Timmy K. with a profile on Colby Lewis on Espn.com
When Bobby Valentine, the former manager of the Chiba Lotte in Japan, would see Marty Brown, the manager of the Hiroshima Carp, he would casually ask him before a game, "How are you doing?" Brown would reflexively answer, "I'd be better if Colby Lewis was pitching."
about 2 years ago
tdi1985
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I hope the sabermats
don’t get on JD for mentioning wins.
'Waiting for a girl and she gets me into fights
Waiting for a girl we get drunk on Friday night'
Sabermetrics don't mean as much to a GM
If he has an ERA of 1.00 but gets zero run support or gets his pitch count way up there early in the game it doesn’t help as much. From a GM’s perspective the main thing that matters is wins and losses. If his number three starter has 15 wins, then there’s a great chance your team is in contention all year, if not in the playoffs.
Don’t get me wrong, I love all the sabermetric data, but the bottom line is wins and losses.
you miss the entire point of sabermetrics
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
I don't think so
The goal of sabermetrics is in the name, to measure performance in ways and to degrees of specifics that the eye can’t. That is all important, but knowing how good players are is only effective if it makes you win, and what Daniels and Rossome are both saying, I think, is that the bottom line in a good transaction, particularly for where the Rangers are right now, is in helping the team win. It’s not that Lewis can’t be a good player if he doesn’t win, but him contributing to Daniels’ designs for this season centers around the team winning. I don’t think there is anything more profound in the comment than that.
by Brett Perryman on Feb 2, 2010 2:17 PM CST up reply actions
yes, but
sabermetrics is a tool that can be used to better evaluate individual performance to get an idea of how they will help your team win. Also, it is missing the point when referring to a pitchers wins is not an accurate evaluation of their performance, especially when there are so many intangibles that go into it. Ultimately, yes, your goal is to win, but it is not an accurate tool to evaluate your pitcher, especially if he ends up with a 1.00 ERA an FIP under 3.0. The problem lies elsewhere, not in that pitcher but in the supporting cast around them. Are those evaluated correctly etc?
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
I think
you’re the one missing the point now.
by Anonymous New Guy on Feb 2, 2010 2:38 PM CST up reply actions
I am almost certain that no one has said that a win is a good measure of performance. Jon Daniels was just using baseball-speak for I hope he helps us win, and the goal of any metric is to supply a piece of the information pie to decode what makes teams win. No one is directly correlating Colby Lewis’ wins with how good of a player he is.
by Brett Perryman on Feb 2, 2010 2:39 PM CST up reply actions
I'd like to think
That wins are a pretty good measure of collective performance, the ingredients of which are individual performances. There is a reason Pythagoras got involved in baseball, y’ know ………
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912) also -
"Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance."
~Ambrose Bierce
by Ed Coffin on Feb 2, 2010 3:22 PM CST up reply actions
Win vs win
We’re going back and forth between individual wins and team wins without being very specific. When I said that no one said that a “win” is a good measure, I meant individual wins as a stat for pitchers.
by Brett Perryman on Feb 2, 2010 3:30 PM CST up reply actions
wins carry information about performance
Are they the best measure? Of course not. But acting as if “W” is as meaningless a stat is the day of the week the pitcher was born is silly. Retrospectively, you can say a guy with 20 wins probably did a good job that year. The problem is you can’t really say whether he’ll win 20 or 10 games the next year.
The benefit of sabermetric stats is that they are to some extent predictive. A pitcher with a nice K/BB and FIP one year will likely repeat that the next year. Or you can a guy with 20 wins and a great ERA in spite of a terrible FIP and unrealistically low BAA will probably regress.
But ultimately, what matters to a GM is not that his pitcher has good peripherals, it is whether the pitcher gives his team more opportunities to win than the next guy. Post hoc, I’d rather have a guy with crappy peripherals and lots of wins than a guy who leads the league in FIP but was terribly unlucky. But the next season give me the unlucky guy.
Go Rice Owls!
Because Josey has questioned this signing, this statement grabbed my interest
That’s how good Lewis was for two years in Japan. And that’s why, when he became a free agent in the Japanese League on Dec. 31, 12 or 13 major league teams wanted to talk to him, and it’s why the Texas Rangers signed him to a two-year contract, beating out the Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins, who also offered two years.
