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In his recent interview with A's general manager Billy Beane, Tyler Bleszinski of Athletics Nation came away with a progress report on former Dodger outfielder Milton Bradley. An excerpt:
Blez: You're probably already tired of answering this question, but there are a lot of concerns about Milton Bradley's perceived attitude problem. How much did you take that into account when you were considering acquiring him?
Beane: Obviously, some of the things that have gone on, you can't change that or ignore that. But I think it was also something we tried to investigate as much as possible. And a number of people we've talked to who have come in contact with him were very supportive of him There's no sense in talking about his talent because it's evident. He's a switch-hitting, 27-year-old kid in the prime of his career. He's a bright young man and I've had the opportunity to talk to him. People who know him all say the same things. I think you also have to take into account that it was a tough year for the Dodgers. They went through a ton of injuries. The year before they won the division with Milton. I think people need to be careful and fair, even though I understand why they do, in prejudging Milton. I know he couldn't be more excited about coming here. I talked to a number of players before the trade was made, Eric (Chavez), Kots (Mark Kotsay) and Kendall. They all couldn't wait to have this guy on the team because they know he's going to contribute to a winning atmosphere. And listen, my attitude is a lot better when we win. Believe me, if you caught me on a tough season or a tough day, I would be accused of having the nastiest of attitudes. He's a great talent, and we got some great references that he's a bright and competitive young man. He's going to fit in very well here.
Blez: Did you happen to talk with Paul DePodesta about Milton?
Beane: I didn't think it was too fair at that point, so I tried to limit my conversations with him. I didn't want to put him in an uncomfortable position. But I consulted with players, guys who played against him and stuff like that. I couldn't have gotten a great endorsement than I did from some of the team leaders we have here.
Blez: Is Milton healthy?
Beane: Yeah, he had knee surgery last year. And he was up here in Oakland last week. We got his medical reports. ... He was up here last week. If I was at liberty, the report is sitting right in front of you, but I can't let you look at that. (laughs) He's doing great. We actually had to slow him down. He's far ahead of schedule.
Blez: So he should start the season?
Beane: Oh yeah. As a matter of fact, we think he should be ready for spring training. We'll probably take it easy on him in the spring. But according to the most medical reports, he should be ready for normal activity in the spring. But we're still going to take it easy on him.
The most questionable comment Beane made might be, "People who know him all say the same things."
Probably. Beane is likely a believer in the "Winning produces chemistry, not vice versa" mantra, a philosophy that might also imply "Losing produces Miltonian behavior."
I understand why Beane is taking the risk on him (attitude and injury-wise). He's a perfect example of the kind of guy Beane would want - undervalued due to (fill-in-the-reason), cheap, and productive.
Have fun with him, Oakland.
Which brings up another thought I've had: what if Ned's gaggle of geezers has some degree of success this year (i.e. at least a division title). And, what if Ned decides not to keep players like Alomar, Lofton, Nomah, etc.: will the MSM treat Flanders the same way they treated Depo when he "blew up" a division-title-winning roster?
"I manage a ball club according to the talent on the field and we try to use good common sense with our judgments on when to do certain things. A lot of times,a stolen base is as effective as a hit and run so sometimes we'll do that. I do like to hit and run if the personnel are the right people in order. I like action."
I have no problem with this. The problem for the Dodgers has been that the hit and run is a lot harder than they seem to think it is.
Really, I don't. He just goes about his job. He will work until he doesn't want to. He's seen the Dodgers win all their World Series. It's not like he's missed out on anything.
McCourt needs to prove he's not McCheap.
Colletti needs to prove he's not Sabbeans clone.
Grady needs to prove he can manage a ball club to win.
Murray needs to prove that what happened in Cleveland wasnt his fault.
Gagne needs to prove he's as dominant as ever.
Nomar needs to prove he can be an offensive force again.
Kent needs to prove he's not getting too old to win.
Lofton needs to prove he's not too old for baseball.
Drew needs to prove he can play in more than 100+ games without breaking down.
Lowe and Penny need to prove that they are in fact Aces.
OP needs to prove he's not washed up.
Navarro needs to prove he's good enough to start.
Cruz Jr. needs to prove he's not wasted potential.
Werth needs to prove he's not werthless.
etc etc.
