Monday, August 01, 2005 |
Pickoff Moves
Ode To A Super-U
Divotmaker Chone Figgins
Figgins is a better third baseman than Alex Rodríguez and a better second baseman than four-time Gold Glove winner Bret Boone. In the outfield, he's better in left than Garret Anderson and better in center then Steve Finley, the two teammates he replaces. And when he fills in for Vladimir Guerrero in right, his zone rating isn't as good, but his range factor is an improvement.I've had an increasingly insistent little voice in my head that says, "future starting centerfielder" every time I look at Figgy; it spoke to me when I wrote my midterm review for the Angels, noting Figgy's 109 Rate2 score beats Finley's. (By the way, his Rate2 score is now 112, still behind Jim Edmonds' 117 but ahead of the A's Mark Kotsay at 107.) Tell me I'm wrong, go ahead.
BA: Angels, Dodgers Still Stocked
Baseball America still seems to think both the Angels and Dodgers farm systems are loaded:A scout whose coverage includes both Los Angeles franchises had high praise for Baseball America—and, well, the Angels and Dodgers. “I saw in the Prospect Handbook where those were rated as the top two organizations,” he said, “and they still are. They are both still very loaded.”The Angels were finally getting first baseman Casey Kotchman on track, and catcher Jeff Mathis (.287-14-50 at Triple-A Salt Lake) had bounced back nicely from a nightmarish 2004 finish. Cuban defector Kendry Morales and 2004 first-round pick Jered Weaver have had highs and lows, but both brought impact talent into the system in their first professional seasons.
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The Dodgers have their Double-A Jacksonville club, which at least three scouts said was the most talented unit they’ve seen in the minors. Righthanders Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Edwin Jackson and Justin Orenduff all have power stuff and strikeout pitches, with Broxton touching 100 after a move to the bullpen. Lefthander Hong-Chih Kuo has returned from repeated elbow problems to strike out 61 in 36 overall innings as a reliever. The star-studded infield includes Andy LaRoche at third (28 homers overall), shortstop Joel Guzman (.282-13-60) and Russ Martin (.301, .420 on-base), the minors’ top catching prospect.
“Broxton and Billinglsey [sic] might be the best arms I’ve seen all year, and they were on the same team,” an American League scout said. “Billingsley has the combination of feel and power, and he’s only 21. He’s got an outstanding slider now to go with his fastball and curve. The other guy, Broxton, is a young power arm who just blows it by guys with power and has a power curve. I didn’t see a changeup, but I saw a feel for starting if he can maintain his fitness.”
Dodger Stadium Security Guard Stabbed
A security guard cracking down on ersatz Dodger merch outside Dodger Stadium was stabbed last night in a melee that ended up with two of the vendors also taking stab wounds. The guards were not in uniform, and did not have weapons. The injured were transported to a nearby hospital.Roster Notes
- The Padres have activated Adam Eaton, and will use him out of the bullpen allegedly "to build his arm strength", but earlier reports from Will Carroll indicated he can't throw a major-league quality breaking pitch.
- The Dodgers activated Jose Valentin on Sunday; Jayson Werth will go down on the 15-day DL with an inflamed bursa sac. The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports that Valentin will continue to need a knee brace.
- Also in that Press-Telegram story, Derek Lowe will get an extra day off to help him recover from a blister on his right thumb.
The Sound Of Excellence
Did anybody else watch last night's ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Game and come to the conclusion that Steve Stone is about a thousand times better than the prickly and idiotic Joe Morgan?Seventh Inning Stretch Moves
The new URL is http://athomeplate.com/athletics.
R.
: 8/01/2005 08:39:00 AM
: 8/01/2005 02:45:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
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