I may have to change my mind about John Russell. The more I know about the Pirates' front office, the less culpable Russell appears for the team's problems. The fingerprints of Neil Huntington and Frank Coonelly appear on more head-shaking decisions all the time.
* * *
Why does Tiger Woods need so many women? The golf media suck his dick for him every day.
* * *
Saw Josh Hamilton play for the first time last night. Sweetest swing since Will Clark.
* * *
The Blackhawks need to cut payroll dramatically; they're already over the new salary cap, and they only have fourteen players under contract. Here's an interesting question for Ray Shero: If a deal could be worked out, would you rather have Marian Hossa's $5.6 million salary cap hit, or Sergei Gonchar at his current $5 million? Not that a deal could be worked out, but, given his brief history in Pittsburgh, Hossa's two-way play would look awfully good next to Sid, with Kunitz on the other wing to rock people's worlds once in a while.
* * *
Along those lines, the Pens currently have four defensemen signed: Orpik, Letang, Goligoski, and Lovejoy. What say we close on Leopold and Eaton, bring up one other D from WBS, and call it done?
* * *
If hockey is an example, I could live without baseball for a year if it meant establishing a salary cap. The problem is, no one in baseball wants one. The shitty teams should be clamoring for salary stability, but they make too much money off the revenue sharing. A salary cap would cut into their profits.
* * *
Contrary to popular belief, rich teams still have an advantage when salary caps are imposed on a league. The caps restrict only players' salaries. Teams are still free to spend what they want on coaching, player development, and scouting, all of which may be more important than how much money the roster makes.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Light at the End of the Tunnel
The Pirates have lost nine in a row, and they're finding creative ways to lose close games now. Badly timed pitching mistakes. Errors. mental miscues. A lack of timely hitting. Still, I think things are looking up, and the imminent arrival of Pedro Alvarez in Pittsburgh is as good a time as any to point it out: the kids we've been waiting for look good.
For the first time in several election cycles, there are young players with talent on most positions. (We'll address pitching another day.) There are really only two holes in the lineup, one of which should be pretty easy to address in the off-season. To wit:
C - At 29, this is probably as good as it gets for Ryan Doumit. It'll do. Nothing great, but he hits better than most catchers, has the requisite leadership skills, and his defense isn't a weakness. It's hard to defend his record for (not) throwing out base runners, but the pitchers deserve a lot of the blame for that. It's not Doumit holding the team back. (Unless he plays first base.)
1B - Let's say Garrett Jones for now. The Legend is solid in the field, and his average has climbed steadily the past few weeks. He doesn't have Ryan Howard power, and last year's 21 homers in half a season is probably too much, but he should be a consistent 20-30 home run man who can play a couple of different positions well. Definitely a keeper.
2B - We all assumed Andy LaRoche would wind up here when Alvarez arrived; now the job is Neil Walker's to lose. Walker has done everything anyone could ask, and his fielding has been a revelation, considering he just started playing second at Indianapolis this year. Let Bill Mazeroski work with him on turning the double play next winter in Bradenton and he could be a solid middle of the infield player for years.
SS - Hole Number 1. Ronnie Cedeno does everything just well enough to allow you to believe he's not killing you, but he is. His OBP is awful, and his fielding can be an adventure. Shortstop is the most critical upgrade on the roster.
3B - Alvarez is here. If he's all they say he is, he can be a cornerstone of a successful franchise for years to come.
LF - Jose Tabata has only been in The Show for a week, but it's been an impressive week. On base every time you look, great speed (and aggressive with it), has centerfielder's range. No problems here.
CF - Andrew McCutchen is the real deal. Still four years shy of his Age 27 season, he's a four-and-a-half tool player, and if his power picks up even a little he'll fill out the fifth tool. Without question the Pirates most talented player since Barry Bonds, with none of Bonds' downside. (Even in Pittsburgh, Bonds was a tool.)
