Hilarious.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Canadian Beatdown
As soon as I heard Scott Podsednik would be out of the lineup, having traveled back to KC to handle a personal matter, I thought we might be in trouble. He's been the real spark in this lineup, hitting in the two position between DeJesus and Butler. Then the news came across the airwaves that catcher Jason Kendall would get his first day off - another spark towards the bottom of the order. The two of them were replaced by Brayan Pena (who had one at bat prior to Monday night's game) and Mitch Maier. Ouch.
Not to mention we have another sinkhole in the lineup with Alex Gordon back from his injury. I have lost all faith in Gordon, and the fact that he's batting .167 (yeah, I know, small sample size so far) and has already struck out twice hasn't changed my tune.Bannister has his first rough outing to top it all off, and we get an 8-1 loss at the hands of the Blue Jays.
Looking at various articles this morning, I'm left wondering why Trey Hillman would want to keep Pods out of the lineup again today. According to an article I found at Yahoo Sports, Hillman says he doesn't like to play guys who are traveling. Well...okay...but would you rather have Pods in the two hole batting .457, or have to shuffle the lineup and stick Maier back in the bottom of the lineup so he can try to improve on his .100 average? I say go with the guy hitting .350 points higher...but what do I know? Yeah...Pods may be a little tired, but I think I'd take my chances. And if he looks a little sluggish, well, you can always pull him. Oh wait. No...your hands are tied there, aren't they Trey? I almost forgot Dayton Moore has screwed this roster up so badly that you're short handed on the bench because you have to carry 13 pitchers....
Speaking of 13 pitchers - why is Luis Mendoza (22.50 ERA, 3.25 WHIP) still on this roster? Time to make room for another position player guys. There is absolutely no point in having this clown continue to to give up three or four hits per outing. Give your manager the roster flexibility he needs, Dayton. Recall Aviles, or bring up Kila...do anything but let Mendoza continue taking a roster spot away from a more deserving player. I think we've all seen enough.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Rupe! There it is....
Is it very exciting? No. But heads had to roll...and so, first on the chopping block is Roman Colon. And in his place? Right hander Josh Rupe.
Rupe was with KC this spring and did not impress the powers that be, posting a 6.30 ERA over 10 innings of work. Since going to Omaha, Rupe has thrown five innings and allowed no runs. He's given up two hits, struck out four, and walked one.
Prior to joining the Royals, Rupe was a pitcher in the Texas Rangers' system, logging just over 132 big league innings. Over that stretch, he's posted a 4.95 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. He throws four pitches - fastball, slider, curve, and a change - with the fastball sitting right around 90 MPH.
For his career, he's done well to induce ground balls, with a 53.6 percent rate...however that rate has dropped since since posting a 66.3 percent rate in 2006. In his last two trips to the big leagues he's induced grounders at a rate of less than 50 percent, although 2009 was an extremely small sample size of only 4.2 innings (but he tossed 89.1 innings in 2008 and posted a similar number).
Most disturbing though, is his K/BB rate, which is low at 1.17.
Still though, at least they're trying to shake it up a bit. Will this move pay dividends? Maybe. Maybe not. But it's better than doing nothing, and allowing Colon - who has only managed to get through two innings in five games while posting an 18.00 ERA - to take the mound again in a high pressure situation.
If Rupe can just be a "normal" mediocre reliever and post an ERA close to his career mark, well, let's just say 4.95 is a hell of a lot more tolerable than what Colon's managed thus far.
Let's just hope this is only the first step taken in an effort improve what has so far been a colossally bad bullpen.
Rupe was with KC this spring and did not impress the powers that be, posting a 6.30 ERA over 10 innings of work. Since going to Omaha, Rupe has thrown five innings and allowed no runs. He's given up two hits, struck out four, and walked one.
Prior to joining the Royals, Rupe was a pitcher in the Texas Rangers' system, logging just over 132 big league innings. Over that stretch, he's posted a 4.95 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. He throws four pitches - fastball, slider, curve, and a change - with the fastball sitting right around 90 MPH.
For his career, he's done well to induce ground balls, with a 53.6 percent rate...however that rate has dropped since since posting a 66.3 percent rate in 2006. In his last two trips to the big leagues he's induced grounders at a rate of less than 50 percent, although 2009 was an extremely small sample size of only 4.2 innings (but he tossed 89.1 innings in 2008 and posted a similar number).
Most disturbing though, is his K/BB rate, which is low at 1.17.
