 OBP? If he's your best #2 hitting option, you have one really pathetic offense. Ah, s***, I used stats. Nevermind...

He is? And your point is?

QUOTE(beck72 @ Jan 1, 2006 -> 09:57 PM) We'll all see what KW realizes by spring training. As far as "losing out" on offense and defense, are you saying BA will do better than Taveras in both categories? BA may eventually better Taveras. But certainly not in 2006 --probably in SLG. Defensively, all I've heard are positives about Taveras. So I'm not sure what your point is. And no one is saying that BA is being given up on. I think Anderson will post a line somewhere around .250/.315/.420 next year, which isn't great, but he's not going to be relied upon as far as offense. I assume that his defense is very good, which very well could be wrong on my part. But, I'm giving KW the benefit of the doubt -- afterall, he was comfortable enough with Anderson to trade one of the best defensive CFers in all of baseball and (so far) give the reigns to BA. In both cases, I say, isn't that what Jerry Owens is for? I know everyone is saying that Owens needs some time in AAA, which I agree with, but I don't the difference in who he'd be facing in AA/AAA is all that great. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the jump from A-ball to AA seems much tougher than the AA to AAA jump. I'm sure that, as a collective group, Mackowiak/Borchard/Owens could hold down the fort if one of SP/BA/JD went down. Beck, mainly, I don't think your proposed deal of Taveras/Qualls/SP prospect is "overwhelming" (the exact word from KW, IIRC) by any means. I don't see a matchup with Houston. None of their prospects are that great, or so it seems. I keep going back to the Dodgers, but they seem to be a great matchup. Something like Guzman (Crede's replacement in a year or two) + Elbert (rebuild our SP depth) + Brazoban or Broxton (a player who could help this year, albeit in a minimal role in the bullpen) would look to be a good start.

QUOTE(Al Lopez's Ghost @ Jan 1, 2006 -> 08:35 PM) I think when you compare two guys, you have to keep in mind age and experience. I think it's fair to say that Taveras is not yet as good as he will be, and Harris is never gonna be a whole lot better than he is right now. Meh. I don't think Taveras' peak is much higher than what he put up last year. I'm thinking, at best, .300/.340/.360, which is alright, but not something I'd consider giving up Jose Contreras for.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jan 1, 2006 -> 06:52 PM) Taveras is in a different world when you're talking about speed than Willie is. Well, if that's true, it sure isn't showing up in the stolen base department. Harris has had an 80% success rate, while Taveras' has been only 76%. The two players are very similar, but I'd probably take Harris, seeing as he can play CF and 2B.

QUOTE(beck72 @ Jan 1, 2006 -> 03:57 PM) Will Anderson hit for the .291 that Taveras did his rookie yr, as well as give the sox the skills needed in a #2 type/ leadoff hitter [bunting, SB, infield hits, etc] that Taveras will likely improve upon? No. I think Kenny (the important one in all thise) realizes that these skills that you mention aren't nearly as valuable as what Anderson can bring to the table -- power and great defense. People complained about Rowand not being a useful player last year. He put up 19 WS to Taveras' 13. So, let's see. We'd lose out on defense, offense, but hey -- we'd get some more speed and bunting! Yeah! Dick Allen was right in saying that these players are pretty freely available. Hell, to an extent, the Sox just non-tendered the same type of player in Willie Harris...

QUOTE(WCSox @ Dec 31, 2005 -> 08:46 PM) Wow, another weak counter-argument. You're just full of them today, aren't you? I'm simply saying that a team that's just won a WS and is in position to win another would be better off going with proven talent, rather than a question mark. It may not be wise to give up a starting pitcher for said proven talent, but a less-costly trade for said player is something that the GM should at least consider. Proven talent? He put up a .291/.325/.341. That isn't a good line at all. And, don't tell me about his .291 BA, because SLG% and OBP correlate much better to scoring runs than BA does. It's such an overrated statistic.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Dec 31, 2005 -> 08:38 PM) BTW, Pods' stolen-base percentage this season was 72%. That's right. You have no concrete evidence. I'm sorry it's the best you can do because it's a laughably weak argument. Exactly. When Podsednik was stealing bases in the first half at a spectacular rate, and not getting caught, he was extremely helpful. When he was getting thrown out every time he attempted a steal in the second half (because of injury), he wasn't very helpful at all. His argument is laughably weak? You have absolutely NOTHING that says Tavares can even hold Rowand's jock when it comes to defense (or Anderson for that matter), and all you have in favor of Tavares is BA (the worst and most overrated stat out of the "holy trinity" of BA/OBP/SLG), and SBs.

