Some Evening Randomness
by Adam J. Morris on Mar 24, 2008 10:15 PM CDT
Email
PrintPeter Gammons has a collection of spring quotes from anonymous execs and scouts, which includes a couple of items on Rangers:
• "What disappointed me most in Texas is Jarrod Saltalamacchia's receiving. He struggled behind the plate, and I loved him last year. Hopefully, it's a confidence thing because he was rough back there." For what it's worth, Bobby Cox liked his catching above his bat.
• "The best-looking player in Arizona has been Josh Hamilton. His power has been nothing short of spectacular."
Gammons also has some love for Edinson Volquez, and says no one can understand why the Rangers wouldn't deal Marlon Byrd for Matt Murton.
I think the bulk of it has to do with Byrd's leadership and defense making him more valuable, in the minds of the Rangers, than Murton...but here's something else to think about...
PECOTA's 2008 projection for Murton: .295/.359/.462, .276 EQA
PECOTA's 2008 projection for Byrd: .275/.331/.430, .270 EQA
If the difference between the two, offensively, is that slight, the defense probably gives Byrd the edge.
Incidentally, the issue of Marlon Byrd's leadership and defense -- and the increased importance the front office has put on outfield defense -- is something Jamey Newberg and I talk about in the inaugural Rangers podcast we did tonight, which should be available in the next day or so.
Ryan Drese got sent out by the Braves today. This outing -- which featured 6 runs in one inning on one hit, 6 walks, a HBP, and a WP -- probably sealed his fate.
Speaking of former Rangers pitchers who had brief flashes of success here...
Quick...what year did Aaron Fultz pitch like an all-star for the Rangers for the first two months of the season?
It was 2003...then he ran into a fence shagging balls in the outfield, hurting himself, and wasn't the same after that. And he's also out of a job today, with the Indians -- who had picked up his $1.5 million option for 2008 this offseason -- deciding they really didn't need him after all.
Kevin Goldstein does a "State of the System" rundown for the A.L. West, with, of course, some love for the Rangers. He gives odds for each team as to who will be that team's top prospect next year, with Neftali Feliz, Elvis Andrus, and Engel Beltre being the three leading choices for Texas.
44 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
6'5 catchers
just won't be good catchers (defensively) consistently. Go ahead and put him at 1st or trade him.
the truth.
Yes, by all means
Put him at the position where he committed 10 errors in 38 games last year, and hit .203 while manning. The position that he had never played professionally before last year. The position Chris Davis currently mans in the minors, and the position where Salty's bat has less value.
Sounds good to me!
I don't think we should trade him or move him
Because I'm not really a Taylor Teagarden believer. TayTea is a good prospect, but he has injury issues, and he has yet to do anything above AA. Moving Salty to first base might be something worth discussing later in his career, or if Teagarden does realize his potential, but right now, he's our future backstop.
You let him catch, continue to learn the catchers position, and put up with the growing pains because he'll make up for it with his bat.
But, if you want to talk about trading him, that's another reason to keep him behind the plate: more trade value back there.
Also
not sure what hitting .203 has to do with anything. Are you saying you rather have Laird catching and hitting everyday than a .203 hitter?
the truth.
My point is, Salty does not hit or play as well when playing first base
He has admitted as much. Here's his catcher/1st base splits from last year:
C: .325/.373/.503, 157 AB
1B: .203/.236/.346 133 AB
Pretty dramatic difference, no?
good stat
but i wonder if this could be a troubling trend with salty (especially after his statements about him not deserving to go back to AAA, a place where he's never been), if he doesn't play where he wants or starts where he wants, he'll just bitch and moan a lot and not concentrate on playing baseball...
the truth.
Well, you have to remember
Satly had never played first base proffesionally before last year. When you're stuck in an unfamiliar position, trying to learn it's nuances, I can see how that would affect your overall quality of play.
But, if Salty sulks, and does not perform well in AAA this year... you will have a point worth reinvestigating. But I'm not ready to go there yet, becuase I think he's plenty justified in not wanting to go back to AAA - how would you feel if you lost out to Gerald Laird?
