Matt Kata
Here's what I don't get.
The guy can't hit. As I'm typing this, he's 1 for his last 37.
He's a lousy defensive third baseman.
Presumably, he's on the team because he's a backup shortstop or second baseman.
But today, when Michael Young isn't starting at shortstop, rather than put Kata at short, Ron Washington puts Ramon Vazquez at shortstop and puts Kata at third base.
Which presumably means that Kata, as awful as he his defensively at third base, is even worse defensively at shortstop.
Which means that he has zero value on the major league level. He can't hit, he can't field, and he's not fast enough to have any value as a pinch runner.
And yet, it seems that our manager is bending over backwards to find ways to get him into the game. Remember when Kata started at first base, and Washington refused to pinch hit for him?
Or just a couple of days ago, when Kata pinch hit for Vazquez as the go-ahead run in the 8th with a lefty on the mound, even though Victor Diaz is on the bench?
I've come to the conclusion that Kata needs to be taken off the roster ASAP, not because he's not useful -- he's not useful, but as a 25th man who never plays, it doesn't really matter -- but because our manager apparently can't be trusted to leave him on the bench.
69 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Wash
Kata
Matt Kata bleeds his guts out every day for this team and all you people want to do is talk about some stupid stats he may or may not have.
Not only that
by mikedallas23 @ Lone Star Ball on Jun 4, 2007 7:59 AM CDT up reply actions
I'd much rather
I didn't realise that
by gp on Jun 3, 2007 5:08 PM CDT up reply actions
And
by badradiorules on Jun 3, 2007 5:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Kata
That would be comical
by Brandon Wilson on Jun 3, 2007 5:31 PM CDT up reply actions
huh?
Why would you think I wasn't being serious? Get your head out of the stat book and watch a baseball game.
Umm
And Matt Kata can't play. He doesn't get hits, he doesn't field balls. If guys should be on big league rosters based soley on grit and guts, I'd still be playing.
by badradiorules on Jun 3, 2007 8:50 PM CDT up reply actions
Ummm
by Brian Thomas on Jun 3, 2007 10:03 PM CDT up reply actions
To be fair
by LoneStarBallUser on Jun 3, 2007 10:22 PM CDT up reply actions
This place has turned into the fifth grade
by badradiorules on Jun 3, 2007 10:56 PM CDT up reply actions
you're the new guy
More importantly
and to top that off
stop
I'm a wholesome white boy from Ohio
dude....
buddy...
you're on crack
so?
NOT wufdog
I'm surprised he got his nose out of a stat book long enough to find the time to post over here.
:)
Who
not related
Washington
I'm sure everyone will jump on me for being a "Billy Beane lover" or something of the sort, but this kind of crap doesn't happen, or at least it doesn't happen for long, in Oakland. Beane will just call his manager, remind him who the boss is, and tell him to stop playing Kata. It may be micro-managing, but it prevents this crap from happening.
by BurntOrange on Jun 3, 2007 5:49 PM CDT reply actions
kata
Well
by BurntOrange on Jun 3, 2007 5:58 PM CDT up reply actions
dfa
what can he possibly learn in aaa/the minors
lets not kid ourselves, the rangers do NOT NEED a backup utility guy taking up space in teh minors - were just not that good - - we need players to get ABs and develop.
by knockoutking24 on Jun 3, 2007 6:21 PM CDT up reply actions
The problem is....
I agree that there's no need to invest ABs in Matt Kata, but taking them away from the likes of Desi Relaford, Tug Hulett and Drew Meyer wouldn't get me overly worked up.
Other than Jason Botts, our AAA team is basically an accumulation of worthless crap.
by BurntOrange on Jun 3, 2007 6:27 PM CDT up reply actions
i agree
at least you can use him as a pinch runner, right?
meyer is a beast! lol
o yea, one more thing. if we end up (again) with JHJ, vazques, kata all on the roster at the same time (with botts in the minors) i think i may lean towards joining the fire JD bandwagon...
by knockoutking24 on Jun 3, 2007 6:14 PM CDT reply actions
Washington played Vazquez at SS
I'll bet he tries him in the OF as well, and if he does well, then he drops Kata.
by subsidiarity on Jun 3, 2007 6:29 PM CDT reply actions
take a deep breath
It's clear that cruz and kata are both gone when wilkerson and hairston come back. So calm down.
There's bound to be 1, possibly 2 guys that don't get many at-bats on any team - so called utility guys. These are slots reserved for veterans who can step in when needed. These slots are NOT for guys you want to develop.
All that having been said, Wash shouldn't have pinch-hit Kata for Vazquez the other night when he had Diaz on the bench too.
by Randy Richardson on Jun 3, 2007 6:29 PM CDT reply actions
Kata is not...
kata
by Randy Richardson on Jun 3, 2007 6:37 PM CDT up reply actions
i would. junk fits nicely.
hes hitting under 200 in 66 ab's
hes 1 for 37+
he has 5 walks/18 k's
his obp is .264
so yes, i would call him junk
i mean honestly, there is NO WAY that meyers can be any worse than him.
think about it - this guy is a worse hitter that brad ausmus and adam everett -- and at least they play good defense!!
lets face it, kata is HANDS DOWN the worst player (stats wise) on our team right now.
by knockoutking24 on Jun 3, 2007 7:37 PM CDT up reply actions
Kat A
That would be awesome if his OPS really was 52. He'd be 5 for 195 (all singles) with no walks.
Actually, his OPS must be pretty damn close to 52 during this little 1 for 37 setback he's got going on.
At any rate...who cares? Matt Kata's not here to make "OPS" or whatever other b.s. stat Bill James told you about in your stat book. He's here to play baseball and it's just too bad none of the other players on this team play with even a tenth of the amount of hard-nosed grit Kata consistently brings to the table.
I second that ..Kata SUCKS..
by RangerDisaster on Jun 3, 2007 11:29 PM CDT up reply actions
JHJ
At least we have something invested in Meyer. If he can't do it, you can always go out and get a Hairston cheap in the offseason.
by badradiorules on Jun 3, 2007 8:58 PM CDT up reply actions
Horseshit
Gee, I wonder how Trey Hillman is doing in Japan this year.
" I picked a bad day to stop drinking."
by lwjr on Jun 3, 2007 7:28 PM CDT reply actions
Nippon Ham Fighters
by drilledpress on Jun 3, 2007 8:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Hey...
BoSox crowd chanting "Where Is Ro-Ger?"
Here's what I don't get.
by isaacbrock on Jun 3, 2007 9:22 PM CDT reply actions
Ranger's All Star
CJ Wilson - best numbers
Young - past performance
by Randy Richardson on Jun 3, 2007 11:55 PM CDT reply actions
I don't remember too many......
Let's just complete the summer of suck by sending Kata.
HAHA ... thats funny...yeh we may have to..
by RangerDisaster on Jun 4, 2007 10:48 AM CDT up reply actions

by 


















