hes a switch hitting 3b who is suppose to have really good raw power. he was drafted in the 4th round of the 2005 draft out of HS in florida. Last year in the GCL, he didn't hit for much power but he controlled the strike zone pretty well. This year, he is hitting for a ton of power but his plate discipline has deteriorated.

he probably wont stay at 3b (most likley moved to 1b or lf), so his bat will need to carry him.

The Reds GM knows that he got ripped off
"We paid a steep price," Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky said. "I'm sure this will be a controversial trade. I know a lot of people will be leaving nasty messages on my voicemail, and I'll have some who think it's great."

Bowden isn't shy to admit that he ripped off the Reds
"Philosophically, we believe that when you have a chance to trade a middle reliever for an everyday player, that's helpful," Bowden said. "Over the long run, if you look at a player for the next five to seven years, pitchers are more of a risk to injuries than everyday players."

He's handy with the leather.

But we should probably pick one that had fewer elements of fraud of it.

Off topic: Anyone have an idea for the cause of this. Maybe to lose weight? I am more anti-smoking than anti-Jeff Kent.

That's saying a lot.

Wonder how the US figures compare to the worldwide stats?

Didn't he take Mike Downey's place when they moved him over to the California section?

Hee Seop Choi cried, just a little, when you wrote that comment.

Interesting list from Hardball Times. Someone has created "Predicted OPS" which seems like (I haven't read the original article) a regression that identifies the key factors that predict OPS, then uses each player's values on these things (e.g., walk rate, %line drives, etc.) to figure out predicted OPS. Predicted OPS is apparently better than actual OPS at predicting future performance.

With that, here are the ten players whose Predicted OPS most exceeds their actual OPS, and who thus are most likely to crash by the end of the season. The first number is the PrOPS, the second their actual OPS, and the third the difference.

Holliday Matt T COL NL LF ..852 .974 .122
Sanchez Freddy PIT NL 3B .819 .917 .097
Cabrera Miguel FLA NL 3B ..913 .998 .086
Rolen Scott STL NL 3B .892 .976 .084
Garciaparra Nomar LAN NL 1B . .925 1.004 .079
Hawpe Brad B COL NL RF .877 .954 .077
Reyes Jose NYN NL SS .770 .838 .068
Byrnes Eric ARI NL CF .808 .874 .066
Uggla Daniel C FLA NL 2B .810 .875 .066
Wright David A NYN NL 3B .896 .961 .066

-----------------------------------------
I'll add that even Nomar's predicted OPS is darn impressive, and much higher than I expected this year. The question now is whether he can stay healthy - he's already played more games than he did last season.

That's the most likely reason that Loney will not be traded this season: he's Nomar insurance.

Huh?

Sigh.

Is that prediction based on the previous couple of seasons? Or better question, what's the PrOPS formula and what data are they basing it on?

Drew: 9
Furcal + Lofton + Garciaparra + Kent: 6

Well, he is a man after all...

One size up, Chad!

[breathes out]

Cardinals fans thought it was a hit because it was right at Lofton.

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/introducing-props/

Nate, what is Billingsley's fastball velocity? Is he throwing any sliders?

billingsley is 89-94, but weather conditions aren't really that great. he hasnt thrown any sliders yet. 4 seamers and curves with some 2 seamers mixed in.

When evaulating pitching prospects, my belief is one should keep this in mind. Too many analysts get lathered up over a prospect's "big curve." Nice to have one, but getting major league umpires to call it for a strike is a whole new ballgame, and major league hitters know it.

Related to this, a prospect's pitchability tends to get underappreciated, because it's harder to evaluate.

Yeah, I thought so too.

Both...at the same time...in parallel universes.

wow, russ martin already has a fox sports feature show on him.

Ick.

The thing I hate about Eckstein is he's always trying to "make the team". I'm all about hustling...but everyone knew that annoying kid who would hustle at everything. Like, taking a break in practice to get a drink he'd sprint to the water cooler...or after walking he sprints to first base...so completely not necessary...that just bugs me.

he's only made a handful of starts...no need to worry about his control.

why should you be suprised?? he rocks!!

or a bellie itcher? :o)

is Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy a good movie? I like the show and have been thinking about renting the movie. Thought?

I will experince a rockie with a back ground of bad defence & furterther more he's a rockie (more errors & bad hitting becouse he's a rockie) I love it!!!

