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ashbury

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Everything posted by ashbury

  1. ashbury
    A reasonable place for a player of his profile is to bat 9th until he is ever the team's best candidate to lead off. After all, past the first inning, you can think of any of his plate appearances as being like a leadoff batter's; and he's not exactly going to clog the basepaths in front of your true leadoff guy.
  2. ashbury
    He can't draw many walks, when the opposing pitcher knows he can't hurt him with balls in the strike zone thrown with any kind of stuff. "A walk's as good as a hit" has a reverse meaning if he never hits anything that can move a runner more than a single base. The improvement in Ben's distance hitting is absolutely crucial to turning everything around, because an empty .300 really doesn't do much for a team.
  3. ashbury
    In his 2006 MVP season he was batting .237 with a .756 OPS on this day in May. If "healthy and dialed in" from here on out, it still could be a great ride.
  4. ashbury
    This would be good.
  5. ashbury
    Humber doesn't seem to have found the first inning a particularly difficult one tonight.
  6. ashbury
    The uncertainty of who is going to emerge is probably the answer. Since I'm not in the "Revere is odds-on" camp, color me un-baffled, at least until some other riddle comes along.
  7. ashbury
    Fair enough. I find it also baffling for someone to prefer Willingham in left. I thought the "book" was to put your outfielder with all the tools in center, the outfielder with an arm but no speed in right, and the outfielder lacking the arm but good wheels in left. If you have an outfielder with neither speed nor arm, you DH him. I didn't think Willingham's arm was at issue, just his speed and maybe his dexterity. But you're right, I threw darts at a player's stand-uppyness in the presence of his manager giving him cover (whether it's the truth or not or someplace in between), putting me on shaky ground.
  8. ashbury
    I didn't much like his debunking of the 9th being tough, and the many comments gave several reasons why. But the 1st inning idea has some merit. You might have to learn to accept a different standard than for closer; an ERA of 3.00 might be excellent in that role, and 4.00 pretty acceptable.
  9. ashbury
    Willingham not playing RF is baffling to me. I can't believe there is any other explanation than him asking Gardenhire not to put him there, after the short trial period in Spring Training. His prior lack of experience there seems due to having been on teams having a lefty-throwing incumbent. Otherwise his profile (OK arm, slow speed) maps exactly to RF - he used to be a catcher, a position I doubt Revere ever tried. And using the lack of experience/comfort there doesn't wash anyway: Darin Mastroianni had essentially never played there in his pro career, being mostly CF with some LF, but he tackled it. Of course Mastro *had* to say yes when Gardy told him to do it, because he's hardly secure as a major leaguer and will do whatever task is asked. But then that doesn't speak very well of Willingham, does it? You want your veteran to be a stand-up guy for the good of the team. By all accounts, Josh is very well thought of, but this particular angle is very perplexing.
  10. ashbury
    I'm not sure if Target Field is way out of the norm for the rest of the league. While I don't like cookie-cutter stadiums, I fear that a too-unique stadium tempts the team to acquire players that "fit" it, and to me this risks being uncompetitive at playoff time if it lowers the odds of winning at the away-field. There's a balance that can be aimed for. So, if the changes are intended to reduce some kind of unfairness versus most parks, I'm in favor, but if for instance we're just moving in the fences to make for more offense in general, I don't see the point.
  11. ashbury
    Yes, I do see it, even before viewing the second photo. Something about those Texas boys.
  12. ashbury
    Gee, all of a sudden another guy whose last name starts with M comes to mind.
  13. ashbury
    The Plouffe Line keeps getting farther out of reach for poor Mastro. Later update: E9. That might be just about it for Darin. Further update: being pinch-hit for by Casilla can not be a good omen for one's major league stay.
  14. ashbury
    Oh, and if he wants to retire as an active player, he can come coach at Rochester if and when Brunansky is brought up to the parent club. He can have dual portfolio as Batting coach and Fieriness coach. I wouldn't put him in charge of players at Ft Myers A+ level or lower though - imagine the havoc when he decides also to be Pranks coach.
  15. ashbury
    Mike Redmond was 34 when he joined the Twins, and people joked like he was someone's great-grandfather or something; his record showed steady decline after the first couple of years. AJ would be 36 if he joined the Twins. No reason not to expect a similar decline. It would be really ironic if we brought him back to catch. He was moved (most productively) in order to make room for a new kid. Now the new kid maybe can't catch everyday? Bring back an older AJ, and let *him* catch. Maybe at a Jim Thome-like price, as some kind of veteran presence on a youth-oriented squad, he makes sense. But he's making $6M this year. If he signs with someone for $3M or $4M in 2012, I hope it's not the Twins.
  16. ashbury
    Great minds think alike.
  17. ashbury
    Don't look now, Mastroianni, but Danny Valencia is batting .293 at Rochester, with a couple of home runs. Today would be a good game to get your batting average back up above the Plouffe Line.
  18. ashbury
    Nah, they're set for the next two years with Capps. What they really need is a fourth catcher, in case you DH one backup and you have to pinch run for the second. That's what you save the Sano trade card for.
  19. ashbury
    A reason he could be non-Mauer-like is defense. Joe's was considered good for his age from the start; Miguel has to either improve at 3B or learn a new position, adding at least a year to an "in the majors at age 21" timetable and probably two. Your June 2015 forecast kind of splits the difference.
  20. ashbury
    You're right, that part of the quote by "Phil" (I didn't search the site to see if anyone else shared the view) crossed a line big-time. I think I didn't react to it at first because I infer discomfort that I share surrounding the spectrum of behaviors that go 1) "People might or might not notice, I don't care either way" 2) "Yes, I *want* and even *need* it out there, people can mind their own business" 3) "In fact, I'd like someone to call me out on it, it's a conversation I would *love* to have" 4) "LOOK AT MEEEEE!" For concreteness, I think Walters is at #2 and Tim Tebow is at #3, for whatever it is worth. "Phil" is mixed up badly to think these are the same as #4. Hm, I wonder what <strike>antics</strike> gestures Tebow might attempt if he were a pitcher. Sorry, no. I don't actually mean to threadjack.
  21. ashbury
    I am looking forward to his Preface to the Second Edition in two or three years, after he gets some more experience at the major league level. Maybe he'll say it was exactly as he expressed it in the First Edition; or he might say "wow, that ball sure travels farther in a major league park for some reason".
  22. ashbury
    This adds a little further insight to the question I asked you yesterday - it does make it sound aligned with "value" such as in potential trades or for eventual Wins Above Replacement or whatever. Keep the reasoning coming.
  23. ashbury
    I think the uni-watch guys are guilty mainly jumping the gun a little, with a "but what if everyone did that" point of view that really hasn't been rebutted in any of the discussion I've seen. Yes, it's hard to reproach the specific purpose of grief over a tragedy. But each person out there is going to decide differently what is appropriate - I recall a pitcher (Eddie Bonine with the Tigers?) a couple of years ago catching flak for digging a sign of the cross on the mound. Tomorrow, who knows what worthy event or cause will be symbolized? Maybe some pitcher will think it's important to bring awareness to a balanced budget amendment. BUT... it hasn't happened yet, and the discussion can occur if and when it does happen. So, the uni-watch guys have a certain mindset, and have jumped the gun. They aren't baby haters or anything.
  24. ashbury
    If his middle name is DeWayne, why is he called P.J.?
  25. ashbury
    I believe there is a rule that prevents this; one's third string catcher is required to pitch if no other reliever is willing, or something like that. The box score must be wrong. Gawd, I'm doing the Butera meme. Must stop, must stop...
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