The Sox had trouble enough finding innings for Vizcaino last year, I don't think you need another lefty in the bullpen, especially if that lefty isn't any good (shades of Kevin Walker). Personally, I'd go with the six starters, Jenks, Cotts, Politte, Hermanson, and Baj/Munoz, and have both Gload + Borchard on the big league roster. EDIT: Actually, Vizcaino got 70 innings last year... but, with McCarthy on the roster, he could take a lot of those 'mop-up' innings.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Dec 28, 2005 -> 11:37 PM) Isn't it the new team's first rounder if its not in the top 15 and a sandwich pick, or if it is in the top 15 2 sandwich picks? That's probably it... I always get arbitration rules/contracts confused.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 28, 2005 -> 11:34 PM) Question: If Contreras pitches for the Sox throughout 2006 and then leaves as a free agent, do we still get draft picks? If so, do we know how many and what round they would be in? I'd say that even if he pitched as a league average pitcher (100 ERA+, something like a 4.40 ERA, I'd guess), he'd still be a Type A free agent, which would mean two picks, I think. Both picks would be in the top 40 overall, but neither would be in the top 15. And, if Kenny Williams isn't overwhelmed with an offer, this isn't a terrible fall-back option. Of course, I'd much prefer the Sox to get something done with LA, with a package built around Joel Guzman. Guzman + Brazoban + Broxton/Miller/Jackson/Elbert might be a good deal...

QUOTE(WCSox @ Dec 28, 2005 -> 10:48 PM) If the Sox decided to trade any of their starting pitchers, McCarthy should be the one to go. And unless they could get someone like Tejada in the deal, I wouldn't be terribly happy about it. Why? We're going to have McCarthy for the next five-six years at a minimal salary, and the Sox are going to need that somewhere on the team -- good production for little price. We're not the Yankees just yet -- we can't afford to be paying each guy in the rotation eight figures... you just can't do that. Your Kip Wells comparison, BTW, sucks. B-Mac reached the big leauges a full years sooner than Wells, averaged about a full three more K's/9 than Wells in the minors, walked two less guys than Wells per nine, and had an ERA a half a run lower than Wells'. Apples and oranges, really...

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 22, 2005 -> 08:34 AM) No. The Red Sox are headed down because they don't have a CF, SS, 1B or a leadoff hitter. Which is why I said it wasn't looking good at the moment and they could salvage things yet. I wouldn't necessarily agree with the latter two comments. Loretta has a career OBP of .365, and over the past three years, his OBP has been .390, .370, and .360. And, I'm pretty sure that they're going to stick Youkilis or Lowell at first, either of which are huge upgrades over Kevin Millar. As for the "best in the AL" lists, I'd go with the White Sox, Cleveland, Boston/Oakland/New York (tied), and Anahiem/Toronto/Minny. The AL is going to be real good this year. I'd say just about every team except for Tampa, Baltimore, and Detroit has improved. Should be a dogfight in every division.

One of the few bright spots -- Brent Seabrook -- is now gone for about a month and a half. Something like a sprained knee... If this doesn't turn around ASAP, I'm hoping to see Tallon flip guys like Cullimore, LaPointe, and Spacek around for prospects or picks. The only guys I want to see stay here at this point are Calder, Ruutu, Bell, Keith, Seabrook, and Aucoin. I'm sure I'm missing some, but this team is f***ing pathetic right now. Where's all this 'character' that Tallon talked about so much in the offseason? I'm sure as hell not seeing it on the ice right now...

Sure, a salary cap would work. I mean, look at the NFL. It's not like one team is dominating in that league, right? Oh, wait -- New England has won three of the last five titles. And the cap is sure helping teams like Arizona a helluva lot, right? Oh, yeah... Gosh -- it pisses me off when teams like Tampa or Pittsburg cry poor. Teams like that are making stupid move after stupid move, yet the sole reason for their losing is their lack of money. GMAB...

