Evan Grant on David Murphy
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 8, 2010 2:21 PM CST
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PrintEvan Grant has a blog post up regarding how the Rangers are going to find playing time for David Murphy...
The reality is that if the Rangers are struggling to find a way to get Murphy ABs, that's a good thing. That means that Josh Hamilton and Vlad Guerrero are healthy and productive, and Nelson Cruz and Julio Borbon are playing well.
Grant suggests that Murphy could get some playing time at first base against lefties, but that doesn't really make a lot of sense to me, since Murphy doesn't hit lefties any better than Chris Davis does. Getting Murphy playing time at first base makes some sense if Davis falls on his face again and Justin Smoak isn't ready, but sitting Davis lefties so Murphy can start there is problematic.
At the end of the day, I suspect that finding playing time for Murphy won't be an issue. I don't think Vlad is going to start 150 games at DH, I imagine Josh Hamilton is going to have to sit from time to time, and and the end of the year, Murphy will probably have 300-400 PAs.
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Gawd Almighty.
The idea:
that Josh Hamilton and Vlad Guerrero are healthy and productive
makes my 2010 Rangers weenie go crazy.
"...like some Russian priest fresh off a bottle of potato vodka and a box of cigars." -t ball
Didn't they write this exact same story about Byrd last year?
Shadazz. She's sensitive. Just like jazz. SHADAZZ.
by Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge on Feb 8, 2010 2:27 PM CST reply actions
I'm not sure you want to give Murphy more than those 300-400 ABs anyway
I’m a firm believer he’s nothing more than a solid 4th OF, and that’s right in the range you want him
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
Wait - is this original content?
"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.
Tex34 was whining about this the other day.
Similar to Jayslick.
God I feel stupid I remember usernames but not my mom’s birthday.
"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.
That guy has a huge stick up his ass.
"Big whoop, wanna fight about it?"
by lost in space on Feb 8, 2010 3:32 PM CST up reply actions
Beats me
Could be when I went to nationals in debate. Or was it when I finished top 9 in the national environmental law school moot court competiton? Maybe it was the district law school moot court competition? Shit, I’m so jam packed with nerdy accomplishments they all run together.
"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.
I was the defense attorney in mock trial
And got my client off faster than anyone ever had (according to my gov’t teacher). The Jury deliberated for about 10 seconds and came back with a not guilty verdict. Too bad I hate school with a passion and have heard such bad things about the life of a courtroom lawyer.
Never did mock trial
Got cornered into being a witness once. Moot court was a load of fun. I even liked writing the briefs.
"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.
What School?
What school did you compete for when you went Nationals?
Foolish consistency is the hobgobblin of little minds - Emerson
Sorry - I was referring to high school debate
Never debated in college for whatever reason. Oh – I remember the reason. Drinking, hanging out with fast women, basically going the opposite of a high school debater.
"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.
I can't tell you how much I love your use of the term "fast women"
Shadazz. She's sensitive. Just like jazz. SHADAZZ.
by Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge on Feb 8, 2010 5:41 PM CST up reply actions
At first I thought he said fat women
"Big whoop, wanna fight about it?"
by lost in space on Feb 8, 2010 6:01 PM CST up reply actions
The opposit of a high school
master debater then, eh?
"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason." - Benjamin Franklin
by JBP on Feb 8, 2010 6:31 PM CST up reply actions
What High School?
I used to coach high school debate some years ago.
Foolish consistency is the hobgobblin of little minds - Emerson
See my sig, Blogamemnon
"I don’t know how these SN blog authors get their gigs, but I’m frankly surprised SN tolerates AJM’s lack of effort." Tex34
Neftali Feliz says sit your 5 dollar ass down before he makes change...
I hope you're happy
Ths prompted me to devote a great deal of effort to responding to the post. My response is chock full of commentary, analysis and statistics, even if my blog posts aren’t.
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 8, 2010 7:23 PM CST up reply actions
I think the whole discussion is pretty much a riot
Maybe dude’s Mark Cuban’s cousin…and a big fan of Family Guy.
"I don’t know how these SN blog authors get their gigs, but I’m frankly surprised SN tolerates AJM’s lack of effort." Tex34
Neftali Feliz says sit your 5 dollar ass down before he makes change...