I've just read that Israel's bombed a main highway in Lebanon and a Beirut airport. One of my best friends (and the most devout dodger fan I know) is in Beirut for the summer, studying Arabic at a university there. I've been in touch with him and it sounds like things are okay where he is for now, but he can hear bombs about 10 miles off and his area has been leafletted with warnings about oncoming attacks. Just asking that you keep him in your thoughts/prayers. For once, the decades of M/E violence hits a little closer to home than I could have ever expected.. :/

Back to watching the Chad tightrope act. That doesn't make me any less nervous.

puts things in prospective.

Yes, Bills is definitely giving us something to smile about, so far. :)

yeah, he certainly is. 22 SBs and 63 runs scored is nothing to sneeze at, either.

Still need one more out before Bob can reference a different post...

Bob always thinking negetive! by the way Bob my girl says hi.

Nah not really anymore.

I know. When you have Spezio, Duncan, Molina, Miles, AND the pitcher clogging up your line up (and Eck has no power), you really aren't that great.

Plus, they don't have a quality starter save for Carpenter.

Pardon my french, but *%!# teixera. he had like 7 HRs at the break, was sinking my fantasy team, and i gave him away for nothing. i wish nothing but ill-will on his power numbers.

I've been corrected, thanks for the correction. :o)

Hey, Jeff Kent took the first pitch!

your intuition is correct. He is trying to be to fine with his fastball.

The 100th homerless at bat for him.

I hope not. 11 or so baserunners in 5 innings won't get it done.

I'd say Hall! I don't like what he said about the LOS ANGELES DODGERS be thank full your playing for a great team dude!!! what?? you wanna play for a bad team???

In the meantime, does anyone think Grady would start Martin at third with Izzy away, if it's not for that long? Then Toby Hall can be happy too.

maybe that's why we'll never see jayson werth again?

If they're far enough ahead, heck, Gio bats and goes for a 4 inning save.

Nice.

i don't think 2 runs are enough when you have pooholes and rolen on the other side. then again, when you have isringhausen shutting their door, i'd keep the hope alive even if they got even with us.

i saw that too. i wonder if that was a techie jabbing the ump's strike zone. :)

Sheath your google-fu, for this one.

i didn't say he didn't face quality teams. i'm saying how much 9th inning "pressure" is there when you're out of the pennant race at the ASB?

Maybe I'll try Gamecast instead.

Nothing worse than fallen arches. ;)

Huff hit a 3-run homer for Houston tonight in their win at Florida.

Gio is back

yeah, it was hatteberg. i think "regular" players was in terms of whether they had enough ABs

They had a large photo on the wall of the final seconds of the Miracle on Ice game signed by everyone on the team incl. Herb Brooks. A memorabilia shop had loaned it to them and it was on sale for $ _____ .

Curious what your guesses are. I really wanted to buy it.

Marquis' weakness is giving up homers. We need the Bison!

I know, I was an innocent.

I still believe in the Gio miester!

to me "Mendoza line" = a great defensive players that "sabermatrics" people can't understand. Izzy

He'd K against Izzy for sure.

What can we do?

JD K's looking AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Geez, if he gets more money elsewhere h* will have officially frozen over.

Nice. GOB died way too young.

Wainwright? Ok. Whatever. Just don't tell me that Baez is getting warmed up in the pen to pitch to Pujols.

I find it funny that our catcher and soon our shortstop will be opsing higher than our centerfielder.
Heck izturis is only 7 points behind lofton in ops.

Grady sure waisted centerfield this season.

Small sample size for izturis tho.

Ned probably deserves much of the credit/blame. Didn't he give some kind of assurance to K-Lo that he would get a lot of playing time?

Very true.
And yes i read something about that, i wish i had saved that article.

Pitcher's spot up in the 10th. Three outs away from Enter Killer Tomato.

Lofton has not been on the disabled list since 2000. But he will turn 39 at the end of May. The Phillies got his best season in years (.335, 67 runs scored) by limiting his workload to 110 games in 2005, and Dodgers manager Grady Little knows he will have use Lofton in moderation this season.

"To think he can play 150 games might be stretching it," Little said. "But we'll be a better team every day he's out there so we'll try and maximize those days."

Yea right, quit smoking that funny stuff grady.

I'll laugh now...(after the cause)

In what way will seeing him hit weak grounders and pop ups make us better?

The race is on.

That's what goes through my head when I hear Sabermetrics.

what dose sabermatrics call that play that the Cardinals player 3rd basemend just made???????

i think furcal's OBP can be a little skewed by his SBs, no? isn't that as good as an XBH?

