jphat007

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 10:16 PM) Considering how careful they were with him last season, the MRI diagnosing a groin strain will probably make the Sox very careful with him. The latest stories on chicagosports make it seem 50/50 that he'll be ready to go by Opening Day. If he continues to struggle adjusting to the scar tissue, I can't see Ozzie putting him out on the field. The most important thing though is that he gets confident in his own body. We saw last year what happens when he's tentative on the bases. I certainly wouldn't argue with Ozzie if he wanted to be extra cautious and sit Pods out Opening day. Not a bad idea at all if he's still feeling iffy. Good to see that Pods hopes to play Friday though.

QUOTE(fathom @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 10:05 PM) Yeah, you're making good points, and I appreciate the debate. The only thing that puts Crede and Anderson ahead of Pods, in my opinion, is their defensive value. I'm definitely not a fan of Podsednik's defense, and I think he's going to end up spending some time on the DL in April. Where is all of this DL talk coming from? Ozzie was talking about a few days. He said he would rather not have him play the opening series than lose him to a DL stint by him getting hurt worse. He just has a strain and Herm said it's as much mental as it is physical. Lots of people who have sports hernia surgery feel little pulls. I think Pods gets kind of nervous about it, but most of them don't bother people after a couple of days. Everybody is just wondering about making it back Sunday, possibly even Friday. I don't think next week is a concern. Herm said that he could have gone out there today if it were an important game. I think he might miss Sunday or maybe Tuesday, but I doubt it is more beyond that unless he reaggrevates something. PS. If there is a quote somewhere talking about it being extended I apologize.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 08:53 PM) Where are these stories about Ozuna killing lefties with Scranton? I don't remember them. Link? Regardless, I hope Ozuna can get the job done if Podsednik misses any time. I guess we can agree on that. Newspapers don't have online archives readily available. Maybe it's on google's cache or some archive site, but I sure as hell don't care enough to go look. You can just not believe me for that matter.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 08:49 PM) That was Ozuna's overall line with Scranton (Phillies' AAA team) in 2004. That's not really proof that he "pounded lefties." For all we know, he was killing righties instead of lefties. Regardless, he was a 30 year old playing at AAA. Afterall, Greg Norton looked pretty studly with the Charlotte Knights last year. Doesn't mean much though. LOL. I said that there were several stories in ST last year that said he pounded lefties in Scranton. I wish there was a reading comprehension smiley. Who cares what his age is. What does that have to do with anything? Turning 31-32 or whatever it might be isn't going to affect how he hits lefties this year. THis thread is done with.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 08:38 PM) When Ozuna was still a prospect, he had lied about his age. He turned out to be 4 years older than he said he was. That means that Ozuna was 4 years too advanced for every level he played at in the minors. Also, do you have minor league splits to prove that he has always hit well against lefties? Just curious. There are no splits, but he hit well against them last year, stories about him in ST last year said he pounded lefties in Scranton when he put up .307 .344 .415. Those are the only two documented accounts and they are the most recent. Makes an awful lot of sense to me.

QUOTE(Felix @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 08:31 PM) Almost every level isn't the major league. There is a huge difference because the major league and the minors. And what makes you think Ozuna has hit lefties well throughout his career? According to Yahoo, his career splits against lefties is .278/.311/.317, which is far from hitting well. So considering that he hit .306/.340/.357 (still not that great in terms of overall production, but whatever), which is much higher than his career average, he is more likely to fall back to where he has hit them throughout his career. Beacuse 1-14 and 1-8 stints in teh Majors THREE YEARS AGO drop those splits. Obviously Ozuna is a much different player as evidenced from the past two seasons.

QUOTE(Aderal @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 08:28 PM) Or he's a rookie A rookie Ozuna is not, which means they are two totally different situations. Another fine point. Plus Ozuna obviously found something that has helped his production tremendously at AAA in 04 and in the majors in 05. Just like BA likely will to allow him to hit better than .154.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 08:29 PM) Isn't jphat's point that Ozuna, for the 'short term', wouldn't be much of a drop-off from Pods? Obviously Ozuna is no kind of replacement over a long stretch. It seemed like a pretty simple concept to me. I mean, I thought I wrote it easy enough to understand.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 08:26 PM) I don't know if he will -- only Podsednik, Herm Schneider, and the Sox do. But we are talking about Ozuna replacing Podsednik in the lineup afterall. If Podsednik's groin continues to nag him (which apparently it is) he could miss even more time over the course of the season, increasing Ozuna's playing time and therefore decreasing our overall production in LF. We are talking about Ozuna replacing him for TWO games. That was all my point was about. Of course you try to turn it into something that I didn't say, as usual.

QUOTE(Felix @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 08:22 PM) No, its not. Its a small sample size, meaning absolutely nothing in the long run. The player could have just been on a hot streak for the small amount of at-bats, or a cold streak, or coming back from injury, or adjusting to major league pitching. If you want to think a sample of 98 AB's is enough, fine, but you're wrong. It's different, because Anderson, like Ozuna, has hit at almost every level he has been at during his career. Ozuna has always shown the ability to hit well against lefties, and in his longest and largest stint in the majors, Ozuna hit the ball well against lefties. What indication is there that he would backtrack. Was he hot for the entire year? Sure there is NO question that he could come out and hit .260 against lefties, but there is nothing to back up that assumption.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 08:16 PM) You said that that there wouldn't be a dropoff from Podsednik to Ozuna. I disagreed. That's about all that happened. And I don't know why you keep saying that Podsednik might only miss two games. How do you know? Yep, small sample size. And how do you know he'll miss any at all? I was only talking about those two games anyway because they would be the ones Ozuna would start. What does that have to do wtih anything?