I guess Mr. Beane agrees with JD.
Your 2009 Snow Monkey Ambassador
In the grand scheme of things
this should be a pretty low risk, high reward deal that the Rangers should be able to absorb with the new ownership.
Go Rangers! Go Cowboys! Go FSU!
I keep going back to Kaz Fukumori
That deal was pretty roundly panned here and most places at the time, but it was regarded correctly as not that big of a deal. They gave him a roster spot and a small amount of guaranteed cash for multiple years, and when he sucked, they outrighted him and ate a little cash. Lewis is the same deal, just a bit more cash, but the potential payoff is, I don’t know, maybe a hundred times greater, yet there is a much bigger negative backlash here. It’s odd.
by Brett Perryman on Feb 2, 2010 2:24 PM CST up reply actions
The difference is that Colby Lewis has been here before and was not very good.
People have that in the back of their minds through all of this. The expectation is that the future will mirror the past.
Gracchus (about Obama): I think he knows what America is. America is the mob. Conjure money for them and they'll be distracted. Take away their freedom and still they'll roar. The beating heart of America is not the paper of the Constitution, it's the power of the media. He'll bring them debt - and they will love him for it.
by Aquaman, Esq. on Feb 2, 2010 2:26 PM CST up reply actions
What I'm saying, though,
is that almost no one thought that Fukumori would be any good. There wasn’t even a serious debate about that. So the fact that they think that he is a poor bet isn’t a reason to get way, way more riled up about it than that deal.
by Brett Perryman on Feb 2, 2010 2:34 PM CST up reply actions
we've been conditioned to value money a lot more now
than when Fukumori was signed.
When all you hear, right or wrong, for a year is that the Rangers are broke, can’t sign their draft picks, may have to cut payroll, can’t go after big name free agents, etc., it is reasonable to say “hey, that 2 year $5 million could have been spent better elsewhere.”
With Kaz, the team was one year removed from making big bids for Matsuzaka and Zito. Money wasn’t quite as tight then, or at least the perception of it wasn’t.
Go Rice Owls!
I think the difference is...
…that Lewis sucked in the U.S. If his name was Colbashi Leyuri and he’d spent all his time pitching in Japan, people would be fired up.
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 2, 2010 3:11 PM CST up reply actions
I hope Colbashi sticks,
it has a good ring to it.
"BIg whoop, wanna fight about it?"
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
by lost in space on Feb 2, 2010 3:13 PM CST up reply actions
Colbayashi Maru
The unsolvable scenario testing cadet Ranger fanz.
Rangers pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report on Thursday, February 18.
by shroomer on Feb 2, 2010 3:16 PM CST up reply actions 3 recs
indeed
"BIg whoop, wanna fight about it?"
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
by lost in space on Feb 2, 2010 3:28 PM CST up reply actions
And we have a nickname
"JD gets complete blame or credit for what happens in 2010 and I think Nolan wants it that way. JD is paid to be a real GM and needs to start performing like one." - Josey Wales
this is the big thing for me
if he never sucked it up in MLB, people would be soooo pumped for a guy who put up those numbers in japan
"They’ve taken the Illini to the woodshed."
-Steve Lavin on Mizzou v. Illinois
by Jason Brynsvold on Feb 2, 2010 4:15 PM CST up reply actions
I'll agree
there was a lot of anti-Darren Oliver signing, too
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Feb 2, 2010 3:11 PM CST up reply actions
This deal
This is the kind of deal the Rangers have liked making in recent years, and have had some success.
Maybe people feel like he’s blocking some of our young guys from getting a shot? I’m not really concerned about that, but it might be the reason for some people.
Go Rangers! Go Cowboys! Go FSU!
Maybe so
I think it’s probably a vocal combination of people who think he’s going to block someone and people who wanted Jon Garland here. And of course it’s gotten a lot more attention, so those who don’t ever like any move are more likely to point out that they don’t like it.
by Brett Perryman on Feb 2, 2010 2:36 PM CST up reply actions
my initial response to the move wasn't favorable
it mainly stemmed from what was perceived as quality depth we already had in our rotation, and although the deal was a bargain, it seemed as though that 3M would dry up the budget. Looking into the deal further, it looks like a good move to bring this guy back. Ultimately, we’ll see if he can hack it against ML hitters. I hope all the projects are accurate.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
there is a much bigger negative backlash here. It’s odd.