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Dec 22, 2005 -> 06:43 PM) Ok lets presume Kenny wants two relievers in a deal: Elbert or another prospect from the Dodgers, Broxton, and Brazoban. Brazoban is a major leaguer reliever that started to really struggle late last year, however he did notch 22 saves and has a power arm. Broxton is a converted reliever who was called up late last season and has a power arm and a good slider. Elbert is an A ball rookie thats on par with Gio Gonzalez. Not a bad looking deal cause the Sox can slide Brazoban and Broxton into the back of there pen and let the two develop. Plus you have a shot at letting Tracey compete. Would this not be a fair enough deal? Add Guzman to the deal and I'm fine with it. When Jim posted, "Crede not getting a long term deal", I immediately thought about Guzman. I'd do Guzman + Elbert + Brazoban. That seems like a pretty good haul. And SF1, please, please, stop talking about the economics of baseball. Please, stop embarassing yourself.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 08:24 PM) Still most fair deal: Elbert, Broxton, Jackson Even with that, though, the major league component your getting is still just a relief pitcher. Even at his best, a relief pitcher is going to get what, 80 innings? Now, that's good, but I think I'd rather take out the prospect and get one of the main two, Guzman or Billingsley. I don't know if the Dodgers would do this, but I'd do something like Guzman + Miller + Elbert... Two solid arms, but still neither has reached AAA yet, and one of their two top prospects.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 06:49 PM) Yes, what Vazquez did in Montreal is a few years away. He hasn't done s*** since the 1st half of the year with the Yanks (after that he was completely terrible and was very up and down for the Dbacks last year). Vazquez has good stuff, but just cause every guy has good stuff doesn't mean the Sox can just take him in and work there magic, turning them into aces. But who knows, maybe Coop is the 2nd coming of Mazzone. It's not just Coop, though, or the 'Ozzie' factor. He's going to be pitching in front of a defense that was #2 in converting balls in play into outs. Likewise, wherever Garland goes, his defense will be worse, which can mean bad things, especially for a guy who doesn't K a whole lot of batters. Vazquez was the right guy to go after. I still don't like that they gave up Young, but if there was ever a guy to rebound, Vazquez is the guy.

QUOTE(beck72 @ Dec 21, 2005 -> 04:07 PM) You make it sound like the only guys worth anything in the Dodgers system are Guzman and Billingsley. About the only team that can fit the sox request for two top pitching prospects is the Dodgers. the sox can and probably will make a deal that doesn't involve those two guys. I'm calling BS. If Arizona was able to get a five-tool, potential superstar in Chris Young for a pitcher who has been league average for the past two years, and who carries a big contract -- then we NEED to land either Billingsley or Guzman. If we don't get those two, it better be one helluva package that includes both Miller, Jackson, Broxton, and possibly another prospect. If given the choice between Billingsley and Guzman, I think I'd take Billingsley, just because we're going to need a cheap starter besides B-Mac in the next year or two. I'm also slightly worried about Guzman's 3/1 K/BB ratio (almost 130 K's); but that's me also doing a bit of nit-picking, as he was only 20 last year in AA. If a team doesn't want to give KW a knock-your-socks-off type deal right now, wait till the trade deadline. Because, I'm pretty sure Garland would be the TOP commodity at the deadline. Gosh, I'm so hoping for a Kazmir-for-Zambrano type, lopsided deal.

Sorry to bring a Bears topic into the NFL discussion thread, but... What did everybody think about Leon (is that his name?) Joe last night? I thought he looked really, really good in his short time out there. Athletic, made a couple nice plays (or, maybe I'm letting that one where he stood up the FB and made the tackle cloud my memory). Hillenmyer seems like a good guy, but if you were to give a 'weak link' of the defense (when healthy), you'd probably point to him (or Chris Harris). Thoughts? I know Angelo thinks highly of him, as he drafted him, released him, and then resigned him again (after pretty much saying Joe was the one player he regretted letting go).

QUOTE(Cerbaho-WG @ Dec 20, 2005 -> 05:15 AM) Only if Birmingham is considered a hitter's paradise. The PCL is notorious for inflating offensive stats, especially in Albequerque. Thanks for the clarification. I had doubts right after I posted it. That lessens my opinion on Kinsler a lot -- his PCL debut certainly wasn't very impressive.

QUOTE(fathom @ Dec 20, 2005 -> 04:22 AM) In today's market, anyone that thought this would be an easy negotiation was being naive. That's what makes me worry a little bit about the Thome trade. The trade certainly makes us a better team for 2006, but -- we had a real good shot of having another possible league minimum, good pitcher ready for 2007 -- just incase it played out that Garland and Contreras didn't sign. The opportunity is still there, with Liotta, Broadway, and to a much lesser extent, Haeger. That's why this upcoming Contreras/Garland trade is so key. The Sox NEED to get a top prospect in return for the SP. Offhand -- the PCL is a pitcher's league, right? I've been looking at Texas' prospects, and a guy like Ian Kinsler might make sense. If they were still looking into that mega Crede + Garland for Blalock deal, it might make sense to (instead of Wilkerson) add two guys like Kinsler + Danks/Diamond.