Miles just stuck his glove out and got lucky

275 I know this is hard to believe, but sabermetrics values defense as well.

It doesn't affect slugging because that measures how many bases per at bat you get.

Stolen bases factor into a lot of other stats, like runs created.

I actually was checking the Dodgers alltime singles record and the Dodgers weren't on pace to break that.

P.S. -- Adam Wainwright is really promising. Pencil him into the Cards' rotation in '07.

that's fine by me. maybe i'm just looking for a way to sneak it in, since i think it's exciting to watch as a fan.

Double: .772 runs
Single+Steal: .643 runs

Good point. Maybe both teams should be credited with a loss.

And yet beloved by the people of St. Louis?

Why? Because he's from St. Louis.

They are not picky there.

I was there once on July 4 and watched a fireworks show on TV and the woman who was introducing it made it a point to say that St. Louis had a nicer fireworks show than Kansas City.

that's a cool calculation. how'd you get it?

.176 BA, .525 OPS

Tonight's Hraboskyism: "That'll bring in a pinch-hitter... looks like Seanez. Rudy Sean... oh, no, Saenz... that's how you pronounce it. Rudy Saenz."

Hard to argue with you on Shannon. He truly is a nightmare.

it's not fun waiting.

Shannon has to be drinking. That's the only explanation.

But, Buck, if Ortiz homers, Manny's shot still ties it.

Steiner "Juan En-Car-Nar-Cion"
It's up a step up from "En-Car-Nation"

Buck Martinez is the guy who is going to pack a bomb in his suitcase because what are the odds of TWO guys with bombs in their suitcases on one airplane?

will Valenzuela play 1st & Murray play 3rd??

Stupid MLB Audio crashed on me and won't let me back in... grumble...

And Yahoo's stuck too.

So...

how does all this stuff stop feeding us at the same time? is there one person at the game, inputting all this, so if they go down, all the services fail?

I'm guilty of drinking today guys! (loving every minute of this game!!)

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/gamecenter/live/MLB_20060713_LA@STL

And you have a hitter like young Andre Ethier.

What would you want Ethier to do here, Jerry?

I think a hit would be a good idea, Rick.

But today it has frozen twice now.

Ethier with a swinging bunt to move Drew to 2B with 2 out, Izturis up.

Russell Martin up...

What's with the Eckstein love fest. It's getting pretty ridiculous.

"He's just a baseball player. He plays the game and plays it well"

Ok, we get it; people like him because he's short, but it doesn't mean you have to overrate him. He's an average defender at best and is a pretty mediocre hitter. He can hit some singles, but he doesn't run very well.

I was sad it was closed.

called strike 3 was a strike. it was a good pitch.

Did Nomar hit that as hard as GameDay made it seem?

It ain't easy to find.

I love how you discrive things Bob.

Baez is the more likely candidate to pitch more than one inning.

Actually, his arm begs for a relay man. But since Eckstein seems like a nice little boy, I will refrain from insulting him further.

sabermatrics agree with me???

Doesn't have quite the same oomph . . .

Nicely done high wire act.

Once Kennedy got back, the Angels realized he hit pretty well. And definitely better than Benji Gil.

So perhaps his epitaph will be "Better Than Benji Gil"

403 - More like a chopper that died early in the wet turf. Izturis really made a nice play and strong throw.

I love people that discrive what I can't say!!

A whole lot of pushups shy of HRs.

Home run in the 14th by Cesar Izturis.

like I said Saito rocks!!!

Then the Gateway Arch fell over.

But they should be back in business soon.

Showcase! (Are you watching, Mr. Krivsky?)

That girl they gave a closeup shot in the stands looked like she was about to pass out.

Was that predictable or what?
I swear I saw the words "in play run scoring play" pop into my head just before that.

>>sob<<

Odie... mumble... grumble...

Feh. 14 innings down the drain...

477 Funny, like a kick to the groin, yes.

Well, not really, but I am going to not think about baseball for at least 12 hours.

Now, you'll all start saying that because Perez was pitching it was, but you gotta pitch to people to get outs...

I lay this one on Grits.

And maybe Odalis needs to show a little more veteran's wisdom there and just walk Pujols after he's shown he won't chase the garbage.

On the whole, however, it's the offense that was most disappointing. Drew just seems to disappear for long stretches.

And I'll say it again: If Kent blew out that oblique, the medical staff has some explaining to do, given the litany of failed and seemingly premature medical comebacks in recent years.

herman,
Funny is Jan Murray at a Friars Club roast.

You sir are no Jan Murrary.