Kalapse

QUOTE(BearSox @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 09:44 PM) not unless Pods and Erstad kick ass this year... show some optimism people! I show optimism when given good reason to not because Hawk tells me so.

So the Pods/Erstad 1-2 punch is probably the worst in the AL but what about all of Baseball? Yeah probably. Projected top of the order for all teams: San Fran: 1.) Dave Roberts 2.) Omar Vizquel Padres: 1.) Sledge/Cruz Jr/B Giles 2.) Marcus Giles Dodgers: 1.) Rafael Furcal 2.) Juan Pierre Colorado: 1.) Willy Tavares 2.) Kaz Matsui/Clint Barmes Diamondbacks: 1.) Chris Young 2.) Orlando Hudson St. Louis: 1.) David Eckstein 2.) Preston Wilson/Chris Duncan Pittsburgh: 1.) Chris Duffy 2.) Jack Wilson/Freddy Sanchez Milwaukee: 1.) Ricky Weeks 2.) JJ Hardy Houston: 1.) Craig Biggio 2.) Chris Burke Reds: 1.) Ryan Freel 2.) Brandon Phillips Cubs: 1.) Alfonso Soriano 2.) Matt Murton/Jacque Jones Washington: 1.) Felipe Lopez 2.) Ryan Church Philadelphia: 1.) Jimmy Rollins 2.) Shane Victorino Mets: 1.) Jose Reyes 2.) Paul Lo Duca Florida: 1.) Hanley Ramirez 2.) Dan Uggla Atlanta: 1.) Kelly Johnson 2.) Edgar Renteria Texas: 1.) Kenny Lofton 2.) Michael Young Seattle: 1.) Ichiro 2.) Adrian Beltre Oakland: 1.) Jason Kendall 2.) Mark Kotsay Angels: 1.) Gary Mathews Jr. 2.) Orlando Cabrera White Sox: 1.) Scott Podsednik 2.) Darin Erstad Indians: 1.) Grady Sizemore 2.) Josh Barfield Twins: 1.) Luis Castillo 2.) Nick Punto Detroit: 1.) Curtis Granderson 2.) Placido Polanco Royals: 1.) David DeJesus 2.) Esteban German Yankees: 1.) Johnny Damon 2.) Derek Jeter Blue Jays: 1.) Reed Johnson 2.) Alex Rios Red Sox: 1.) Julio Lugo 2.) Covelli Crisp/Kevin Youkilis Devil Rays: 1.) Rocco Baldelli 2.) Delmon Young Orioles: 1.) Brian Roberts 2.) Melvin Mora

I would have loved to be sitting near Ozzie today when Anderson hit his blast (which sounded great off the bat) and Erstad backed that up with a pathetic AB that resulted in a k.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 09:02 PM) I always thought that being a "Grinder" involved being a guy who doesn't have the greatest natural talent. Otherwise, why isn't Thome a grinder? How many guys are there in baseball who run as hard to first as him? He just also hits the ball really really hard. A grinder -- to me anyways -- has always been someone with lesser natural talent than his peers and more often than not lesser production than them as well but they make the absolute most of the talent and opportunities afforded to them. These players are prone to dumb injuries, pointless diving catches, insane hustle, jacked up play and poor statistical output.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 08:47 PM) See, I knew you were good for it. Got a link to that quote? I Want to bookmark it. I just google news searched it so i don't know what the hell site this is but here's the link. http://nwitimes.com/articles/2007/03/12/sp...29c000af076.txt I'll try to find the Trib article as well. I looked again and the article i posted is from the AP.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 08:24 PM) I know you're good for it, do you have that direct quote about the CF competition, and nothing is going to be handed to either? I looked on Chisox.com, and can't find it. I just want a link so I can look back on it. I have seen the quote, just can't find it. From March 12: Player A: 51 AB | 14 H | 5 R | 0 HR | 6 RBI | 2 BB | 10 K | 2 SB | .275/.296/.333/.629 Player B: 32 AB | 9 H | 5 R | 2 HR | 5 RBI | 4 BB | 5 K | 2 SB | .281/.351/.531/.862 It's good to see Ozzie keeping his word and rewarding the job to the player who performs best during the spring. f***ing hypocrite.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 06:54 PM) I think KW and Ozzie are hoping Erstad can somehow get back to that form in that season (was it 00 or 01, yeesh a long time ago) that he hit over .300 and was a stud. If this is true then KW should be fired on the f***ing spot. That's just ri-god-damn-diculous. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. Is there a reason the Sox haven't gone after Danny Graves yet? He was f***ing dominating b****es in 2000, Edgardo Alfonso? Richard Hidalgo? Jose Vidro? Jeff Cirillo? Luis Gonzalez? If they're really banking on his reverting back to his 2000 numbers then there's no hope for this team.