Completely agree. Signing Lewis was a really savvy move, I think.
"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." -- Vince Lombardi
I think it is all about expectations
It has been a long time since i have genuinely felt we could win the division prior to the season actually starting. Maybe Lewis effectively being named the #3 starter on the staff has something to do with it too.
Fukumori was acquired by a team that just won 75 wins. He was expected to be a nice piece for the bullpen (iirc). Lewis is being added to a team that just won 87 games and to a solid starting rotation.
"JD gets complete blame or credit for what happens in 2010 and I think Nolan wants it that way. JD is paid to be a real GM and needs to start performing like one." - Josey Wales
Agree with everything there except for the word nice. Expectations from almost everyone here were quite low.
by Brett Perryman on Feb 2, 2010 2:54 PM CST up reply actions
Fair enough ha
1) He was expected to be a nice piece for the bullpen (iirc)
OR
2) He was expected to be a nice piece of crap for the bullpen (iirc)
"JD gets complete blame or credit for what happens in 2010 and I think Nolan wants it that way. JD is paid to be a real GM and needs to start performing like one." - Josey Wales
That is kind of a solid point
he was sort of annointed without much patience to see how he pans out. They have shown that they are not affraid to take a guy out of the rotation if he doesn’t work out though.
Go Rangers! Go Cowboys! Go FSU!
it's sort of the same yet opposite of Harden
We’ve got Harden now. If healthy, he should dominate. But the health is a risk. And we’re comfortable throwing in Holland, Harrison, Feliz, etc. if he does go down.
With Lewis, it’s not the health (these days) that’s in question, it’s if he can keep his control and be somewhat as effective and consistent as he was in Japan. If not, we are comfortable plugging in – once again – Holland, Harrison, Feliz, Moscoso, etc.
If both pan out, that means we’ve achieved a very quality, high level of pitching with Millwood’s spot and the # 5 slot (which is, even though he won’t act as the # 5 starter, what I place Lewis on this team – as Hunter, Feldman, Harden and whoever the # 4 are have had more recent ML competition and success). And that is huge.
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Feb 2, 2010 3:15 PM CST up reply actions
what ever happened to Kaz
did he catch on with a new team, pitch at all?
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Feb 2, 2010 3:10 PM CST up reply actions
according to wikipedia
He was in the Rangers organization until June 13, 2009 (which is longer than I would have expected). Now he is playing in the Japanese Pacific League.
Go Rangers! Go Cowboys! Go FSU!
His DADDY+ went from 0 to 100 - telling metric, IMO
His wife, Jenny, was pregnant with their first child, so Lewis decided, “I’ve got to go. I’ve got to make some money.”
Rangers pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report on Thursday, February 18.
I'm glad impending fatherhood was his impetus to actually make money.
What was he doing before that? Sitting naked in a beanbag chair eating cheetos?
Gracchus (about Obama): I think he knows what America is. America is the mob. Conjure money for them and they'll be distracted. Take away their freedom and still they'll roar. The beating heart of America is not the paper of the Constitution, it's the power of the media. He'll bring them debt - and they will love him for it.
by Aquaman, Esq. on Feb 2, 2010 2:16 PM CST up reply actions
Alright, alright, alright.....
Josey Wales born on LSB July 18, 2006 Jumped the shark--That glorious day in 2008. RIP Josey Wales.
In the interest of quicker games Ron should just tell the ump he's pulling the Feliz card and the ump should rule the inning over.--Sherman McCoy on Sept. 4, 2009
Apparently he was giving it to his wife.
"grilled cheese punches like a bitch" -Gdawg
"i feel like k-rod after a save." -by reagan on Jan 23, 2010, that glorious day Hicks was out of our lives.
I imagine he was sitting on whatever signing bonus he had gotten when he was drafted
That along with making whatever he was making bouncing between AAA and the majors was plenty for a young guy with a GF or wife at the time. But once he had a kid on the way he probably realized that this was his chance to make a lifetimes amount of money and not have to worry as much about raising the kid. Now hes gone to Japan, made some cash there, and has come back to the US with a contract he was never going to see had he not gone overseas
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
Will Carroll blurbs, from a chat today:
CTLawGrad (CT): How serious are Tanner Scheppers’ arm issues? Is he a pitcher that will have an especially short shelf life?