Playing Murphy at first
Makes zero since as you said Adam. They both suck against lefties, but at least Davis can pick it at first.
by texrangers31 on Feb 8, 2010 2:41 PM CST via mobile reply actions
"pickin' machine!"
"...like some Russian priest fresh off a bottle of potato vodka and a box of cigars." -t ball
since when?
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
Sorry, I didn't mean Davis couldn't pick 'em at first
texrangers31 misused “since”. it should be ‘sense’.
I shouldn’t care about these things…
"Drinks are on me if Lewis posts >168IP and an era lower than 3.86." by RangerMad on Jan 20, 2010 12:36 PM PST
2nd time that happened today
But I didn’t notice…
"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.
Murphy at 1B
Assuming the 25th man on the roster is a RH hitter who can play 1B, I could see Murphy playing a role as the LH hitter in a platoon at 1B in the event Davis is horrible again, and Smoak isn’t ready.
by Darrell McKown on Feb 8, 2010 3:24 PM CST up reply actions
Murphy
I think he’s a very useful guy to have around.
Not mediocre. Right about average
And he's going to wear lucky # 7 again
It's baseball. You don't always get what you want, and you don't always want what you get. --Ed Coffin
I agree
If we only need 200 PAs from him this year, we’ll be in good shape.
Even if we need 400 PAs from him this year, he isn’t someone who is going to hurt us in that type of role.
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 8, 2010 2:47 PM CST up reply actions
he is what he is
an excellent 4th OFer.
"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
I agree with Adam
As Murphy has demonstrated the last two seasons, he is a capable player.
And if a starter goes down, Murphy would know what his role would be then because he’d be stepping for said starter.
What I do think is important is for the Rangers to determine how they WANT to use Murphy in the event that there are no health issues. And I think they need to communicate clearly to him what that role will be by the time they leave spring. That will help him prepare on a daily basis.
As we’ve said before, baseball players are creatures of habit. They have routines they like to follow. Often, the routine is different for bench players on the days they play vs. the days they sit. I’m not sure the Rangers clearly communicated to Frank Catalanotto his role in 2007 and 2008 and I think that may have had some impact on his performance.
I can't imagine the Rangers view him as a legit option at 1B vs LHP
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
Hell
id ready see Khalil Greene out there. Unless there is an injury, there is no way that murphy should see a start vs. a lefty.
"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
id rather*
"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
I'd like to see Murphy packaged with someone like Poveda if it would return a decent RH hitting 1B/OF'er
Murphy’s a great guy but redundant to meeting the needs the team currently has.
Murphy
I don’t think he’s redundant.
What other solid 4th outfielders do we have on the roster?
by Darrell McKown on Feb 8, 2010 5:17 PM CST up reply actions
Boggs
I like him, but I think we need to see him recover from last season before assuming he can be a solid 4th outfielder.
by Darrell McKown on Feb 8, 2010 5:22 PM CST up reply actions
What did he show two years ago that makes you think hes a good 4th OF option?
Hes not good enough offensively to me to be a 4th OF. His defense (if healthy) is fine for a 5th OF or on a team with 3 everyday outfielders
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.
He was well on his way to
ROTY before he hurt his knee.
"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball." - Terence Mann
um what?
You are a new poster so I don’t know if this is sarcasm or not
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.
Ohhhh the irony.
I agree though, I don’t know how anyone could think Boggs was ever a ROY contender…
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
Maybe in summer ball in his 10th grade year?
"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'm pretty sure he confused Boggs w/ Murphy,
since that’s what the thread’s about. And there was actually talk of that for a while.
'Waiting for a girl and she gets me into fights
Waiting for a girl we get drunk on Friday night'
Talk of Murphy for ROY?
You mean 2008, when the masses got so enchanted with the latest gritty white guy on the block they started having acid trip fantasies that he might get ROY over Evan Longoria?
Yeah, I vaguely remember that.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
So...
…a player going into his first full season at the MLB level with some questions about his arm and a player with one of the largest histories of injuries in MLB right now…
Got it.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
No, I don't think you DO get it.