RF - Hole Number Two. Ryan Church is killing the team with his .180 average in the middle of the lineup, and there's nothing Lastings Milledge does well. Doesn't hit for average or power, has great speed but barely knows you're supposed to turn left at each of those white things, and he might be the worst outfielder I've seen. Every ball is an adventure, and his Web Gems are usually because he's gotten a bad jump or taken a bad route to the ball. Fortunately, this is the easiest hole to fix. Corner outfielders who can hit are in relatively good supply. If one can't be found and a first baseman is available, Jones can move to right, where he was much better than I expected.
Bench - Andy LaRoche can be a good utility man if he can at least manage a league average OPS. He's an excellent athlete, smart, and has a great attitude. Jason Jaramillo is a good receiver, but it doesn't appear he's going to hit. Switch-hitting backup catchers can have long careers, so he's worth keeping around, assuming Doumit can stay healthy. Jaramillo's okay for a start or two a week and some late inning work, but you don't want him getting 20 at bats a week. No one knows what Delwyn Young can do; they only play him when there's no way around it. We've seen what Aki Iwamure can do, and he should be free to do it elsewhere. (In fairness, I has happy to see Iwamura come, but that knee appears to bother him more than anyone could have expected. With Walker being a revelation, there's no need for him.)
Now the key question is, what happens with this new core when they become arbitration eligible and start to make some real money? Management says they'll pay to keep the players they want, but it's been a long time since Pirate management said anything that turned out well for the fans or the team on the field.
For the first time in several election cycles, there are young players with talent on most positions. (We'll address pitching another day.) There are really only two holes in the lineup, one of which should be pretty easy to address in the off-season. To wit:
C - At 29, this is probably as good as it gets for Ryan Doumit. It'll do. Nothing great, but he hits better than most catchers, has the requisite leadership skills, and his defense isn't a weakness. It's hard to defend his record for (not) throwing out base runners, but the pitchers deserve a lot of the blame for that. It's not Doumit holding the team back. (Unless he plays first base.)
1B - Let's say Garrett Jones for now. The Legend is solid in the field, and his average has climbed steadily the past few weeks. He doesn't have Ryan Howard power, and last year's 21 homers in half a season is probably too much, but he should be a consistent 20-30 home run man who can play a couple of different positions well. Definitely a keeper.
2B - We all assumed Andy LaRoche would wind up here when Alvarez arrived; now the job is Neil Walker's to lose. Walker has done everything anyone could ask, and his fielding has been a revelation, considering he just started playing second at Indianapolis this year. Let Bill Mazeroski work with him on turning the double play next winter in Bradenton and he could be a solid middle of the infield player for years.
SS - Hole Number 1. Ronnie Cedeno does everything just well enough to allow you to believe he's not killing you, but he is. His OBP is awful, and his fielding can be an adventure. Shortstop is the most critical upgrade on the roster.
3B - Alvarez is here. If he's all they say he is, he can be a cornerstone of a successful franchise for years to come.
LF - Jose Tabata has only been in The Show for a week, but it's been an impressive week. On base every time you look, great speed (and aggressive with it), has centerfielder's range. No problems here.
CF - Andrew McCutchen is the real deal. Still four years shy of his Age 27 season, he's a four-and-a-half tool player, and if his power picks up even a little he'll fill out the fifth tool. Without question the Pirates most talented player since Barry Bonds, with none of Bonds' downside. (Even in Pittsburgh, Bonds was a tool.)
RF - Hole Number Two. Ryan Church is killing the team with his .180 average in the middle of the lineup, and there's nothing Lastings Milledge does well. Doesn't hit for average or power, has great speed but barely knows you're supposed to turn left at each of those white things, and he might be the worst outfielder I've seen. Every ball is an adventure, and his Web Gems are usually because he's gotten a bad jump or taken a bad route to the ball. Fortunately, this is the easiest hole to fix. Corner outfielders who can hit are in relatively good supply. If one can't be found and a first baseman is available, Jones can move to right, where he was much better than I expected.
Bench - Andy LaRoche can be a good utility man if he can at least manage a league average OPS. He's an excellent athlete, smart, and has a great attitude. Jason Jaramillo is a good receiver, but it doesn't appear he's going to hit. Switch-hitting backup catchers can have long careers, so he's worth keeping around, assuming Doumit can stay healthy. Jaramillo's okay for a start or two a week and some late inning work, but you don't want him getting 20 at bats a week. No one knows what Delwyn Young can do; they only play him when there's no way around it. We've seen what Aki Iwamure can do, and he should be free to do it elsewhere. (In fairness, I has happy to see Iwamura come, but that knee appears to bother him more than anyone could have expected. With Walker being a revelation, there's no need for him.)
