Comments on: Position Player Review

By: Evan

Evan — Thu, 08 Jul 2004 20:52:51 +0000

Yeah Sam, I agree CERA is a bust. But I saw the stat when I was looking up Tek, so I decided to throw it in there. I’m not a believer in it, but I wanted to introduce the stat to any readers who may not have known about it.

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 08 Jul 2004 20:13:45 +0000

I’ve seen Manny’s career line. His current .337 BA is nice next to his .324 last year and .353 from two years ago, but all those numbers are significant improvements on his career .313 BA. After winning the batting title two years ago and then contending for it last year, Manny seemed like he was sacrificing a little power for AVG. Not this year. Manny’s back, and better than ever.
A .313 BA is pretty, but it won’t win you the AVG leg of the Triple Crown. Don’t undervalue that: it hasn’t been done in 40 years. Manny could do it. Vlad could. Sheffield could, if 1) he weren’t hurt and if 2) he weren’t playing in RHH Death Valley, um I mean Yankee Stadium. Giambi could’ve done it . . . two years ago, not anymore. So Manny and Vlad, and that’s it, in the whole American League.
And I forgot to mention this yesterday, but as far as I can tell CERA is a complete bust: it’s a useless statistic. Good for Tek, but better for our pitching staff.

By: Evan

Evan — Wed, 07 Jul 2004 19:51:48 +0000

Sam, take a gander at Manny’s career line and his line this year. The onlything out of whack is his SLG – and you’re right, his power had been worrisome. Looks like it’s back to 40-HR power, though. All in all though, it’s right in line with his career numbers. Remember, we’re not really basing it on last year, we’re factoring in his last year stats, his career line, and what we expected for him.
As for Damon, it’s increasingly become clear he is not going to be a speed demon, but he’s fast enough to cover more ground and beat out hits, so I’m not too worried there. As for his arm, I think it gets a little too much bad publicity. It’s not great, but I don’t think it’s that bad. That being said, I am a proponent of sending him to left field should we make a trade for a CFer (hopefully not, we have more pressing needs).

By: Sam

Sam — Wed, 07 Jul 2004 18:30:22 +0000

Ortiz deserves his Exceeds ranking. And I, for one, am exceptionally happy with McCarty, Reese, and Mirabelli. Especially Mirabelli. The Moneyball fixation on OBP occasionally bugs me: there are times when you want your ballplayers to swing the bat with some aggression. Pitchers sometimes try to get too fine, nibbling at the corners: hitters do the same, letting too many corner strikes pass. Not Belli. He’s a swinger, and he brings energy. I like to see him in the lineup, every few days.
I hafta quibble with Manny’s On Target, though. I don’t know how we can EXPECT anyone to hit like he has this year: the AVG is at a remarkable level, well above the career expectations; the OBP is good as always; and the power is there, which had worried me a bit in our last two seasons. His RBI totals would be a ton higher, too, except that Ortiz is mashing away like mad in front of him. Even so, he’s still a legit Triple Crown contender, and you can’t EXPECT that from anybody: there are just too many variables. And of course Manny’s D hasn’t been great, but when WAS it great? That’s not what we pay him for: meanwhile, his attitude in the dugout and with the fans has been so refreshing that I think it has to cancel his occasional defensive woes. Overall, that’s an Exceeds.
It’s too early for Trot and Nomar. Nomar may deserve the poor grade because of his attitude, but it’s just too early to grade his onfield play.
Honestly, I’m tempted to say the same for Mueller. He’s swung the bat very well in his first couple of games since coming off the DL: looks like a new man. And again, I think you need to factor in the attitude: never presuming, always humble, always sincere, never selfish. On the other hand, I’m not at all convinced about Youk’s defense: numbers do lie. I’d heard the rumors, and now, having seen him for myself, I have to say that the rumors are true. The kid just has WAY too much trouble with routine popups. Not a good sign. Also, you need to consider that Mueller’s fielding was probably hampered by the bad knee. But no one touts Billy as a first-rate fielder anyway, so that’s no big issue.
Poor Crespo. Poor Dauber. They tried. They really did. Wasn’t enough.
One thing you don’t account for: Damon’s arm. His arm is a limp noodle, and everyone in baseball knows it. They’re running all over him: keep an eye out for it, if you haven’t noticed already. And then there’s the stolen bases–or the lack thereof. Both of those are big negatives. But his coverage in the OF remains excellent, as does his team-first attitude, and his offense continues to impress me. What I’d like to see is Caveman’s pitches seen per AB: I haven’t looked, but it has to be great. His knack for working the pitchers, fouling pitches off, and slapping the ball to all fields is remarkable. Overall, I say he’s somewhere between a hit and a Miss. If he can swipe a few more bags in the second half, he’s a Hit.