My initial post suggested a Murphy comparable RH hitting OF/1B. That would provide some platoon opportunities for Borbon (if needed) and also provide a platoon partner for Davis. Hopefully, you can understand that fulfills a more immediate need for the rangers than speculating what is going to happen to Hamilton, but even at that, my suggested acquisition would also serve to back him up as well. Keep in mind that Murphy is neither a CF’er or a 1B. He’s simply a LH so-so COF’er that won’t kill you if you have to use him. Unfortunately, he doesn’t serve as a backup for either Borbon or Davis.
Hamilton is Borbon's backup.
The team has already said this. If this happens, then Murphy would take Hamilton’s place in LF. Plus Baldelli might be brought in for this purpose. So that takes care of Borbon.
There is not near enough evidence to suggest that Davis needs a platoon partner. You would need a lot more AB’s to not have to regress his splits very hard to league average on this. Davis is still a young player who needs time to develop, especially as a young power hitter adjusting to the big leagues. Bringing in someone to take a large number of AB’s away from him hurts this process. If Davis is still sucking against LHP’s when June/July rolls around, then it’s likely he hasn’t performed all that well against RHP’s also. If that’s the case, Smoak should be ready.
It makes even less sense if you are trading away a valuable player to bring in a player to address a ‘need’ that may not even be real and hamper the development of a young player. At least if Baldelli is brought in and takes too many AB’s away from Borbon, he’s not costing prospects.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Feb 8, 2010 10:23 PM CST up reply actions
Evan,
If I can find you an awesome Rangers-related pic/avatar, will you use it?
"...like some Russian priest fresh off a bottle of potato vodka and a box of cigars." -t ball
I think Catalanotto started getting old, and could never hit LHP.
But lack of a clearly communicated role might’ve been a distant third in the equation.
This is where I'm concerned.
What I do think is important is for the Rangers to determine how they WANT to use Murphy in the event that there are no health issues.
If we are lucky to be healthy, I don’t want to see Murphy start stealing playing time from Cruz or Borbon simply because we want to get Murphy regular playing time.
Cruz
Last year Cruz had two days off in the first half of the season. That should probably change this year. Cruz showed last year in the second half he would go stretches where he would be really bad which would usually follow with him being sat for a couple games. I think Washington needs to spread out Cruz’s days off more evenly this year.
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.
x
Last year Cruz had two days off in the first half of the season.
This is not correct. The first half/second half splits are determined by the All-Star break which was about 88 or so games into the season. I seem to remember that Cruz was benched for a couple of games, then got named to the All-Star team and he was immediately back in the lineup.
by Randy Richardson on Feb 8, 2010 3:38 PM CST up reply actions
Yeah
He got like 3 days in a row off.
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
And would have sat a 4th day...
…except Murphy was hurt and was a late scratch.
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 8, 2010 3:43 PM CST up reply actions
My apologies
Let me be more clear
In the first 81 games (half the season) he got a total of 4 games off and two more where he was a late game sub.
In the first 70 games of the season he had 2 games off and 2 late game subs.
Those need to be spread out more
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.
Cruz
If anything, I think Wash’s problem is not playing him enough rather than playing him too much.
by Randy Richardson on Feb 8, 2010 3:56 PM CST up reply actions
2 days off the first 2+ months of the season is not enough?
The guy isn’t Cal Ripken.
Crus was on pace for 140+ games last year before his DL stint. Its how those days off are spread out that needs to be addressed so hes not out of the lineup for several days at a time.
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.
I can see
your point concerning the first half, considering it was his first season as an everyday player. That having been said, I’d like for him to start 155+ games this year.
by Randy Richardson on Feb 8, 2010 4:09 PM CST up reply actions
The only way I want Cruz starting that many games
would be if they went to the World Series.
"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.
He's a big, strong
guy in the prime of his career, who’s arguably the best offensive and defensive outfielder on the team. Why wouldn’t you want him to play everyday?
by Randy Richardson on Feb 8, 2010 4:14 PM CST up reply actions
He had a sprained ankle last year
He plays his ass off in winter ball every year.
Last year was the most he’s ever played in a season. The previous was 96 games and then 41.
We don’t have this huge drop off in our 4th outfielder. In fact, versus righties, Murphy would be an upgrade.