A-rod needs to prove he can succeed in the postseason.
Cano needs to prove he isn't a fluke.
Etc. Not saying some of those aren't so, but...there was no real indication last year Kent or Lofton were "too old for baseball," I'm sure most players coming back from injuries have varying degrees of concern and so on.
Basicly to accomplish everything the Giants have'nt.
As for the owners, they want to turn a profit.
27 I'm sure you're right, I just have a hard time picturing OP crying over his Dos Equis and wanting us to like him.
I think that applies especailly to Bradley. If you remember after the pennant winning game in 04, he was crying and wanted to reform himself, to be apart of the winning. And remember, he did more in the community this year than any other Dodger. I think in Bradley's head, he knows people think hes this out of control guy, so he just wants to prove himself as a winner and as intelligent to challenge peoples assumptions and distaste for him. If he tried to prove his sanity, it wouldnt work. But if hes seen as a fierce competitor, people would be able to find a place for his temper. When Kent challenged his competitorness (is that a word?), that was knocking down the one thing Bradley had left to rest his cap on. I think that Bradley was probably excited to leave LA as a result, and he will probably suceed as a fierce competitor in Oakland. And re:19, yeah he will probably miss on some of those dives, but what outfielder doesnt, and he might make some spectacular plays while trying.
You're better off with the oranges and reds. Build houses on those and you will win big.
That's my real estate tip for the day.
who is likely to improve on their game? a 21 yr old catcher or a 32 yr old catcher...
The more appropriate questions for this thread would be, "Is Lofton really that much of an improvement over Bradley? Who is likely to improve on their game? A 27 yr old CF or a 38 yr old CF...
34 - Navarro is more likely to improve for sure, but also more likely to bat .216 next year with 7 hr and obp of .279. The point is at this stage, Molina is not only statistically better offensively and defensively, but more proven and likely to perform at that level.
Does Oakland have anyone like Jeff Kent? There's a pretty good chance that, if Kent wasn't a Dodger last year, Bradley still would be.
Broadway is more hype then substance, which is about the same I feel about Milton.
36
I expect Navarro to come close to what Bengie would bring and the service I rely on for future production prognistication agrees. We have enough veterans and the pitchers were very happy with Navarro. I really really hate slow players so I'm prejudiced against Bengie. I watched the Angels try to score him when he got on base and it was never an easy venture. He scored 45 runs even though he hit 295 in 400 ab. He was on base 148 times and hit 15 home runs. Which means his teammates were able to score him 30 times out of the 133 times he was on base.
Oh and that was in a DH league. In the NL and DS he may never score. Do you think it is a coincidence that such a good hitting catcher is still unemployed? Or maybe the GM's of the league know that a 32 year old catcher coming off his career year is just as likely to pull a Greg Myers after 2003 then he is to continue to be a consistent player.
That is why they hired Hunsicker to help him navigate his way.
spottedowl: How important is it to have a set number of lefties in the bullpen, either one or two? Or are you looking to bring the best relievers with the club no matter which way they pitch?
Little: I'll tell you what, I'm not a firm believer that you need to have a left-handed pitcher in any situation just because he's left-handed. So many times, you have a better arm in the bullpen but some managers try to protect themselves by bringing in the lefty to face the lefty, even if it's not the right move. I'm not a manager that's going to go on that percentage. And the same thing goes for our left-handed hitters against left-handed pitchers.
http://tinyurl.com/9375j
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2298743
as for 41, the number of runs he scores is heavily dependent on the lineup around him. Maybe the problem wasn't his speed so much as his low average, low OBP teammates.
I wish I trusted Navarro to be a solid hitter, but at his young age and with little major league experience, I'll be shocked if he manages a VORP over 10. And if he does that, we'll see how many supporters he has here by August or so.
Point being, I think Colletti sees Molina as insurance against a Navarro collapse. Right now that insurance is Sandy Alomar, who surely can't even outhit The Goggled One.
Really, those urging that we give the job to Navarro (who only turns 22 soon), what happens if he's hitting .200/.280/.300 in July?
Sign Molina to share the job with him for a year, then we're covered. And then Navarro can do the same for Martin in '07.
"I think the biggest challenge will be to win as many games as we can on a daily basis and keep the players healthy," said Grady Little."
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