|
Vagaries of Vegas
2003-04-22 09:30
Got a good letter late last night: Jon Here's my response: I basically agree with the writer's sentiment (he didn't give his or her name) of not getting excited about these players, but not so much the specific points. I don't think that I went overboard in saying that Barnes and Crosby are hitting well. Yes, stats are inflated in Las Vegas, but that doesn't account for a guy batting .489, as Crosby was (when I wrote about him - he's down to .481 now). That doesn't mean that Crosby is a major-league talent, but a 1.529 OPS is worth a note, I think. Barnes' .921 OPS is more dubious in value. I've been skeptical about Barnes since the Dodgers signed him before Spring Training, but I still am not sure he wouldn't be called up before Romano. Romano does have versatility, but the Dodgers' problems have little to do with a lack of versatility. They need some punch, and I think they might just take a chance that Barnes could provide some of that. You may have noticed that twice last week, Jim Tracy let pitchers bat for themselves in the late innings - for no apparent reason except to conserve pinch-hitters in case he needed them later in the game. I can't imagine Tracy wants to keep doing that. Adding Romano won't solve that problem as well as adding Barnes would - if the Dodgers drop down to 11 pitchers. But again, I definitely agree with the writer's major point. There just isn't a whole lot of position help down in Las Vegas right now.
|
Jon Weisman's outlet
for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers and baseball. Hot from the Toaster
BlogAds
Search
Archives
2008 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2007 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2006 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2005 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2004 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2003 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 2002 09 08 07 About Jon
Jon's other site: Support Dodger Thoughts
Dodger Thoughts T-Shirts * * *
The Best of Dodger Thoughts Click here for more information.
"Dodger Thoughts, like TiVo, is one of those things you can completely do without until you start using it." - Fanerman Dodger Sites
Dodger Resources
Non-Partisan Baseball Sites
Partisan Baseball Sites
Baseball, Among Other Things
Invaluable Resources
Less Dodgers, More L.A.
All in the Family
Other Writing by Jon on the Web
SI.com Variety Also ... More Shameless Self-Promotion
2008 Season
Dodger home record: 22-20 (.524) 1991-2007
Dodgers at home: 745-600 (.554) 2008 Payroll Worksheet
Current Roster with Estimated 2008 Salaries Most figures are estimates (some are wild estimates) but will be updated as information comes in. Corrections welcome. More contract details here. Starting Pitchers (5) Bullpen (6) Starting Lineup (8) Bench (6) Disabled List Also Paying ... Working total: *$113,268,725 *Rough salary estimate The 2008 Dodgers
ESPN BR
BP
Cube Alvarez Selected Recent Ex-Dodgers
ESPN BR BP Cube Alomar Dodger Thoughts Land
Thank You For Not ...
1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity Syndication
 
About the Toaster
Baseball Toaster runs on some experimental software called Fairpole. It's still under development. For more information, please visit the Fairpole blog, or read the FAQ. |
Comment status: comments have been closed.