QUOTE(Felix @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 08:15 PM) Hey, Brian Anderson hit .176 in 34 AB last year. There's no reason to believe he'll ever hit higher than that. Those are two totally different situations.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 08:06 PM) 98 AB's is a bit of a small sample size, IMO. But I'm not ignoring anything. Podsednik has outperformed Ozuna against lefties over his career and also last season. That means that Ozuna will be a downgrade from Podsednik, for any amount of time. I actually used stats to back up my point so I don't see why you are arguing with me. If Ozuna is just as good as Podsednik, why don't we trade Pods and start Ozuna in LF? LOL. Where the hell did I say that? You just love to put words in people's mouths. I said he wouldn't be a big downgrade, or really one at all, for the first two games against tough lefties, who Ozuna faired well against last year. The stats show they are both good against lefties, and Pods might get on base at most one time more in those two games. I'm one of the biggest Pods defenders on this board. I mean seriously man, where do you get this stuff from.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 07:55 PM) By the way, how exactly do you know when Podsednik will be back? Yesterday, you thought that he was going to play in today's game and you were sure he would be fine to start on opening day. What gives? Yep, and that's why I posted both Ozuna's career stats against lefties and his 2005 stats against lefties. Good call. :rolly Ozuna is a downgrade from Podsednik for any amount of time. He's a freaking bench player. To quote qwerty, "Cheesus lice." Yah. Might as well change the subject. I still wouldn't be surprised to see him play opening night. I wouldn't be surprised to see him get ABs in Atlanta. I mean seriously. How many times are you going to change the argument in a single thread? You said 98 ABs is too small a sample size to know how he will hit against lefties. That's teh best indicator we have of how he will hit this year against lefties. Let's just ignore it though! Seriously. No need for this to even continue.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 07:48 PM) Why are you looking at their AVG's and not their OBP's? It will be a downgrade. Ozuna is a bench player for a reason. No, it wouldn't. Not for two games. But then again, you think Ozuna isn't going to hit lefties beacuse of his struggles in 14 and 8 ABs in 02 and 03.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 07:36 PM) Okay, here are some stats for you then... Podsednik (career stats vs. lefties): .267 AVG / .336 OBP / .378 SLG / .713 OPS Ozuna (career stats vs. lefties): .278 AVG / .311 OBP / .317 SLG / .628 OPS Podsednik (2005 stats vs. lefties): .330 AVG / .404 OBP / .350 SLG / .754 OPS Ozuna (2005 stats vs. lefties): .306 AVG / .340 OBP / .357 SLG / .697 OPS So Ozuna WILL be a downgrade from Podsednik against a lefty starter on opening day, unlike what you said. Is that enough proof for you? It won't be much of a downgrade for those two games. Both players were good against lefties last year and 24 points isn't that big of a different in two games. They would both go approx. 2-6/3-9 with a walk. If it were for a whole season then the dropoff might be apparent, but it's not. It would be for a game or two. Secondly, that's not even the part I was arguing. You said 98 ABs is too small to tell what he might do against lefties when it's obivous that he hit well against them with decent PT and his role with the Sox. There is no reason to think he might not do it again.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 07:23 PM) So... it was only 98 AB's. Ozuna may not perform like that against lefties again this season. LOL. Let's just predict he'll hit .200 against the lefties. Nothing statistically to back it up, but it MAY happen. How much sense does that make. Why wouldn't you use the info that you have. If it's the middle of the season and I say let Pablo hit against the lefties when he is hitting .200 against the lefties that is one thing. As of now he hits well against lefties and there is nothing to dispell that.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 07:21 PM) Small sample size of 98 AB's though. So?

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 07:08 PM) :headshake :headshake While I would really like to see Pods back by April 2nd, the last thing I want them to do is rush him back. I guess its better to be safe than sorry, but I just dont want him in and out of the lineup all season....... Yah. Might as well let Ozuna face the lefties. .306 against them last year so it's not like there would be a dropoff.

GOod thing we aren't in the NL West. The Dbacks would beat us 15 or 16 times.

Hopefully Jeff mows us down. He's fighting for a bullpen spot. Seemed like a nice guy.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 04:10 PM) Can somebody recap bobby's outing. All I saw was the last pitch. Went 2-2 to first batter. Got a little squibber to short. Threw fastballs. Mainly around the zone. Went 1-0 to Quintin before he hit a ball fairly decently on a pretty good pitch. THat kid can hit. Bobby threw a curve that bounced way short to start the AB. Last AB went 1-1 I think before a soft gb to second.

Well. It's just one inning but his control of the fastball was definitely better. Velocity was better. Control of the curve wasn't all that great the two times he threw it.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 04:08 PM) Thanks, just wanted to see if he was getting any righties out as well. Boone Logan on WSCR 670 with Boers and Bernstein right now! They were all righties. THat I remember. And it was Jackson, because Quentin just hit. He looks like a good hitter. Both of them do.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 04:03 PM) What three batters did Boone Logan get out? Hudson, Jackson or Quintin, and somebody else. LOL. Kinda helpful.