Sunday, September 17, 2006 |
Pickoff Moves
Today's Birthdays
Thad Bosley CAL b. 1956, played 1977, 1988. A speedy fourth outfielder who once owned the Cal League stolen base title with 90, he hit well when healthy but never got more than 212 at bats in a single season. Traded to the White Sox for Top 100 Angel Brian Downing and pitchers Chris Knapp and Dave Frost.
Maury Kent BRO b. 1885, played 1912-1913, d. 1966-04-19
Ernie Koy BRO b. 1909, played 1938-1940. Of indian ancestry, he had the nickname "Chief"; he homered in his first major league at bat.
Butts Wagner BRO b. 1871, played 1898, d. 1928-11-26. Brother of Hall of Famer Honus Wagner.
The Awful Truth: Padres 11, Dodgers 2
At some point, the truth will out: it strikes me as very likely that Chad Billingsley is done for the season. Regardless of the veracity of his comment that he didn't re-injure his oblique, he had zero command of his pitches, opening the door to a full-scale deployment of the bullpen, including an unexpected use of Eric Stults, who surrendered four earned runs and a homer; Tim Hamulack turned the normally weak-hitting Padres into the NL West's version of the '27 Yankees, giving up a pair of dingers. That is to say, this is the most random Dodgers team I've ever seen in my life. They could be good. They could be awful. We just don't know.Texas Beats Texan: Rangers 12, Angels 6
I was at opening day in 2003, when the Rangers shelled John Lackey, getting five runs off the prior year's World Series Game 7 hero. Some things just don't change, as he has a career 5.63 ERA against the Rangers. Chone Figgins hit for the cycle, but the Angels lineup wasn't able to out-slug Texas, and that was that.Thursday, Bill Stoneman made a revealing comment:
"We're in this all the way," Stoneman said of wishing to concentrate on the current season. "When we get eliminated, that is when we'll start to work things out."That wasn't "if", it was "when". Well, they may not be not eliminated just yet, but the Angels' tragic number has been reduced to 9, thanks in part to a 7-4 Oakland victory over the White Sox.
Um-K: About Dallas McPherson's Extra-Special Love For The Strikeout
Regarding this subthread about the Angels' suddenly K-tastic former third baseman of the future: like a scab I can't stop picking at, it's useful to recall Rich Lederer's comments on young power hitters and strikeouts:The major league burial grounds are filled with players such as Billy Ashley, Roger Freed, Phil Hiatt, Sam Horn, Dave Hostetler, and Hensley Meulens. I could list many, many more but limited the names to a half-dozen of the higher-profile names that have come along in the past couple of decades. More to the point, there are hundreds of unknowns out there who never even got a sniff of the big leagues because they simply didn't make enough contact to get a chance.I don't like players who strike out a lot? Of course. The game hates them.Look no further than active players Joe Borchard, Jack Cust, Bobby Estalella, Bucky Jacobsen, Brandon Larson, Ryan Ludwick, Eric Munson, and Calvin Pickering as further evidence of young power hitters who are having a difficult time making the transition from the minors to the majors. I'm even skeptical as to whether Dallas McPherson and Wily Mo Pena will be as good as advertised [emphasis mine]. Josh Phelps, a one-time Baseball Prospectus coverboy, has a huge hole in his swing and is unlikely to be anything more than a mediocre DH on a poor team.
All else being equal, the goal is to find power hitters who don't strike out. Active players who meet this criteria include Barry Bonds, Brian Giles, Vladimir Guerrero, Todd Helton, Magglio Ordonez, Albert Pujols, Gary Sheffield, and Frank Thomas (circa 1993-1997). I'm also high on Aramis Ramirez, who hit 36 HR last year while reducing his SO from 99 in 2003 to 62 in 2004.
Roster Notes
- Nomar Garciaparra is day-to-day after straining his left thigh running the basepaths Thursday.
- Howie Kendrick continues to start despite a deep 7-for-49 slump.
- Kelvim Escobar felt "much better" on Saturday. He got yanked early on his Thursday start because of patellar tendinitis; he is on track to make his Wednesday start.
Thad Bosley: divining rod of greatness.
: 9/17/2006 11:41:00 AM
I have a tough time agreeing with that sentiment. Has anyone else read this?
: 9/18/2006 10:39:00 AMNewer› ‹Older
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