I'd feel like
going wherever the team sent me and tear the cover off the ball...
Not whine about it, that's for sure...
Hopefully he will realize he's still very young and going to AAA is not a bad thing, just a place to refine his defensive skills and continue to get better...
the truth.
I agree....
Gerry is going to be a beast this year, Salty needs seasoning, he's only 22 and really hasn't had that much action above AA himself. He should be sent down this year for the whole year and be called up only if Gerry gets hurt. Then next year, we can flip either Gerry or Salty, maybe even Tea for the top flight pitching we need. I'm so excited that Gerry is the starter and predict a 20HR, 20DB, 20 SB season out of him.
Gerald Laird, the Man, the Father, the Son, the Beast, the One, the Savior, the Immaculate.
I disagree
I think Laird going to bomb this year, and petition to join the brotherhood of backup catchers. He already qualifies. He's a decent handler of pitchers, throws well, and hits like crap. He'd be perfect backing up salty, who's going to be an offense first type.
Yeah, I think the best position for Laird
is as a backup. His best years he'll probably hit .700-.750 OPS, which isn't terrible, and maybe even might be good enough to start for a catching starved team. I think he is basicly another Rod Barajas.
"Before I leave, I once again condemn the despicable buffoonery of D.J. Cahill." - Huck
+1
Laird would make a great backup, especally since then you could use his bat mainly agaist lefties, and not have to worry about his inabilty to hit RHP.
If Gerald would just admit to himself that he's a backup catcher, I would be completely on board with keeping him. But as long as he thinks he's a starting catcher, and as long as the organization keeps him there, I've got a big problem with Gerald Laird.
+ 1
I hereby ordain you Benny Brou Ha Ha<-----Wash thinks you can hit lefties....in 2 months time you will be a full fledged Brouhaha..trust me on that one.
by LAMuscleFag on Mar 24, 2008 10:37 PM CDT up reply actions
Byrd
I know things like leadership and "good face" are not popular on this board, but I am glad Byrd will be here to start the season. I go back to a story told by E Grant early in the spring about Byrd laying into Mench for being lacksadaisical during stretching. I think this team needs some guys holding the others accountable. I had thought this is why we gave 5/70 to FOTF, but I suppose it can't hurt to have some others backing him up. Anyway, I think Byrd is actually a pretty valuable guy to have around a youngish team.
Fire Ron Washington
Byrd v Murton
Raw stats
Year Byrd BA/ OBA/ SLG/ PA Murton BA/ OBA/ SLG/ PA
2007 .307/.355/.459/454 .281/.352/.438/261
2006 .223/.317/.350/228 .297/.365/.444/508
2005 .266/.323/.376/259 .321/.386/.521/160
Normalized
Year Byrd BA/ OBA/ SLG/ PA Murton BA/ OBA/ SLG/ PA
2007 .303/.352/.456/454 .265/.335/.409/261
2006 .227/.320/.354/228 .286/.354/.426/508
2005 .273/.331/.381/259 .317/.382/.518/160
Not sure I want either of these guys. Murton has been declining at ages where he should be getting better. (of course, it ignores what he's done in the minors: 2007, .331/.407/.570). Of course, there is the question of why he was in the minors, but the cubs haven't been exactly sensible with him.
My worry is that Byrd 2007 = Mathews 2006. I don't want to pay for him to hit .260/.305/.410 Of course, Murton has a chance to not make the team at all, but would it be bad to have Brussard at first, Botts DHing, and Mench in LF with Catalanotto backing up all three and Murphy backing up Bradley and Hamilton. Of course Botts could also play RF, too.
still, Byrd worries me. I don't know why.
splits: .916 OPS at home, .715 on the road.
.976 OPS first half, .726 second half.
ok. now I'm not worried. I know whats going to happen. I just wish it would happen in another uni.
