Saturday, April 01, 2006 |
Pickoff Moves
O Bitterest Of Disappointments
The Angels have cancelled Corona night. Little did I know it was a benefit for the city and not a beer giveaway.Giants Are Evil, Dodgers Are Good
What's weird is seeing it written in the San Francisco press.Colletti is being labeled a genius down south, mostly because it's so refreshing to have Paul DePodesta, his predecessor, out of the way. Unlike the introspective, almost secretive DePodesta, Colletti is an old-school guy in the Brian Sabean image, a guy who works the room, talks to scouts, makes his presence felt throughout the organization. He does the little things, like clearing Kent's mind (it's busy in there) with a contract extension through 2007 and lining up three of the first 31 picks in the upcoming draft.Yes, but it was an expensive brainwash...
Today's Birthdays
Matt Herges LAN b. 1970, played 1999-2001Willie Montanez CAL b. 1948, played 1966
Ron Perranoski LAN,CAL b. 1936, played 1961-1973
A Couple From Dayn Perry
Dayn Perry has a list of top ten make-or-break prospects worth watching this year. There's one for the Dodgers:3. James Loney, 1B, Dodger, Age: 21 Acquired: 1st round, 2002, Elkins HS (Missouri City, TX)... and then there's this one for the Padres:Loney has a picture-perfect swing, quick wrists through the zone and good raw-power skills. On the downside, he's been hurt often, and, in a related matter, he's yet to produce on an extended basis. Still, Loney picked up the pace in the second half last season, and he's a Gold Glove-caliber defender at first. This spring, he tore it up in Grapefruit League play (32 ABs, .438 AVG, .625 SLG). If he's able to avoid injury, then Loney might have that long-awaited breakout season. Keep in mind he's still only 21.
10. Matt Bush, SS, Padres, Age: 20 Acquired: 1st round, 2004, Mission Bay HS (San Diego, CA)After Jered Weaver's spring performance, it seems obvious the Padres' fear of Scott Boras was a mistake, especially since they gave Bush a $3.15M signing bonus. Considering he was throwing 96 MPH in high school (scroll down to the Padres section two-thirds of the way down the page, BA subscribers), the Pads might want to think about converting him to a reliever.The pressing concern at this point is not whether Bush will be a quality major leaguer; it's whether Bush will be regarded as the biggest draft bust in the annals of the game. The top overall pick of the '04 draft has admirable defensive skills at short, but his bat is awful. Last season at Low-A Fort Wayne, Bush "hit" .221 AVG/.274 OBP/.276 SLG, and he looked lost in limited spring-training action. He's in real danger of becoming the first top overall pick to fail to make the majors since Brien Taylor in 1991.
Perry also has a list of players to watch, and aside from Bonds, J.D. Drew makes the list:
Drew's a tremendously gifted hitter, but he's as fragile as a Faberge egg. He's made seven trips to the DL in his career, and in 2005 he missed 90 games mostly because of a broken wrist. The NL West, of course, is eminently winnable, and if the Dodgers can have Drew and his MVP-caliber bat healthy, they'll be the favorites. Without him, however, the Dodgers simply won't score enough runs to win the flag.
Rosenthal On The Division Races
Ken Rosenthal predicts the division races, with the Angels coming in second behind the A's, and the Dodgers winning the NL West. He also picks the Braves to beat the Dodgers in the NLCS.
That'd be Bruce Jenkins. He's losing his marbles, so don't pay him too much never mind. The other day, his preseason preview article could be summed up thusly: "Expectations for the A's and Giants are high this season. But when expectations are high you can sometimes wind up disappointed. Except in those seasons where you don't."
The sad thing is, he used to be a really good read. Now it's a bunch of "you kids with your damn stats... get off my lawn!" rantings.
: 4/01/2006 08:36:00 AM : 4/01/2006 08:37:00 AM
Gil the Ump
: 4/01/2006 12:27:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
 |
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.