Will Carroll: Serious enough that the Pirates didn’t sign him and that a lot of teams for two years running had him “red flagged” in the draft, meaning their medical staff would not sign off on drafting him. Maybe he breaks down tomorrow, maybe in ten years, but I could say that about a lot of pitchers. The Rangers thought he was a reasonable gamble, especially given their situation with Purke. I think a rush through the system as with BJ Ryan gives us the upside potential.
Traffic Cop (THRland): I am going to keep just one of Carpenter, Sheets and Harden which light flashes reddest among them? Or better yet, which one would you keep?
Will Carroll: Carpenter by far. I like Harden, don’t have high hopes for Sheets, < snips >
Just figured I’d throw them on here, nothing really new.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Scheppers thing is interesting
in that Will Carroll is a pretty big name to be forecasting injuries for the guy.
Didn't one of the Fan Fest reports ...
quote JD as accusing ‘bloggers’ of being irresponsible with their reporting on TS’s shoulder situation?
I figured he was talking about Carroll and his ilk.
Rangers pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report on Thursday, February 18.
A significant difference between other team's medical staffs and the Rangers is
the Rangers apparently have some sort of shoulder rehab/prehap routine. They might feel his medical condition is more navigatable than other organizations.
Pro baseball has always been a dream, so this is pretty freakin’ cool out here. -- Tim Steggall, undrafted Rangers minor leaguer.
I don't think Carrol is in that group
He probably has the best understanding of what Schepper’s problem is of anyone not working for a MLB team (and maybe even more than some of those guys). He’s basically been saying the same thing about Scheppers this entire time. There’s a huge risk with his shoulder, but its no guarantee he gets hurt anytime soon or even at all.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
I'm a little surprised
you don’t hear more about trusting the Rangers medical staff which has been deemed one of the best in the industry lately.
Go Rangers! Go Cowboys! Go FSU!
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome aside...?
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Feb 2, 2010 3:18 PM CST up reply actions
See that's the thing that bothers me
you’ve got a guy with a prior injury. We’ve tested him and he’s passed physicals. He’s shown he can pitch against higher (than HS and college) competition and still sling it and be effective.
Then you’ve got a Purke, or smilar, arm. He’s a HS arm. Never anymore competition than that. Was coming at a much higher bill, and with to me, just as much injury risk…especially considering the amount of comments regarding his not-so-perfect (or by the book) delivery.
Which has more risk? I think it’s BS to be bearish on Scheppers until he shows injury or ineffectiveness due to the prior injury while pitching for the Rangers organization. I can understand not crowning him as high as Feliz, Perez, etc. But still…
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Feb 2, 2010 3:21 PM CST up reply actions
it's not just as much injury risk
scheppers was actually injured and many believe the injury was because of his delivery. Purke hasn’t been injured (has he?)
oh no, the pirates didn't bite on him, he must suck
I thought it be all warm and shitty, but it just tasted like normal beer. It was still cold.
Yep
Why didn’t all of these genius teams draft Joba Chamberlain again? He was the #7 ranked player in the draft and went in the supplemental round to the Yankees for $1.1 million. Oh, that’s right, it’s because they thought he was too much of a medical risk. Anyone who passes on a high profile talent can give you a good reason for it. That doesn’t mean that they made the right decision.
by Brett Perryman on Feb 2, 2010 5:59 PM CST up reply actions
The A's only pretended
to be interested in Colby-san, they were just trying to get the Rangers to up their offer, obviously. In fact, they probably engineered the entire Japan thing, God the Rangers are such suckers.
Freude, schoener Goetterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische dein Heiligtum.
Honestly, I would have signed him
I was just concerned I would be too much of a distraction for the unwashed masses, so I didn’t.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com
hears that a “number of National League teams” are monitoring free agent right-hander Kris Benson.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Hasta luego Mr Benson,
you will not be missed.
"BIg whoop, wanna fight about it?"
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
by lost in space on Feb 2, 2010 4:11 PM CST up reply actions
maybe to the every player in the clubhouse who she said she was gonna blow if he cheated on her.
to me she was just another shitty players hot wife
I can't help it. I’m an asshole.
-brettgardner on Jul 7, 2009 10:55 PM EDT
...