Now the key question is, what happens with this new core when they become arbitration eligible and start to make some real money? Management says they'll pay to keep the players they want, but it's been a long time since Pirate management said anything that turned out well for the fans or the team on the field.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
After the Strasburg Rapture
Stephen Strasburg almost lived up to all the hype Tuesday night. I say “almost” because he didn’t part the Anacostia River or turn Bud Lite into beer. That’s the media’s fault, not Strasburg’s. He more than held up his end of the deal. There’s not a pitcher in baseball today who wouldn’t be satisfied with his line from Tuesday’s game:
7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 14 K, 94 pitches.
In the interests of balanced reporting (take that, Fox News), here are some other things to consider about his effort.
True, the Pirates have the lowest batting average in baseball, but they don’t strike out much, only 15th out of 30 teams going into the game. He might only have struck out 10 Yankees that night, but he was still lights out.
His adrenaline seemed to wear off in the fourth inning, an he got knocked around a little. After Delwyn Young homered for a 2-1 Pittsburgh lead, Strasburg took the bit again and shut them down with prejudice the rest of the way. He’s a gamer.
Major League Baseball started counting pitches in the late 1980s. Strasburg is the first pitcher to record 14 strikeouts in under 95 pitches.
Even a phenom can’t get predictable. Strasburg and catcher Ivan Rodriguez tried the same sequence of pitches on Young in the fourth inning as they used to strike him out in the, and Young made them pay. Pudge should have known better.
Veteran baseball columnist (now senile) Thomas Boswell was comparing Strasburg to Koufax in his chat Wednesday morning. When discussing other previously untested pitchers who burst on the scene as spectacularly as Strasburg, he mentioned Fernando Valenzuela, Mark Fidrych, Vida Blue, and Dwight Gooden. Let’s hope he’s wrong, as the career numbers for each aren’t promising. (First record is their breakout season; second is career.)
Valenzuela 13-7, 173-153
Fidrych 19-9, 29-19
Blue 24-8, 209-161
Gooden 17-9, 194-112
All but Fidrych had good careers, but it’s safe to say there’s no one in Washington today who wouldn’t be disappointed if you told them Stephen Strasburg would win “only” 209 major league games.
There’s one last, sobering, comparison. Compare these two pitching lines:
7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 94 pitches, 65 strikes, Win
6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 103 pitches, 65 strikes, Win
Both games were major league debuts, home games against Pittsburgh. Both pitchers were 21 years old. (Thanks to Deadspin commenter EddieSuttons_SouthernComfort for the comparison stats.)
The first line is, of course, Strasburg’s, from Tuesday night. The second? Mark Prior, May 22, 2002. Prior’s career record was 42-29. He won 10 games in a season twice.
How about everyone just lets the kid pitch? What he does, he does. He appears to have his head screwed on right, and the Nats are playing it safe with his arm so far. He’s a pitcher, not Christ, and it’s not fair to treat him like the latter.
7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 14 K, 94 pitches.
In the interests of balanced reporting (take that, Fox News), here are some other things to consider about his effort.
True, the Pirates have the lowest batting average in baseball, but they don’t strike out much, only 15th out of 30 teams going into the game. He might only have struck out 10 Yankees that night, but he was still lights out.
His adrenaline seemed to wear off in the fourth inning, an he got knocked around a little. After Delwyn Young homered for a 2-1 Pittsburgh lead, Strasburg took the bit again and shut them down with prejudice the rest of the way. He’s a gamer.
Major League Baseball started counting pitches in the late 1980s. Strasburg is the first pitcher to record 14 strikeouts in under 95 pitches.
Even a phenom can’t get predictable. Strasburg and catcher Ivan Rodriguez tried the same sequence of pitches on Young in the fourth inning as they used to strike him out in the, and Young made them pay. Pudge should have known better.