Still though, at least they're trying to shake it up a bit. Will this move pay dividends? Maybe. Maybe not. But it's better than doing nothing, and allowing Colon - who has only managed to get through two innings in five games while posting an 18.00 ERA - to take the mound again in a high pressure situation.
If Rupe can just be a "normal" mediocre reliever and post an ERA close to his career mark, well, let's just say 4.95 is a hell of a lot more tolerable than what Colon's managed thus far.
Let's just hope this is only the first step taken in an effort improve what has so far been a colossally bad bullpen.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Playing Cards with Orlando Hudson
Hey Orlando. Good to see you. Glad you could make it to poker night. What's that? You've got your own deck? Complete with race cards I see....
I'm sure we've all seen the Orlando Hudson story by now. According to Hudson, Jermaine Dye remains a free agent more than one week into the 2010 season because he's black. That's some claim. And I'm not going to completely rip Hudson for coming out and saying it...his perception is driving his comments. Perception equals opinion, and opinion can't be wrong, can it? People get paid all over this great nation to share their opinions on sports, politics, finance, etc. Doesn't mean it's fact...but some opinions do carry weight - and any time there is even a hint of racism (perceived or otherwise) I suppose there is call for alarm.
Now if it seems I'm taking this lightly, I apologize. I am not a racist, nor do I condone racism in any way. And this topic is such a slippery slope, I really don't like commenting on it...but in this case, I feel like I should. Let's get started.
Using the Jermaine Dye situation (if it can really be called a "situation") as his example, he calls baseball out for not signing African-American ballplayers. Last season, with the White Sox, Dye made $11 million dollars. His production dropped. He got a year older (as people tend to do). So...how much is a 36 year old outfielder - one who hit .250 (a 42 point drop from 2008) with well below average range in the OF worth? Last season, in addition to the negative factors I just mentioned, Dye's SLG dropped nearly 100 points. His home run total, RBI total, and number of runs scored all decreased (granted, RBI and runs are kind of arbitrary stats, dependent on other batters as well, but they're still numbers players/agents use as negotiating tools). He hit 41 doubles in 2008. In 2009? 19. So far, of all the factors I've mentioned, the only increase has been in age (which is generally a negative).
On the positive side, he did draw 20 more walks in 71 less plate appearances. He's a good guy. He's a veteran presence...a leader in the clubhouse. He still managed to hit 27 homers, so he's got some pop left in his bat. He'd probably be a great DH, or a guy who could play RF once or twice a week in a pinch. But his skill set is declining. It happens. And when that happens? You guessed it...decrease in value.
Let's be clear about one thing. It's not that teams aren't offering Dye any money at all. The offers have come in - but for less money. In fact, in a quote from Rotowire found on his player page at Fangraphs.com (where I'm looking up all these stats I'm throwing at you), Dye says:
"There have been offers, just nothing worth it."
He has allegedly turned down offers from the Angels, Cubs, and Blue Jays. He has drawn interest from other teams as well...but nothing has materialized. The Nationals are interested, but how much will they offer? Enough to get Dye to sign on the dotted line? Point is...teams are offering him jobs.
What it seems to boil down to for me - and again, I'm not criticizing anyone for any comments or perceptions of racism - is there isn't much of a market for a 36 year old outfielder with declining skills at the plate and in the field. White, African-American, Latin-American, or otherwise. Dye's contract expired and the White Sox let him walk. He's refused to sign for his market value. He has every right to decline offers and hold out for the best deal possible, but the market will dictate what offers come his way, not the color of his skin. Markets shift all the time...and right now, teams seem like they're trying to get younger more often than not by building through the draft and promoting home grown talent.
And to be fair, there are white players who have taken pay cuts, or are without contracts, too. Jim Edmonds currently plays for $850,000. Jarrod Washburn is out of work. Jim Thome signed for $1.5 million.
It seems to me that if Dye is a victim of anything, it's less racism and more drop in productionism.
I'm sure we've all seen the Orlando Hudson story by now. According to Hudson, Jermaine Dye remains a free agent more than one week into the 2010 season because he's black. That's some claim. And I'm not going to completely rip Hudson for coming out and saying it...his perception is driving his comments. Perception equals opinion, and opinion can't be wrong, can it? People get paid all over this great nation to share their opinions on sports, politics, finance, etc. Doesn't mean it's fact...but some opinions do carry weight - and any time there is even a hint of racism (perceived or otherwise) I suppose there is call for alarm.
Now if it seems I'm taking this lightly, I apologize. I am not a racist, nor do I condone racism in any way. And this topic is such a slippery slope, I really don't like commenting on it...but in this case, I feel like I should. Let's get started.