Thought this was cool
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview08/news/story?id=3306773
Go to the bottom, sept 26 hambo with 40 bombs. Lets hope
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXWLfIgc0nA
How is
.295/.359/.462
considered close to
.275/.331/.430
Those OBPs are close to 0.030 apart and the SLG is > 0.030 apart. It doesn't make sense that that would translate to only 0.006 difference in value.
I'd suspect something is wonky with PECOTA's EQA evaluation.... (but then again, I never really liked EQA)....
To take a look at other .270 EQAs from 2007:
Millar - .254/.365/.420
J Drew - .270/.373/.423
Delgado - .258/.333/.448 (I guess offset by Shea factor and higher SLG)
D Johnson - .236/.349/.418 (Again Park Factors)
B Phillips - .288/.331/.485 (SLG is .055 higher than Byrd's predicted value)
M Young - .315/.366/.418 (Here, there should be no park factor, so a 0.035 loss in OBP is equal to a 0.012 gain in SLG? Especially when OBP is more important)?
Basically, there's something wonky with the EQA for at least predictions when .275/.331/.430 in a hitter's park is considered the same as the stats quoted above.
Req
by Requiem on Mar 25, 2008 12:40 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Doesn't eqa
take defensive position into account?
If they're counting Byrd as a CF'r, that would explain a lot, since many of the other guys you listed play LF and 1b.
Jason Botts PWNS.
by thedirkatron on Mar 25, 2008 7:24 AM CDT up reply actions
No
It doesn't. It adjusts for park, league offense, and pitching, but not for position.
Last year's EQAs by position
P .116
C .244
1B .279
2B .259
3B .269
SS .255
LF .269
CF .263
RF .272
Oth .263
"Before I leave, I once again condemn the despicable buffoonery of D.J. Cahill." - Huck
Great! Another anonymous quote
"What disappointed me most in Texas is Jarrod Saltalamacchia's receiving. He struggled behind the plate, and I loved him last year. Hopefully, it's a confidence thing because he was rough back there." For what it's worth, Bobby Cox liked his catching above his bat.
I would love to know who made this quote because he obviously doesnt know his ass from a hole in the ground. If you're going to say something about someone...man up!
Uncomfortable
Does it make anyone else uncomfortable that Salty's dad is so frequently and aggressively commenting on Salty's status. I dunno why but it kinda makes me feel wierd
Just unusual
Feels kinda like high school. I wonder how Marlon Byrd's dad feels about the trade rumors. I think a majority of people on this board like Salty and want him to be a key player in this thing for years to come. I should probably treat you like one of those and forget about the fact that you have a higher interest in the situation than the rest of us.
Sir/Madam
You may treat me any way you wish and I promise to return the same. Trade talks are part of the business of baseball and doesnt usually bother players relatives. However, inaccurate anonymous quotes, and 2nd/3rd party information being quoted as truth on website articles do have a tendency to bother us as I hope would bother you if it was about your son.
Fortunately Jarrod doesnt read any of this stuff and handles what he hears through the media alot better than I do. He feels that he cannot control what people say so just does his job to the best of his ability on the field and treats others like he would like to be treated.
I have no problem
with you defending your son, I would do the same. If everyone here knows this is Salty's dad, then just take his comments with the requisite grain of salt given his lack of objectivity and be done with it. I see nothing creepy about a father avidly following his son's career.
A working class hero is something to be.
On another note...
Why the 5-2-5 DP when it requires a tag? Isn't the 5-2-3 more conventional? Didn't mean to be a jerk. Glad you're here.
His brother
played 3rd and actually made that play with Jarrod during an American Legion Tournament and actually did it again during a short season game with the Braves. Rarely got to play together because of the age difference and I thought it was cool so..........
Slobbering
Why the vast difference in reverence for the posts of BGL and Salty's dad?
Good question.
Next track for OC, et al:
Del tha Funkee Homosapien - Catch A Bad One
by inactive lsb user on Mar 25, 2008 11:07 AM CDT up reply actions
Reverence
I think we all enjoyed the 'slice of life' aspect that CJ brought. I personally was a little uneasy when he would share his feelings about personnel, player performance, and management decisions.