Veteran baseball columnist (now senile) Thomas Boswell was comparing Strasburg to Koufax in his chat Wednesday morning. When discussing other previously untested pitchers who burst on the scene as spectacularly as Strasburg, he mentioned Fernando Valenzuela, Mark Fidrych, Vida Blue, and Dwight Gooden. Let’s hope he’s wrong, as the career numbers for each aren’t promising. (First record is their breakout season; second is career.)
Valenzuela 13-7, 173-153
Fidrych 19-9, 29-19
Blue 24-8, 209-161
Gooden 17-9, 194-112
All but Fidrych had good careers, but it’s safe to say there’s no one in Washington today who wouldn’t be disappointed if you told them Stephen Strasburg would win “only” 209 major league games.
There’s one last, sobering, comparison. Compare these two pitching lines:
7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 94 pitches, 65 strikes, Win
6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 103 pitches, 65 strikes, Win
Both games were major league debuts, home games against Pittsburgh. Both pitchers were 21 years old. (Thanks to Deadspin commenter EddieSuttons_SouthernComfort for the comparison stats.)
The first line is, of course, Strasburg’s, from Tuesday night. The second? Mark Prior, May 22, 2002. Prior’s career record was 42-29. He won 10 games in a season twice.
How about everyone just lets the kid pitch? What he does, he does. He appears to have his head screwed on right, and the Nats are playing it safe with his arm so far. He’s a pitcher, not Christ, and it’s not fair to treat him like the latter.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
More Strasburg News
This just in...
Baseball Commissioner Bud "Bud" Selig has announced that Washington nationals pitcher will be allowed to make his umpiring calls tonight on balls and strikes, as well as plays at first base.
"I am invoking my 'best interests of the game' powers in advance to prevent any possibility of another travesty of baseball justice such as was perpetrated last week by Jim Joyce. This isn't Armando Galarrage we're talkjng abut here; it's Steven Fucking Strasburg."
Baseball Commissioner Bud "Bud" Selig has announced that Washington nationals pitcher will be allowed to make his umpiring calls tonight on balls and strikes, as well as plays at first base.
"I am invoking my 'best interests of the game' powers in advance to prevent any possibility of another travesty of baseball justice such as was perpetrated last week by Jim Joyce. This isn't Armando Galarrage we're talkjng abut here; it's Steven Fucking Strasburg."
Strasburg Worthy of the Hype
Today is the Big Day for Nationals phenom Steven Strasburg. Here are a few of the ways he spent it while waiting for 7:05 to roll around:
Plugged the Gulf oil spill.
Captured Osama bin Laden.
Performed open heart massage on a man he saw on the side of the road while driving to the park.
Threw a baseball so fast a wormhole opened up so he could go back in time and stop Pearl Harbor. (Thanks to the Show Tunes Correspondent for pointing this out.)
Successfully explained quantum mechanics to George W. Bush.
We’ll update this report as soon as we hear what he did after lunch.
Plugged the Gulf oil spill.
Captured Osama bin Laden.
Performed open heart massage on a man he saw on the side of the road while driving to the park.
Threw a baseball so fast a wormhole opened up so he could go back in time and stop Pearl Harbor. (Thanks to the Show Tunes Correspondent for pointing this out.)
Successfully explained quantum mechanics to George W. Bush.
We’ll update this report as soon as we hear what he did after lunch.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Iron Man Must Feel a Little Like This
So there I was, all set to question the Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic on why John Russell keeps moving Neil Walker from second to third. Alvarez is coming, and we need to find out pretty quick if LaRoche or Walker should be the leading candidate to play second when Iwamura is gone, which we all know he will be no later than the end of this year. What are we learning by running his .170-hitting ass out there every day, taking at bats away from Walker and LaRoche.
So, like I said, there I was, the question crafted in my head, ready to transmit it though my fingers and into the ether, when I read Walker is now the regular secondbaseman.
I promise to use this power only for good.
So, like I said, there I was, the question crafted in my head, ready to transmit it though my fingers and into the ether, when I read Walker is now the regular secondbaseman.
I promise to use this power only for good.
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