I love Cruz. I want him to play as much as possible. But I also think that since we have a very good 4th outfielder who can play better against righties as compared to Cruz, you should give Murphy that nod every once in a while. It will keep Cruz fresh and you can always bring him in to pinch hit if they opp. puts in a lefty.
"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.
Cruz
Between majors and minors, Cruz has averaged about 140 games each of the last 4 seasons. Last year he had an 898 OPS against RHP, Murphy had an 833 OPS aginst RHP. If Carlos Lee and his fat ass can play 160+ games, I see no reason why Cruz can’t play 155+.
by Randy Richardson on Feb 8, 2010 4:41 PM CST up reply actions
Read this.
Fangraphs on regressing platoon splits.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
I understand.
Was just giving an example. Cruz is a much better player. I don’t think that Murphy is an “upgrade” over Cruz against RHP.
by Randy Richardson on Feb 8, 2010 7:02 PM CST up reply actions
I think he is.
Sure Cruz can smack a few more homers against RHP but Murphy gets on more, K’s less, and has a better BA. I think putting Murphy in for 15 games over Cruz would be an overall better decision. 162 games is a marathon, not a sprint.
And do you know why Carlos Lee’s fat ass was out there 160+ games a year (actually 154 in the field) is because he has Jason Fing Michaels and Darrin Fing Erstad playing behind him.
Please don’t compare Murphy to either of those guys.
We have a legit 4th outfielder. We should use him.
"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.
Um
Murph’s wOBA against righties last year was .358. Cruz’s was .380.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
But again, wOBA includes slugging.
I fully concede the fact that Cruz hits harder and more often. But Murphy’s OBP is twenty points higher than Cruz’s. You may think OBP is archaic, but I think when OBP was the biggest problem last year for this team, every little bit help.
Now I’m not hating Cruz. I love the guy. I want him to play often and well. But in the long scheme of things, I think starting Murphy 8-10 games in place of Cruz is a good thing overall for the team.
"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.
And yes I dropped the games down
from 15 to 8-10 because I think Cruz is better suited for 140-145 games then the 155+ Randy was talking about.
"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.
wOBA doesn't overvalue slugging like OPS does though.
It tells you how valuable a player was offensively no matter how he provided that value.
For example, Chone Figgins and Ian Kinsler had the same wOBA last year. So did Nick Johnson and Carlos Pena.
Cruz is a better offensive player than Murphy, even if you drill it down to what they can do against righties, and there’s no reason to replace Cruz with Murphy in the lineup unless Cruz isn’t performing up to par.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
So if I've understood you correctly,
you’d prefer the Rangers sacrifice greater overall run production to achieve a higher OBP?
I fell into that trap somewhat earlier this offseason too
When I was obsessed with getting an OBP guy to help the offense.
I still would’ve rather had Nick Johnson than Vlad given the choice, but we weren’t. And since we didn’t really get a real. OBP difference-maker like Johnson the best we can do at this point is throw as much potential production at the lineup as possible and hope the remaining problem childs like Hamilton and Kinsler pull their heads out of their asses in regards to plate approach.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
I get that.
But I believe platooning Murphy for 10 games and 35 at bats (I’m assuming Murphy may get pinch hit for if a leftie comes in) isn’t a big deal when in the grand scheme of things he’s giving Cruz a breather. I plan on the Rangers getting to the playoffs and I’ll be damned if I want one of our better hitters to be gasses because he didn’t sit a few extra times in the 100 degree heat in June-Aug.
"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 can get that I suppose
I’m just saying there’s no reason to bench Cruz in favor of Murphy just for the sake of getting Murphy AB’s or something.
Giving Cruz extra days off should he need them is fine, but doing it just to do it isn’t really something I’d be a fan of. Gotta get to October first, and I think this division is pretty much gonna be a crapshoot.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
That's really all I've been trying to say.
Cruz is better than Murphy and I don’t advocate benching Cruz just to give Murphy AB’s.
I’m actually trying to give Cruz some love because I believe he is that important to the team that come October, I don’t want him sucking wind and not being 110% or worse, having a nagging injury because of being overworked.
"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 think this last season the loss of Hamilton was crucial.