In the same respect, I would love to hear more about 525's experiences as the father of a professional athlete and less about whether or not he thinks Salty should be the starting catcher or whether he thinks Salty receives well.
Just IMO
I Said Vast Difference
All the fawning that happened when BGL posted is a far cry from calling 525 on his opinions about what's said about his son and giving him the typical "smart assing" that you wouldn't dream of giving BGL.
This total lack of objectivity on most posters part when interacting with BGL is really my point but the offhanded treatment of a players father on the board makes the fawning over BGL stand out even more.
How dare 525 say what he thinks of Salty's capabilities, since no one else on the board talks about their favorite player's capabilities or whether they should start or not.
It's a valid question.
and I think the answer is probably something along the lines of how t ball responded.
There's also another aspect, too, though.
Whereas we knew that CJ was just talking about whatever struck his fancy and just being real, there's a suspicion that Salty's dad might have an agenda to push his son.
If he just talked in general like a fan, I think there wouldn't be quite the backlash....
Req
No
I talk about my son because I know him. I'm new here in Texasland and am not familiar with the players other than my son and Gabby. If you want to talk Braves players (which I'm sure you understandably don't) or other players that came up with Jarrod, I'd be happy too. I don't have an agenda. I've always been straight up with my sons good or bad. I've probably been more critical with them than most. If you all would like me to go the way of BGL.........I can do that!
Have a nice day
Actually....
I would rather talk about your knowledge of other Braves players. We're not ONLY Rangers' fans here.
I'd just think that, reasonably, ANY talk about your son would be frought with the potential inability to be unbiased.
Heck, I believe that it'd really hard for ME to be unbiased when talking about my son's abilities and what should be happening at his job. And since it seems (I may be wrong) that you've ONLY talked about your son and how he's potentially being wrongly treated, there's a potential feeling that there might be an agenda to your discussions.
I'd actually be interested in a discussion of other players like what is Matt Harrison like? Or is Jordan Schafer the real deal? What was it like for your son being behind another stud prospect like McCann?
Things like that.
Req
Forest - Trees
Before I post any more, I want to be very clear that I liked BGL's posts and have nothing against him - I'm talking about the responding posters.
You immediately go to agenda concerns when speaking of 525 and can't even dream that BGL motives are anything but saintly. I think even BGL might have a little smirk over that assumption. I understand empathy with someone you look up to and seems to share some of your interests.
It just seems wrong that someone with definite inside connections with a player (not just scuttlebutt) should be given a little more latitude than all of us just spouting opinions.
You know, if 525 proves over time to be an overgrown Little League father in his comments, everyone has their own perogative to act, but isn't it a little soon (and rude) to be giving him a hard time?
Huh?
Who says that BGL's motives are saintly?
Most of what BGL talked about was NOT RELATED SPECIFICALLY TO HIS CAREER or how he should be used, etc.
Most of what 525DP talked about has been RELATED TO HIS SON'S CAREER or how he should be used, etc.
Those are two completely different approaches.
In addition, when BGL HAS talked about the team and how he should be used or how he has been used or how others should likely be used, MOST people have taken it with a grain of salt.
For example, when he talked about Byrd being a potential solution, I think most of us essentially said, "You're entitled to your opinion, but I want to see more than just this past first 1/2 of the season, before I'm willing to entertain that idea."
So, I really don't see the double standard that you've been claiming has been going on. I just think the approaches from BGL and 525DP have been very different which has in turn affected the response to their comments.
Req
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Lone Star Ball
Related FanShots on Lone Star Ball
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Five tips for Showtime’s second season of ‘The Franchise,’ featuring the Miami Marlins
- The 10 best things about being a Detroit Tigers fan
- Surprise! A’s finally end the Yoenis Cespedes derby with $36 million deal for Cuban star
- The time Whitney Houston sang to Jim Bowden
- Pitchers and catchers! Mariners get early start in Arizona
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