And nobody even clicked my link…sad panda…
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
redundant
I was already laughing, but I clicked just for you.
Freude, schoener Goetterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische dein Heiligtum.
Thank you, kind sir
You are a credit to classical comedy.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Hmmmn
“I just went there with the mindset that on a 3-2 count, it was like, ’Let’s see how far you can hit it, here it comes,’” he said. “I decided that I’m not going to put you on base. There are so many one-run games over there, you’ll have to earn your way on. Over here, I was so sporadic. I was trying to throw the ball by guys all the time. I decided that I’m not going to let you beat me by beating myself. If you’re timid, and you don’t want them to hit the ball, you start nibbling, you get behind in the count, and that’s when you get in trouble. My strikeout totals were higher than I thought they’d be over there, but when you get ahead, you can make them chase.”
All of a sudden, I’m not so confident in that BB rate translating over here.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
Who thinks it will?
Everybody would still be happy with a mild regression. If his K/BB ratio doubles it’s still better than Garland’s.
"You promised me, Eckstein, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life, there have only been one set of prints in the sand. Why, when I have needed you most, have you not been there for me?" David Eckstein replied, "Because my little legs had gotten tired, and you were carrying me." And I looked down and saw that I was still carrying David Eckstein.
Then he grounded out weakly to second.
Meh, pitchers usually have a "light on" moment
He only pitched 217.1 in the bigs before going to Japan. I think it was more a case of stuff working in AAA (and injuries), and that same stuff not working in MLB. He finally “got it” when he had to go to a foreign country to earn money, and consequently was exposed to new and/or different pitching philosophies.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
?
What about that quote made you think that he wouldn’t have better command over here than he did the first time through?
I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan
Well, he's not gonna be able to just pound the zone like that or get guys hacking at bad pitches over here.
But yeah, maybe it’s his chances of overall effectiveness that should speak to, not his BB rate.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
by LSJ on Feb 2, 2010 6:50 PM CST up reply actions
He pitches in the 90s
isn’t that exactly what Jon Garland and Kevin Millwood does? Pound the strike zone and rely on your defense?
It’s not like he allows a shit load of FBs or HRs.
I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan
"I will not stop referring to Japanese people as Japs despite how racially charged that term is." - LSJ on being asked by WyoRange
Yeah, and I'm not big fans of Garland or Millwood.
Millwood sucks.
I think you misunderstand one thing, it’s not that I expect Lewis to be dogshit all of a sudden. It’s more of an observation than an expectation, but the guy just basically admitted he feels a lot of his success over there was due to pitching in a shitty offensive league. And if he feels that way, it doesn’t exactly inspire my expectations.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
by LSJ on Feb 2, 2010 6:56 PM CST up reply actions
Dumb
well obviously he’s not going to be exactly Millwood or Garland, but it shows that mentality really doesn’t stop pitchers from being effective. He gets a lot of Ks on the slider/change/shuuto-cut thing.
I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan
"I will not stop referring to Japanese people as Japs despite how racially charged that term is." - LSJ on being asked by WyoRange
Well, not really.
If he pitched in a shitty offensive league, he pitched in a shitty offensive league.
I’d just kind of bought into the idea that it might’ve been a better league than AAA-level or something until reading that.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
by LSJ on Feb 2, 2010 7:02 PM CST up reply actions
You draw the dumbest
conclusions possible.
Not nibbling is what he attributes to his success. Nibbling is also why everyone hates Matt Harrison. Good stuff nibblers are incredibly annoying. Nowhere did he say “well, the offense in that league was pretty awful.”
You should never drive any sort of complex machine for the Air Force.
I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan
"I will not stop referring to Japanese people as Japs despite how racially charged that term is." - LSJ on being asked by WyoRanger
No, he attributes his success to being able to get away with piping 3-2 pitches and getting swinging strikes he wouldn't get in the majors.
Basically he’s dominated minor league hitters for 2 years. All well and good, I’m sure he’s a different pitcher now than he was during his MLB stints, but after reading that I just don’t see why we should be expecting better things from him than one of our young guys like Holland or Hunter.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
by LSJ on Feb 2, 2010 7:15 PM CST up reply actions
Only you
can read something like this
[quote]
"I decided that I’m not going to put you on base. There are so many one-run games over there, you’ll have to earn your way on. Over here, I was so sporadic. I was trying to throw the ball by guys all the time. I decided that I’m not going to let you beat me by beating myself. If you’re timid, and you don’t want them to hit the ball, you start nibbling, you get behind in the count, and that’s when you get in trouble. My strikeout totals were higher than I thought they’d be over there, but when you get ahead, you can make them chase."