In the sense that it over-worked everybody else, Murphy, Byrd, and Cruz, caused Cruz’s injury(ies) to be more prolonged and worse, just a thought and opinion.
"Josey drives to games???
I always assumed he rides in on his high horse"
jam0152
Martin Perez, "Mucho queso"
Hamilton over-hacking and being generally terrible when he played didn't help either
But yeah, him having a bad year coupled with Ron being dumb resulted in the over-exposure of Byrd and Murphy.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
Yeah
I get what you’re saying now.
Cruz can also be kinda streaky, so I’m sure there’ll be days where it’ll be advantageous to give him a breather.
I just hope Ron doesn’t get carried away with that, like he did last year, turning days off into weeks…
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
Agreed.
I was actually advocating Cruz playing more last year in some threads. His days off did seem to be clumped together. I would hope he can figure it out after two days, if that.
"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.
Well in a nut shell this is what I'm trying to say.
Murphy at 100% > Cruz at 80%-85%.
I believe giving Cruz those extra 10 or so days off will be more beneficial for the team.
Is that better? I really am not poo pooing Cruz, but he’s coming off a hurt ankle and Murphy isn’t some slap dick 8th OFer who is the Rangers 4th OF becuase we have no one else better.
"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.
That makes more sense.
I’m not sure I agree with your assumptions, but at least this steps away from the problematic wOBA/OBP tradeoff.
And I wanted to back away form the wOBS/OBP
tradeoff because it wasn’t going to work out well for me. Cruz is the better player when both are 100%. My train of thought was more that Murphy is a very good trade off for Cruz from time to time to ensure Cruz is 100% as often as possible.
I suck with stats, but I try to make up for it with reasoning and tendancies. Which also suck at times…
"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.
Perfectly ok.
I’m the exact opposite.
Maybe if we swapped half-brains with each other?
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
So.....
Should we sing like “Ebony and Ivory” or something? heh
Perhaps we’ll get our debate on during some post game threads. I’m sure there will be plenty of stats vs. assumption/reasoning.
"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 have no problem with what
you’re suggesting. Nellie has shown to be streaky at times(good and bad). Just because his power production at the end of the year is higher, doesn’t mean he’s the best option 162/year.
If Nellie is showing a propensity to chase the outside slider, give Murph some ABs. I don’t believe these saberstats are the holy grail. In a computer simulation, yes. Human beings, no.
'Waiting for a girl and she gets me into fights
Waiting for a girl we get drunk on Friday night'
'computer simulation'
-meant over the course of a full year.
'Waiting for a girl and she gets me into fights
Waiting for a girl we get drunk on Friday night'
And I don't really either.
I should have rephrased in the context that, Murphy is an upgrade to Cruz when Cruz is sitting at 85% or less.
I just went back and read my statement and can see how I miss-typed.
"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.
After several full winter ball seasons?
I don’t think so…
"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.
I think Murphy needs to play
a lot of 1B in spring training as a fall back option if Chris Davis starts April hitting .189 with 75 strike-outs.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
"The Influence continues." Josey Wales (1/18/10)
I think that's right
Ideally, I would like to see us add a RH bat as the last guy on the roster, someone who can be a RH option at 1B initially (ie, a guy who can play instead of Davis against some LHP), and also be a platoon option with Murphy at 1B in the event that Davis is bad again or at DH or LF in the event that Guerrero or Hamilton get hurt.
by Darrell McKown on Feb 8, 2010 5:22 PM CST up reply actions
Rocco Baldelli?
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.
agree
as far as fourth outfielders go, he’s versatile and isn’t gonna destroy the team at the plate
You hear about the "Electric Arms", they're all the rage.
Better than Andruw, granted he had some pop but after the 3 dinger game it was gone
"Josey drives to games???
I always assumed he rides in on his high horse"
jam0152
Martin Perez, "Mucho queso"
Murphy is the FOTF in the outfield.
Elvis = Borbon
Ian = Josh
Davis = Cruz
FOTF = Murphy
It’s just so obvious right???
"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.
heh, i was gonna say
Brad Wilkerson, but Murphy makes a lot more sense
You hear about the "Electric Arms", they're all the rage.