On the positive side, he did draw 20 more walks in 71 less plate appearances. He's a good guy. He's a veteran presence...a leader in the clubhouse. He still managed to hit 27 homers, so he's got some pop left in his bat. He'd probably be a great DH, or a guy who could play RF once or twice a week in a pinch. But his skill set is declining. It happens. And when that happens? You guessed it...decrease in value.
Let's be clear about one thing. It's not that teams aren't offering Dye any money at all. The offers have come in - but for less money. In fact, in a quote from Rotowire found on his player page at Fangraphs.com (where I'm looking up all these stats I'm throwing at you), Dye says:
"There have been offers, just nothing worth it."
He has allegedly turned down offers from the Angels, Cubs, and Blue Jays. He has drawn interest from other teams as well...but nothing has materialized. The Nationals are interested, but how much will they offer? Enough to get Dye to sign on the dotted line? Point is...teams are offering him jobs.
What it seems to boil down to for me - and again, I'm not criticizing anyone for any comments or perceptions of racism - is there isn't much of a market for a 36 year old outfielder with declining skills at the plate and in the field. White, African-American, Latin-American, or otherwise. Dye's contract expired and the White Sox let him walk. He's refused to sign for his market value. He has every right to decline offers and hold out for the best deal possible, but the market will dictate what offers come his way, not the color of his skin. Markets shift all the time...and right now, teams seem like they're trying to get younger more often than not by building through the draft and promoting home grown talent.
And to be fair, there are white players who have taken pay cuts, or are without contracts, too. Jim Edmonds currently plays for $850,000. Jarrod Washburn is out of work. Jim Thome signed for $1.5 million.
It seems to me that if Dye is a victim of anything, it's less racism and more drop in productionism.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The Pretender
Barry Bonds popped up in the news the other day. I hadn't paid much attention to him for some time now, and this was the first I'd heard a peep out of him for at least year. He didn't have much of substance to say, but I did take one thing away from the article I read...Bonds is still pretending.
Barry says he's proud of Mark McGwire for coming clean. What does this imply? It implies that Bonds thinks McGwire did something wrong and needed to come clean. However, no mention of himself, because Barry himself did nothing wrong, and doesn't need to come clean. Right?
Bonds then mentioned how he, like McGwire (new hitting coach for the Cardinals), is doing a little coaching himself. He recently did a little one-on-one clinic with Philadelphia's Ryan Howard. Speaking on the experience, Bonds went on to say "God gave me a gift, and it's nice to let someone else see what God has given me. If you want it, I'll be happy to share it with you."
I think in this equation, God equals Balco? I'm not sure. Maybe I'm reading too much into this...overanalyzing. But, word of warning to Ryan Howard, if Barry tries to share his "gift" with you...run! Sharing needles is NOT the way to go.
In all seriousness though, it's just another example of Bonds the Pretender - this time pretending to be the great guy he wants to be seen as...but we've all seen the real Barry for too long now. There's no turning back, no tricking us into remembering you in a different light. And more importantly, no tricking the Hall of Fame voters into remembering you for anything other than what you really are. A fraud.
But you just go on pretending nothing ever happened, Barry...
Barry says he's proud of Mark McGwire for coming clean. What does this imply? It implies that Bonds thinks McGwire did something wrong and needed to come clean. However, no mention of himself, because Barry himself did nothing wrong, and doesn't need to come clean. Right?
Bonds then mentioned how he, like McGwire (new hitting coach for the Cardinals), is doing a little coaching himself. He recently did a little one-on-one clinic with Philadelphia's Ryan Howard. Speaking on the experience, Bonds went on to say "God gave me a gift, and it's nice to let someone else see what God has given me. If you want it, I'll be happy to share it with you."
In all seriousness though, it's just another example of Bonds the Pretender - this time pretending to be the great guy he wants to be seen as...but we've all seen the real Barry for too long now. There's no turning back, no tricking us into remembering you in a different light. And more importantly, no tricking the Hall of Fame voters into remembering you for anything other than what you really are. A fraud.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Good, Bad, and Ugly
Another version of Good, Bad, and Ugly. I didn't want to start posting knee jerk reactions to games last week, or particular events as they unfolded. Figured the best way to go was to let the first handful of games play out, take a step back, and react. Decided to go with my second "Good, Bad, and Ugly" of 2010.