[/quote]
after watching Lewis’s first stint here and watching Matt Harrison for 2 years and view it as a negative.
I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan
"I will not stop referring to Japanese people as Japs despite how racially charged that term is." - LSJ on being asked by WyoRanger
wtf
quote fail
I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan
"I will not stop referring to Japanese people as Japs despite how racially charged that term is." - LSJ on being asked by WyoRanger
He learned how to pitch over there.
I’m not saying that’s a bad thing.
I’m saying that based on this quote, the league he was in is worse than I thought it was, which means he’s still basically going to be subject to the same minors/majors jump young pitchers have to make. Which makes me wonder why we’re expecting him to automatically be better than Holland or Hunter.
You’re missing my point, though I didn’t articulate it well at all.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
by LSJ on Feb 2, 2010 7:28 PM CST up reply actions
how do you know that it wasn't his dominating stuff
that was getting hitters out?
You are begging the question. He must have bad stuff because he was getting hitters out but the league must be shitty because he has bad stuff.
The thing about Lewis might be
that the cutter he began throwing over there has made a pretty big impact on his performance. His career splits show that lefties have knocked him around pretty good. Also, he tends to walk left handed hitters quite a bit more, probably due to the fact that he didn’t want to throw the ball over the plate to the left handed hitters for fear of being hit hard, thereby ‘nibbling.’ The cutter, if it is a quality pitch, is a good neutralizer against left handed bats, and this may allow him more confidence to throw it on 3 ball counts for weak contact or strikeouts. Occasionally pitchers such as Feldman and others rejuvenate their careers with cut fastballs and become serviceable pitchers. Just looking at the video that was linked here on this site the day or so after he signed, showed that he threw some pretty good cutters. Maybe this and much better confidence could be the difference between Lewis then and now. I guess we won’t know until his first few outings.
Formerly known as OKRangerFan
x
Which makes me wonder why we’re expecting him to automatically be better than Holland or Hunter.
Rich Harden isn’t going to automatically be better than Holland or Hunter. Neither would Cliff Lee or Felix Hernandez automatically be better this season than Holland or Hunter.
However, Lewis pitched better in the Japanese League the past two years — a league generally considered to be at about AAA caliber — than Holland or Hunter did in AAA.
That said, let’s say that Holland, Hunter and Lewis should all be viewed as equally likely to fail or succeed the next two years.
Or, scratch that…take Holland, who is a potential stud, out of the equation, and say Hunter and Lewis are equally likely to fail or succeed the next two years.
Wouldn’t 2 years of Tommy Hunter be worth $5 million? Particularly factoring in the option year?
Isn’t a team that considers itself a contender in 2010 better off with all three of those guys, particularly when the cost is, relatively speaking, minimal?
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 2, 2010 8:59 PM CST up reply actions
Good points
You’re right, there’s still no reason not to want Lewis here.
And I’m not really trying to say that, either. I’d much rather see him out there than McCarthy or Nippert. It just seems that expectations of Lewis are growing rather lofty based on the orgs decision to guarantee him a roto spot in ink when he’s really on the same plane as Hunter and Holland. I just found this quote as an indicator we might want to tap the brakes some.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
by LSJ on Feb 2, 2010 9:10 PM CST up reply actions
Defend Millwood?
I’m not really defending him. I don’t think he’s very good. I just don’t think he sucks.
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 2, 2010 8:21 PM CST up reply actions
Agree with AJM
Millwood doesn’t suck. He’s a good #3. Somewhere between Garland and Pettitte. I think Harden is more of what the Rangers need now. I also think that Hunter/Lewis as the 4 and 5 will be pretty good. I know stat geeks think wins don’t count, but if the Rangers win over half of the games that Hunter and Lewis start that’s a good thing.
In vino, veritas
inside joke you didn't remember
forget it.
i don’t think milly sucks either, though he might pretty soon.
the preceding post was a great success.
He's going to this year.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
by LSJ on Feb 2, 2010 7:31 PM CST up reply actions
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