So FOTF =
Gritty/hustley white guy that the fans overrate because of this grittiness and whiteness. That sounds about right.
isn't that why fans loved Cat so much
he was the perfect gritty/hustley/whitely guy
You hear about the "Electric Arms", they're all the rage.
Cat...
wasn’t gritty or hustle-y at all. He was just a guy who could hit for average very well and got on base. He certainly wasn’t a guy who got his uniform dirty every game, hit behind the runner, took an extra base, or any of the boiler plate sayings of gritty white dudes of the past.
I don’t think the fans that elect gritty heroes cared about Frank Catalanotto all too much.
The only thing Frank Catalanotto had to overcome, as opposed to possessing elite athletic ability—a chestnut of white player grit—was the fact that growing a spindly mustache for picture day made him look like a pedophile for an entire year on scoreboards across America.
by ghostofErikThompson on Feb 8, 2010 3:56 PM CST up reply actions
LOL
This is why I don’t grow a mustache- mine’s even more sparse and molestery.
"Jesus, Spanish- first our jobs, now our words?"
-- Sterling Archer
I don't grow a beard or mustache...
…because I feel I’m too pretty to hide my face behind a bunch of hair.
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 8, 2010 4:52 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Also
If I had a beard or a mustache, I’d look really weird in my centaur painting.
by Adam J. Morris on Feb 8, 2010 7:52 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Aww...no face mane?
"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason." - Benjamin Franklin
by JBP on Feb 9, 2010 5:08 AM CST up reply actions
+1 on usage of centaur.
"Sometimes you just want to sit back and watch somebody throw 100." - Jeff Passan on Neftali Feliz
"Baseball's all that's real" - JB
see, that's why pretty people
grow beards…to handicap their beauty for the rest of the world; a la Brad Pitt
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Feb 9, 2010 8:30 PM CST up reply actions
Which was the awesomest team prank in the history of awesome.
"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.
I loved him b/c of his 12 consecutive at bats with a hit streak back in '2000.
He was such a pure hitter.
I wouldn't say Murphy is overrated. I really like the guy myself but,
he knows his place it seems. He realizes he is the 4th outfielder right now and that’s what he’s going to be. Reminds me of Bill Bates with the 80’s Cowboys. Nickle back who also busted his butt on special teams.
That being said, I also don’t think Murphy out-hustles anyone on the team. I think everyone has their share of bust-ass times. We’ve seen it in Cruz, Ian, Borbon, Hamilton (for sure), and MY.
I think people enjoy watching certain types of athletes: Murphy- the funny looking kid who is like the NBA’s 6th man, Elvis- the baby who is playing with the big boys, Feldman- the no-name who became an over-night ace, Hamilton- the past druggie who kicked the habit and is now trying to make up for lost time and potential.
These are all over-exagerations, of course, and really are ways an editorial writer would paint these guys. But it gives the fans something to cheer about and gives the athletes a positive spin instead of a negative one. Overall I think it’s a good thing. As long as the FO doesn’t buy into the fans and play a guy just because he’s a “fan favorite or feel good story” when he’s hurting the team. I want a playoff series!
"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.
With football season over,
I am ashamed I first thought of Bill Bates as the definition of extremely gritty, extremely white and overrated by the fan base. Remember hearing a caller into the Ticket saying how he thought Bill Bates was a HOF’er. Unbelievable.
"If this video was an ice cream flavor, it'd be pralines and dick." Clark
re: Matthew Wilder-Break My Stride, 4/17/09
Heh.
HOFer? Must have been Mike from Dallas.
"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.
Murphy
I would wager that none of Vlad, Hamilton, and Borbon will start more than 140 games. Murphy probably won’t play much in April, but we’ll see plenty of him after that.
by Randy Richardson on Feb 8, 2010 3:15 PM CST reply actions
Even if finding playing time for Murphy is an issue
Him getting playing time won’t be. Ron likes him too much.
Morality you can fake. Fun you either have or you don't.
Murphy
Worrying about “finding” playing time for Murphy is like worrying about “finding” starts for Dustin Nippert. If everything goes right, this team won’t be relying heavily on either player.
by Stephen Rushin on Feb 8, 2010 8:51 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
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