The Good
To start, the team seems a lot more athletic than it's been over the past few seasons. Ankiel is a pretty solid all around guy to this point. Most notably, he's running down balls in centerfield that I haven't seen a Royals' centerfielder track down for some time now. We had DeJesus there, and he's as steady as they come, but more suited for a corner outfield spot. Ankiel can flat out get after it, though. And he's hitting. So far.
Two more sources of added athleticism: Scott Podsednik and Chris Getz. Our defensive OF play has been great, and Getz is leaps and bounds ahead of Callaspo as a defender. The two of them have also shown they can get on base, and I think watching this team on the basepaths could be fun for a change (although I'm still not sold on Pods being a "great" baserunner, at least he CAN steal a base). I was very excited to get Getz in the Teahen deal, and so far, he's not disappointed.
I also have to mention the starting pitching thus far (minus the debut of Meche). They've looked fantastic. All of them (again, minus Meche). Zack, Luke (WOW), Bannister, and Davies have all done more than their share to get this team in the win column - but the bullpen (see "The Ugly") has been a trainwreck. I don't know how well this starting rotation will pitch over the course of a 162 game season, but so far, so good.
The Bad
The team is not taking advantage of the starting pitching and jumping out to leads. We still lack the offensive power we need to compete in the American League, and it shows. We're seeing starting pitchers allow anywhere from zero to three or four runs...and we need to capitalize. As an offense, we shouldn't barely be hanging on to a 1-0 nothing lead, or having to rally in the later innings to salvage a quality start. Hillman has as close as he's ever had to that "scrappy" roster he's wanted...and now we need to see that he can manage this team. Since we can't throw runs on the board in bunches, we need to see Hillman managing this offense into manufactured runs...and I haven't seen it enough yet. Even though we're playing small ball, with this bullpen, we're going to HAVE to average at least five runs per game to hang in there.
One more item for "The Bad." The handling of Mike Aviles. If Hillman/Dayton Moore weren't sold on his arm being recovered enough to play third base or shortstop, they should have sent him to Omaha from day one. In Omaha, he could play everyday, and his throws could be very easily monitored. As it stands, he's wasted a week on the big league roster, being used as a pinch runner, and we have no idea how his throws will look in a game situation. They've essentially wasted everyone's time by letting him sit the bench. The kind of move that makes me pull my hair out.
The Ugly
The bullpen. I don't really need to say any more than that, do I? I mean...the Royals are carrying 13 pitchers. Obviously, this won't last (they can't spread themselves so thin on the bench) but they need to figure out who their guys are going to be. And fast. Then either recall Aviles, or if his arm is in fact not ready, bring up Wilson Betemit to play as a multi-position sub, or...god forbid, give Kila a shot as a 1B/DH/pinch hitter.
The Good
To start, the team seems a lot more athletic than it's been over the past few seasons. Ankiel is a pretty solid all around guy to this point. Most notably, he's running down balls in centerfield that I haven't seen a Royals' centerfielder track down for some time now. We had DeJesus there, and he's as steady as they come, but more suited for a corner outfield spot. Ankiel can flat out get after it, though. And he's hitting. So far.
Two more sources of added athleticism: Scott Podsednik and Chris Getz. Our defensive OF play has been great, and Getz is leaps and bounds ahead of Callaspo as a defender. The two of them have also shown they can get on base, and I think watching this team on the basepaths could be fun for a change (although I'm still not sold on Pods being a "great" baserunner, at least he CAN steal a base). I was very excited to get Getz in the Teahen deal, and so far, he's not disappointed.
The Bad
The team is not taking advantage of the starting pitching and jumping out to leads. We still lack the offensive power we need to compete in the American League, and it shows. We're seeing starting pitchers allow anywhere from zero to three or four runs...and we need to capitalize. As an offense, we shouldn't barely be hanging on to a 1-0 nothing lead, or having to rally in the later innings to salvage a quality start. Hillman has as close as he's ever had to that "scrappy" roster he's wanted...and now we need to see that he can manage this team. Since we can't throw runs on the board in bunches, we need to see Hillman managing this offense into manufactured runs...and I haven't seen it enough yet. Even though we're playing small ball, with this bullpen, we're going to HAVE to average at least five runs per game to hang in there.
The Ugly
The bullpen. I don't really need to say any more than that, do I? I mean...the Royals are carrying 13 pitchers. Obviously, this won't last (they can't spread themselves so thin on the bench) but they need to figure out who their guys are going to be. And fast. Then either recall Aviles, or if his arm is in fact not ready, bring up Wilson Betemit to play as a multi-position sub, or...god forbid, give Kila a shot as a 1B/DH/pinch hitter.
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