QUOTE(Damen @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 08:13 PM) I don't know if there's anything to show Erstad is a better hitter than Anderson at this point. He will probably hit for a slightly better average, but have that offset by a putrid slugging pct and OBP. Why sacrifice the defense for such a marginal improvement, if there is any at all? This is incredibly frustrating to see two guys who have not done anything to earn a starting spot on a contending club the last few years be handed the job. You're f***ing crazy Erstad's .296 ST OBP is just awesome. His 0 HR and 10 K are 2 more indicators of how great he's been this spring. I thought the starting CF was going to have to earn his job during Spring Training?

QUOTE(Jenks Heat @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 08:01 PM) I see him being traded to the Phillies for Jon Lieber. KW is ballsy not retarded.

QUOTE(CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 07:58 PM) Brian played today in the loss to the Royals so me thinks he's fine. He went 1 for 3 . And homered.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 07:33 PM) Yeah, it has obvious flaws. In no grinder system should Byrnes have the same rating as Carlos Beltran. It'd be interesting though if Soxtalk actually put together something for this. I have my insanely boring Art History class for an hour and a half tomorrow morning, I usually watch movies on my laptop during the class but I'll instead try to put together some sort of Grinder Index. I'm thinking it could end up being the next QB Rating. I'm determined to get this done. The Sox seem to be the home of the grinders so why shouldn't a Sox fan be the one to come up with the statistic that quantifies that which the Sox preach.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 07:12 PM) Riding home on the train today I was browsing through the Tribune and thought of a discussion on Soxtalk pertaining to our favorite term, "grinders." An interesting question was raised last week on how to quantify such a term, since its interpretation shifts depending upon the person using it. I believe I have found something relatively easy for quantifying a "grinder." It's just OPS / (AB/SB). The entire goal of such a statistic is providing a players number in relation to "0." Further they are from "0," closer they are to being labeled the quintessential grinder. How I figure is players deemed grinders should possess the following: absence of power, avg. heavy OBP, and -- most importantly -- a sizable amount of SBs. Here are several interesting numbers: -Albert Pujols (2006) - 14 -Miguel Cabrera (2006) - 16 -Darren Erstad (2000) - 40 -Juan Pierre (2004) - 52 -Scott Podsednik (2005) - 81 Eric Byrnes was a 35 last year

QUOTE(Y2HH @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 01:54 PM) All things being equal, I want Anderson out there -- he just seriously needs to put it together already. And, I do not want Owens out there -- nor do I want Terrero out there. If it cannot be Anderson, I'm taking Erstad as a fallback, but I still don't want Erstad batting #2...but if that's what happens...not much we armchair GM's can do about it. Well at this point it looks like BA is on the outside looking in, I honestly would not be surprised if he was a part of the next rash of cuts coming up. With Erstad and Pods startin in CF and LF respectively Anderson is not making the team so they're going to need a legit 4th OF to fill in every once in a while. Your choices for the spot are Terrero and Owens. And with out hesitation I'd take Terrero despite the fact that i think he's bad.

As of March 19th: IN: Jenks, Thornton, MacDougal BUBBLE IN: Logan, Masset, Haeger BUBBLE OUT: Aardsma, Sisco, Sean Tracey Sisco and Haeger are basically a toss up at this point.

QUOTE(Y2HH @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 01:47 PM) I disagree about me being wrong on baseball subjects...just because I don't agree with you doesn't make me wrong. That said, I also never went so far as to say a "puss" arm is a good idea for any position in baseball...but an average arm is fine by me. Well, Owens has a puss arm. So yeah I don't really know why you'd want him out there.

