Proceeds from the ads below will be donated to the
Bob Wuesthoff scholarship fund.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005 |
Pickoff Moves, Lunchtime Edition
Crasnick On The Angels' 2006 Youth Movement
Jerry Crasnick has an interesting article inside the for-pay walled garden on the 2006 Angels, who will feature some of the more prominent prospects in starting roles for the first time. Of course, Stoneman refuses to give up too much for guys like Manny Ramirez, but a piece of note comes near the end:For what it's worth -- and this means a lot -- Stoneman appears to have the owner's support in his desire to promote some kids. Moreno was a regular at Arizona Fall League games watching Kendrick, Morales and Wood, so he's developing the same emotional attachment to the organization's young players as the general manager.It's good to know Arte's on the same page as his GM. Whether the Angels win the division -- and they're probably a second-place team as currently constructed -- it'll be fantastic to see the kids playing in March."You get so much pressure from the public and the media to go with names that are known," Stoneman said. "But people will never know the guys in our system if we don't give them an opportunity. You can say that about everybody who's a star now in Major League Baseball."
Andy LaRoche Interview
Here's a nice short interview with Dodgers third base prospect Andy LaRoche. Sample:Q: I understand you had a bet with your brother, Atlanta Braves infielder Adam LaRoche. Whoever hit more home runs this year would get a fishing trip. You won. Has the fishing trip been scheduled?A: (Laughs.) Not yet. He just told me to pick a place. I don't know when it's going to be.
[...]
Q: How do you see the acquisition of Bill Mueller affecting your career with the Dodgers, and does it change your goals coming into camp next spring?
A: It doesn't change my goals at all. He's a great player to have and he's got World Series experience. I think the Dodgers made a great acquisition by getting him. I'm still going into spring training trying to work hard, and they can't hold me back. And we'll just let the chips fall where they may.
The Washburn Myth That Won't Die
Why does the assumption that Jarrod Washburn is still a flyball pitcher seem to be dying so hard among Mariners bloggers? It's gotten pounded to death lately at both Lookout Landing and U.S.S. Mariner. The main criticism I would have as an M's fan is that Washburn is an injury-prone guy with declining peripherals, but his flyballness has radically turned around for two seasons now. I have to believe that somebody in Marinerland is actually looking at his most recent stats -- except that there's no evidence that's the case, because it seems everyone's ignoring his most recent couple of years. U.S.S. Mariner has another analysis piece on him as he might project at Safeco, but what about his ground balls? I find it weird that a statistically-oriented site like USSM would get hung up on the wrong thing like this.
Comments:
The ESPN article comments on Stoneman's admiration for John Schuerholz and the Braves winning their division with the "kids" last year. But I don't think the Angels and their kids are going to be able to top the A's next year, the team P. Gammons described on the radio the other day as "one of the two teams in the AL most likely to reach the postseason next year."
# posted by 
: 12/20/2005 01:03:00 PM
: 12/20/2005 01:03:00 PM
Yeah, I tend to agree. As the A's had last year, there will be some rough air with the kids. So be it.
The Angels may be reluctant to trade their prospects but they have no reluctance about tossing them aside -- e.g., Jenks, Turnbow, and now Woods.
# posted by : 12/20/2005 06:21:00 PM
: 12/20/2005 06:21:00 PM
Washburn is no longer among the top 5 most extreme G/F starters like in '01-'03, but he's still an extreme flyball guy. The trend is toward more GB but relative to average he still needs to be considered FB, and given his past history, it's not unreasonable to expect a trend reversal this season.
A more interesting case is AJ Burnett, who wasn't much of a GB pitcher before this year, but who is being now treated as one.
A more interesting case is AJ Burnett, who wasn't much of a GB pitcher before this year, but who is being now treated as one.
# posted by : 12/20/2005 11:56:00 PM
: 12/20/2005 11:56:00 PM
Washburn is no longer among the top 5 most extreme G/F starters like in '01-'03, but he's still an extreme flyball guy.
G/F ratios of .96 in 2004 and .97 in 2005. Explain just how that's "extreme", or like the M's bloggers, are you just too busy bitching about perceptions to be bothered with the facts?
G/F ratios of .96 in 2004 and .97 in 2005. Explain just how that's "extreme", or like the M's bloggers, are you just too busy bitching about perceptions to be bothered with the facts?
It's extreme because league average is over 1.2; he's nearly 2 SDev's below that. If you choose to define "extreme" as top 5 or top 10, then sure, he hasn't been that. But he has been above the 80th percentile, which I would deem extreme. Moreover, if you do a regression-based projection, then he figures in the 90th or so percentile for G/F moving forward, since the folks ahead of him are there because of fluctuation.
# posted by : 12/21/2005 01:30:00 PM
: 12/21/2005 01:30:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
 |
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.