QUOTE(Y2HH @ Mar 19, 2007 -> 01:32 PM) I'll pass on Terrero. I've always felt that for the most part, having a good arm in CF is an overrated attribute. All things considered, it makes almost no difference considering even the best arms cannot stop runners from advancing *most* of the time. Getting good reads and having the speed to cover ground is far more important to me than having an arm. I'd prefer to have better cannon arms in LF and RF than CF...I believe they can make a bigger difference there. Then again, my opinion is probably regarded as being in the minority on most things concerning baseball around here. Well, that's mainly because you're wrong on a lot of baseball subjects. Not your fault, just the way it is. Juan Pierre compared to Grady Sizemore in CF. If there's a ball hit deep into the right center field gap up against the wall and a runner on first. Juan Pierre picks it up and rolls it to the cutoff man at the back of secondbase, run scores. Sizemore gets back to the ball and hits the cutoff man on a fly holding the runner to 3B or even gunning him out at the plate if he's dumb enough to run. A puss arm in CF could actually kill a team, every time there's a runner on second and a single up the middle a run is going to score but if you have someone out there who could actually throw worth a damn you're atleast giving yourself a fighting chance. It's really close to a tossup as to where you want your best arm to be in the OF between CF and RF. In right you have the deep corner and a long ass throw to 3B which is where the majority of your throwing opportunities are coming from. CF has deep gaps they have to worry about so an excellent arm out there is going to save you some runs. You put your puss arm in LF, that's basically proven. You'll find most of the noodle armed fielders out there because of the proximity to 3B. I'll take a guy like Terrero over Owens every day of the week in CF and it's not even close.

I'd much rather have Terrero on the roster, atleast he can make a throw if need be. You can only have so many Podsednik's on a roster, one is maddening enough, 2 is suicide.

QUOTE(RME JICO @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 03:09 PM) For one entire inning it was El Duque without a doubt. For one batter, the Jenks vs Bagwell was classic. Thats how I would separate those. For a single batter I'd say game 3 Garland Vs Biggio in I want to say the 7th or 8th inning with a couple on base. Garland doubled up Biggio with a changeup but he fouled it up so Garland did the unthinkable and tripled him up to no avail he ended up throwing something like 6 straight changeups which goes against most every rule of pitching on the final pitch Biggio just watched it into the glove for the inning ending K. Talk about balls, Garland really showed what he was made of in that AB.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 11:03 PM) Not so fast, Fathom... So there is a very small chance that Anderson could be kept on the roster to platoon against lefties? Even though he hits lefties at an even lower rate than he hits righties? Oh fun. I can't wait until May when all this bulls*** is moot thanks to the disabled list. QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 11:08 PM) overrated pothead who had one good season And yet he'll still dominate the 1-2-3 of the Sox because of the arm he throws with. If Danny Graves picked up a ball tomorrow with his left hand he'd have a job in the bigs as a Sox killer.

On a side not though for the 31% of the time that Scott Podsednik is standing on 1B next year you bet your f***ing ass that your going to see one hell of a bunt. Thome/Kong/Dye will of course follow that up with a 450 foot blast making the sacrifice pointless and moot. Welcome to sLmOaNlGl ball!

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 10:57 PM) http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...-home-headlines See ya Brian. Considering Ozzie said he'd only make the roster if he's a full-time starter, I hope Anderson is looking for an apartment in Charlotte. w00t worst 1-2 punch in baseball. Worst 1-2-3 when facing the likes of Dennys Reyes. Should be a fun first month.

QUOTE(Greg The Bull Luzinski @ Mar 18, 2007 -> 05:27 PM) 2004, eh? What Gary Glover up to? Non-Roster invitee with the D-Rays.

It's though to get a fastball past a hitter when you can't throw your breaking ball for a strike.

Danks is still stopping short on his curve, not following through and thusly leaving it up. Tat fastball was just right over the heart of the plate and Gonzalez hurt it.

I'm just wondering is arbitration like some sort of secret thing that only a few lucky baseball fans know about?